It’s that time of year! People everywhere are starting to plan their holiday gifts—and it seems that every year the holiday shopping frenzy starts a little earlier. While finding the perfect present for a gift recipient can put added stress and pressure on the gift giver, there is one solution that can give the recipient absolute control every time—that’s right, a gift card.
To help you continue to increase your revenue throughout the year, here are some of our guidelines below to make the most out of your holiday gift card sales this season.
Simplify the Experience
When selling online, one of the most critical action items to implement is making your gift card options easily accessible to create a seamless e-commerce experience. Make sure that your gift card offerings are readily available on your website and don’t forget to notify your customers through social media and email marketing campaigns. (Based on a survey from Software Advice, social media and email marketing are the primary ROI drivers.)
When selling in-person, have plenty of physical gift cards accessible so that customers can grab one for a quick impulse buy or an easy in-and-out shopping experience for a last-minute gift. Always have them displayed near your register, with an easy-to-activate process, saving customers the most time possible. You can also get creative and build a gift-card-feature wall that is clearly labeled and easy to find.
Get Festive
There’s something magic in the air near the holidays, and there’s something about festive products that make the enchantment even more exciting. When creating your gift cards, keep both the occasions and your target audience in mind. What will your customers reach for when they are at your stores? Is it bright and cheery reindeer, or is it minimalistic and neutral snow? (We can help design the perfect match).
Create Special Promotions
There are more sales and promotions during the holidays than at any other time of year, making the competition even more fierce. In the same Software Advice article mentioned above, discounts were the top incentive to increase sales.
When thinking of your services or merchandise, start with highlighting new ones that you want to introduce to your audience or existing ones that have been popular in the past. You can also include BOGO purchases so that all individuals involved in the gift-giving process are rewarded.
Diversify Your Options
One of the best things about gift cards is the bandwidth of opportunities that a customer has. If you offer both goods and services, try separating your gift card options by making the possibilities service, product, or monetary-centered. Doing so adds a more personalized element to the giving process and a more structured strategy to the buying process. It also gives you the opportunity to execute specific promotion goals, during the holiday season and all the others, too.
Implement Re-Loadable Options
In just about any sales industry, there is an opportunity to extend the lifespan of a gift card. Most everyone loves something reusable, so why would gift cards be any different? When constructing your gift card process, be sure to note re-loadable options for recipients once they spend what was initially added to the card, continuing that relationship and encouraging future purchases.
Make them Known
Build marketing strategies in your strategic plan by planning out how you want to promote your gift card options. Whether it’s on your website or social media pages, in the store, at the checkout counter, or on an employee uniform, make your gift cards the center of attention!
Build Your Holiday Plan With Card Market
Card Market helps companies of all industries promote, sell, and track gift cards so that you can excel in your customer relationships and give them an extraordinary experience. Ready to get started? Contact us today for a consultation!