As businesses continue to evolve and respond to the demands and expectations of modern consumers, selling gift cards through their website has transitioned from a “supplemental revenue stream” to an “absolute necessity.” Here are a few reasons why setting up an online gift card program has become so important for restaurants and retailers of every size:
- Digital gift card adoption among businesses will see a 23% increase by 2025. (Source)
- Online gift cards are one of the fastest-growing areas of e-commerce. (Source)
- Small businesses that sell digital gift cards saw a 20% increase in revenue compared with businesses that only sold physical cards. (Source)
At Card Market, we’ve worked alongside businesses in a variety of industries to help them generate more revenue through their gift card program. Our Card Market Pro platform was specifically designed to provide businesses with a custom-branded shopping cart that allows them to sell both physical and digital gift cards directly from their website. The platform also includes the latest fraud shield protection and an innovative admin panel to provide helpful gift card data in real time.
How to Set Up an Online Gift Card Program in 3 Easy Steps
While business owners might recognize the benefits of offering digital gift cards, the idea of getting started can often be overwhelming. At Card Market, we want to make it as easy as possible to set up an online gift card program. Over the years, we’ve built a team that takes on all the heavy lifting for our clients so businesses can set up an online gift card program in three simple and easy steps:
1. Set up your account with Card Market and transfer previous gift card materials so we can manage fulfillment.
Once you complete the sign-up form, our team immediately gets to work. We’ll work with you to connect your account to your ecommerce platform and payment gateway. With these two tools connected, your gift card revenue will flow from the platform’s shopping cart directly to your bank account.
We’ll also work with your payment processor to access any credentials we might need from them and gather any of your current gift card inventory. We’ll use this information to fulfill any physical gift card orders you receive.
2. Design and Test Your Custom Branded Online Shopping Cart
After setting up your account, our team gets to work on designing a custom-branded shopping cart that integrates with your website. Making sure your shopping cart matches the look and feel of your brand is key to creating a seamless shopping experience for customers. It’s also one of the best practices to keep in mind for gift card design.
Your online shopping cart is built with a custom URL that you can easily add to your website. Our team also performs a series of tests to make sure everything has been set up properly before you officially launch your online gift card program.
3. Add Your Online Gift Card Link to Your Website and Start Managing Your Program
Once testing is complete, our team provides you with a live link that you can add to your website. We also give you access to our administrative panel to provide you with detailed information on sales activity, fraud shield settings, and more.
We also help you maximize your ability to sell gift cards online with marketing ideas and promotional tools we’ve developed from best practices learned over the years.
For example, optimizing your website for online gift cards is essential for maximizing your revenue potential. We’ve learned that the most successful online gift card programs are intentional about where they link to the shopping cart and how they promote it on their website.
Discover Why Card Market is the Best Online Gift Card Partner in the Industry
At Card Market, we’re proud of the reputation we’ve built. Our team works hard to do everything they can to make our clients’ gift card programs a success. We can help you get set up and start selling gift cards in as little as seven days. More importantly, we partner with you to proactively prepare for busy seasons and grow with your business as your needs evolve. If you’re curious about setting up an online gift card program, we’re happy to help answer any questions you might have. You can learn more about Card Market Pro, explore our FAQs page, or check out our ROI calculator to discover how much revenue you could potentially earn by adding gift cards to your website.