A Perfect Gift Card Marketing Guide For Retailers -theBrandBoy

For retailers, gift cards are proved as one of the best tools that increase sales.

Over the decades, gift cards have been used to attract more attention. And, people redeeming them which increase sales. Also, it’s helpful to get your customers to come back to your store.

However, there are more than $1 billion gift card purchases that never get redeemed.

For business, it’s important to make sure that your gift marketing is on point, so you can get the benefits from it.

If you are new to this, regardless of what niche you belong to, here is what can help you in boosting the gift card marketing for your retail.

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Why Use Gift Card Marketing For Retailers?

A gift card is just not the product, it’s a marketing tool. When you use it wisely, you can boost your conversion rate, increase brand awareness, and get more customer base.

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A gift card is powerful yet underrated. To retailers, using the powerful tool can help you in expanding your business.

A gift card must be used but before you should know how to do it. To know, here are some points that can help you.

It’s Customer Prefered

The customers like gift cards. It’s not just you are asking them to use, but they prefer it on their own. This can help in increasing the customer base for your business.

According to the National Retail Federation survey in 2015, around 58.8% of customers want to receive gift cards for their festival or holiday celebrations.

Also for more than 9 years, gift cards ranked on the top most requested items for gifts.

From 2015, during the holiday season around 74.3% of people said that they were thinking about buying gift cards. According to the survey. The average person would spend 3.4 cards on their $153.08 total.

why gift card is ideal for rewarding customers

In 2015, CEB Global predicted that the sales of gift cards will increase, as that year the overall price touched $130 billion.

According to last year, it was a 6% increase and for next year, the price turned to $160 billion.

Takeaway: Customers follow the trend, and gift cards are in trend for several years. If you are not offering it, you might be losing some really important demands.

It Can Be Ideal For Gifts

The gift cards are ideal when it comes to gifting someone. Presenting like that on your store or online, you can encourage the people you buy. Also, the receipt appreciates such options.

Well, retailer-specific gift cards are covering all important basics Not just they focus on specific but also allow the freedom to choose according to customers and what they like to purchase.

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You can add the customizing option to keep it personal.

This will help your customer to feel much appreciated. You can offer the gift e-cards or announce the cards sent for them.

Receiving gift cards are one of the options you can use for getting more free publicity. You can provide gift cards that can make your customer happy and joyful about it.

The customers who are satisfied and happy will likely share the experience on social media too.

Here, the important point to focus on is to make sure you are offering something that can expand the positive feelings.

Add positive emotions more, the receipt will feel great and this will be an opportunity to share it with their people or social media.

With this, you will get more publicity and user generated content to boost your sales.

It Can Do Brand Awareness

This is a valuable and much more effective way to introduce the product to your customers. With this, you can make sure that more customers know about your store.

Also, it can be used for telling them what you can offer and why your store is valuable, this opportunity helps in introducing more about the store to the people out there.

You can use the emails that can do both brand awareness and increase the gift cards for your customers.

But make sure, you are not overdoing it. It can be too much when you keep sending mails after mails, and you might end up in the spam section.

It Can Boost The Customer Base

With the gift card, you can understand more about your customers. By letting them choose the gifts, you get an insight into what customers are looking for.

With the gift card or free money, they can purchase more from your store. Also, it becomes important to understand the opportunity that can lead to more purchases or customer retention.

Strategies To Make Your Gift Marketing Game On Point

Gift cards are popular and one of the options people look forward to, especially during holidays, birthdays, and other important days.

Doing smart marketing can help you in getting more people to buy and redeem it. For a retail business, gift cards can help you in connecting with more audiences.

Also, you can get them to your store that exceeds sales.

To make sure you are using your gift marketing effectively, here are a few strategies that can keep your work on point and fulfill its purpose.

Market It On Charity, Events & Partnership

Giving away gift cards for the local community events, charity and partnerships is helpful.

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It does not just show the support to your community but the local charitable organization can help in boosting the networking.

Offering gift cards can also help in attracting more attention to your store.

Put Them Every Possible Place

It’s hard to miss when something is everywhere. The easiest as well as the obvious ways that help your gift card marketing. Put your gift card in every single place where your customer can notice..

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It includes places like hostess stands, register, waiting to dressing areas, window displays, etc. Also, place them in places like sidewalks and menu boards.

If you want to expand the reach, you can use the callout to the gift cards on receipt.

Takeaway: Placing the gift cards everywhere makes it more visible to your audience. Also, it increases the chances of getting notices and attracting more audience for your business.

Expand Your Spending

The smart move you can choose here is to use the gift cards for encouraging spending. It can be an effective way to boost upsell.

For example, if you are offering a gift card worth $20 on what your customer purchased. It will help them in getting some more items to get the gift card value redeemed.

However, if they give that card to someone else, it will help you in getting a new customer. And it can be more genuine as it’s recommended by the old customer of yours.

Takeaway: Using your gift card as a carrot for boosting the upselling can help you in getting more purchases. But also it can be beneficial to attract new customers through your current one.

Use Different Channels

Using the omnichannel shopping experience can get people more noticed by your gift card, also it can be a major boost to the reach and its effectiveness. It includes.

Social media channels can help you in extending your reach. With this, you can target the audience you want for your retail store.

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Also, use the gift card for running your ads in a better way. The gift cards can be a major eye-catcher and people get attracted to shop from you.

Focus on the post before you share, keep it interesting, short but explained. Make sure your post can attract attention to keep the gift cards more effective for your purpose.

eCommerce

Use the gift card link on your website. Keep it easy to see and hassle-free to access. Also placing can help in getting more purchases.

Use the footer or header. Also, you can add pop banners.

You can especially use this for holiday seasons, also it can help your customers to stay on your site for a little more time.

Leverage The Brand Awareness

The gift card can be used for brand awareness. Market your gift card as a raffle prize, take the advantage of events that are happening around your local community.

You can host the local events or sweepstakes on your own to get more customers to your store. This will help in making people more aware of what you do and the business itself.

Also attracting new people to become your customer can be much easier.

Takeaway: Using gift cards for brand awareness can be a hassle-free and rewarding option. Not just your customers are getting something from it, but in exchange, you are getting more sales and buyers.

Hosting the events can boost the numbers of people who want to get the gift card which also increases the foot traffic to your retail store.

Use Marketing Email

Email marketing is beneficial to gather more customers and approach more effectively. Use the campaign by offering the gift card, as it’s rewarding and you get more subscriptions.

People save their money and do shopping, in return you get the chance to build your email list. It can be quick and easy to target people to get the work done.

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Also, make sure your email marketing forces on the gift card are sent before any big days or festivals. Keep it at least one or two days early.

Takeaway: Gift cards can exceed the numbers especially during the holiday season. Approaching your customer with effective marketing tools can help in getting more people to your store.

Also during the holiday period, customers look for options and gift cards can be an encouraging push to shop from your store.

Use It For Referrals

Referrals are an effective way to get your retail store some effective endorsement.

Also, people believe more when it’s recommended by someone they know or someone who is not directly connected to the business.

The recommendations can help you in getting genuinely interested buyers. With this, you can get the customer base and loyalty that every successful business needs.

You can encourage your customers to do the word of mouth for your retail store. To keep it effective, you can use the gift card as a small gift for appreciating their efforts.

Keep Them Attractive For Eyes

Gift cards should be attractive enough that can catch your customer’s attention. That’s why big retailers make their gift cards designed to keep their customer’s eyes on them.

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Also, you can keep it customer gift cards with a copy to keep it memorable as well as fun.

Create design and customer gift cards for your audience. You can get more buyers based on this and also when you get the attention of your customer, you can get more opportunities to engage with your brand and stores.

Ideal Gift Card Marketing Ways For Better Results

Gift cards are incredibly famous. And there are numerous reasons, it can be easy to share, and people use it for gifts such as holidays and graduation like personal celebrations.

As per the National Retail Federation, the sales of gift cards turned $149 billion in the year 2017. As compared to 2007, there was a 54% increase in numbers.

According to First Data, it’s a new normal when it comes to overspending on gift cards.

Well in 2016, around 75% of consumers who received gift cards made $27.74 more purchase on their overall amount given on the card.

And it’s 69% more as compared to 2015.

So the gift card is a great option that you can use for a better connection with your customers. Also, it’s effective too for offering their favorites and selling more.

However, to boost the numbers, you must come up with new and creative ideas. And here are a few ways that you can consider.

Gift Card In Digital & Physical Forms

Today’s customers look for both options in shopping. They want the convenience of shopping no matter if it’s online or offline.

The same thing goes for gift cards. Offering digital cards can help you in boosting sales, however, it depends on your strategy related to the omnichannel.

The trend of e-gifts is getting higher, people are looking for more to use for their own or gift someone.

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In 2017, the overall volume increased to $14 billion. People easily get their gift cards, download and email them to their family, friends, or someone else.

Also, physical gift cards hold important value. Over the five years, the average number increased from 4.8 to 5.9.

Pro Tip: Offering customization in both forms can help you in getting the attention of your customer. Also, add the personalization which makes it more ideal for gifts.

Encourage The Purchase For Themselves

Self Purchasing is a new trend. Also, digital purchasing increased by 13% since 2014. As for the physical self, purchasing in cards becomes 9% more.

More than half of the purchases online are buying gift cards for themselves. The reason might be an easier way of getting more loyalty or points rewards.

Also, it’s an ideal way to create the amount for doing spending in a certain location. For example, it fits the coffee budgeting.

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Encouraging their self-purchase behavior can help you in getting more sales. Also for that, you can offer email or social media campaigns dedicated to buying the cards for personal use.

Implanting the loyalty program so it can encourage more customers to return back to the store, also utilizing the cards for having more rewards.

Offer Guide To Use

Well, to make sure that people utilize their gift cards, you can also offer a guide to use. It can consider what items your customers can buy, where they can get more points, and what else they can do it.

This guide will be helpful to understand where the gift cards can be used and spent. You can add new favorite products, offers, upcoming events, and behind the scenes.

Pro Tip: Use your social media channels for promoting the guide. Also, add your social media handles in the guide, so the customers can look up your store online.

Use As Reward Or Upsell

By creating a loyalty program, you can use the gift card for rewarding your customers. Offer the gift card to your customers who are the most loyal to your brand.

For starters, you can keep it as a $5 or $10 gift card for the incentives, it will be enough for the audience to keep coming in.

You can also offer this as a reward for what they have spent. For example, if your customers did a large amount of shopping, you can add a $5 or $10 reward, it will also help you in getting customers back

It encourages buying and people purchase more too.

Do Promotions On Holidays

Gift cards are ideal options to promote during holidays. Especially Christmas, New Year, etc. But also you can keep small or minor holidays for boosting customer shopping.

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Encourage your audience to spend by celebrating on holidays like Teacher Appreciations Day, National Ice Cream Day, etc

Pro Tip: Not just focus on major and minor big days, you can also create your own day or celebrate it. This will give your customer more reasons to come back while making them curious too.

Use It For Co-Op

Use your gift cards for creating a gift with other businesses in your area. It can be used for complement services, to creating a group of business that can do each other gift cards selling

This will help you in getting your retails store easy to reach but also you can use other spaces to find your targeted audience.

What Makes Your Gift Card Marketing Less Effective?

Gift marketing requires an understanding of how and when you are selling it. There are some mistakes that you can avoid, so you keep it much better.

Don’t Wait For The Seasons

No doubt, seasons can help you in boosting and making the sales rapid. But don’t wait for the seasons to start offering your gift cards.

Also, digital gift cards are popular and it doesn’t need the festive season. Such offers are famous all around the year.

Don’t Overlook The Laws & Regulations

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Every country has its respective laws and regulations. When you are offering gift cards, make sure you follow them.

Make sure your policies are following the rules and it should be detailed enough so your audience can understand too.

Don’t Make It Unattractive

The idea of offering gift cards is to appeal to the customers, it should be gift-ready and attractive enough to get the attention.

The purpose of gift cards is to serve the idea of freedom in shopping. Without making it personal or adding emotions, you can’t appeal to your customers.

Don’t Avoid Updates On Designs

Designs are important and it’s a common mistake to avoid the gift card design. It can be a goldmine but avoiding can make your customer lose their interest.

Focus on offering beautiful templates and use the latest trends to keep the gift card relevant to your customers.

Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs)

Why should retailers offer gift cards?

Gift cards come with lots of advantages, it can help in getting more customers to create brand awareness to potential customers. The main advantage that comes with this is to make sure you are effectively handling the business as well as the sales.

Why are gift cards profitable?

Gift cards allow your customers to spend more, the average customer spends 20 to 50% more on their purchase. This can be profitable along with extra attention to the brand introduction, more sales, and profits for the future.

How gift cards can increase sales?

Gift cards are ideally used for the rewarding purpose, or customers buy them as gifts to someone for themselves. It allows them to spend more but also you can use the opportunity for serving the customers so they spend more time in-store.