In our last blog, we highlighted just how awesome gift cards are. Those super-convenient rectangular pieces of plastic allow you to buy just about anything you like from the stores they represent. Of course, depending on their dominations, gift cards can offer you a wide variety of self-chosen gifts in one purchase.
Electronic gift cards take the awesomeness of gift cards to the next level! Instead of being rectangular pieces of plastic, they are special codes that can be punched into their corresponding websites. The end result of each transaction is a cost-free purchase thanks to the provider of the digital version of the traditional gift card.
Here are three reasons your retail store should sell gift cards:
1. They provide consumers with added security and convenience.
Naturally, a traditional gift card can be lost or stolen. If one is misplaced, it’s often gone forever and the benefits completely disappear. E-gift cards, on the other hand, are often sent via email. It’s nearly impossible for them to go missing as a quick check of an inbox (or sent box, for that matter) can locate the digital codes necessary for recipients to redeem for their purchases.
“Unlike conventional paper or physical gift cards that can be lost or stolen, digital gift cards are far more secure and convenient,” asserts Manish Barthwal on KnowBand.com, “There aren’t any possibilities of such occurrences. You can send or receive a digital gift card without any hassle and the amount is always safe. It avoids pointless debates about what kind of gift people would want and whether or not they already have it.”
2. They grow your customer base.
It is one thing to get a customer to return to your stores, both offline and online. It’s another thing to get a customer to bring others to your stores. As Angie Pascale notes on GoInterstellar.com, with gift cards, you essentially get two customers in one!
“First, you get the customer that purchased the gift card, which is immediate revenue,” she writes, “And you also get a new customer, one who may not already have known about your brand. While this new customer is on your site, you can encourage continued engagement through email and social media, in an effort to keep them coming back to the site again and again.”
3. They help to gain customer loyalty.
Is there a better way to receive a referral than to have one of your customers offer a loved one a gift card from your store? An e-gift card makes the whole gift-giving process incredibly easy. By offering this option, you enable your brand’s fans the ability to recommend it to others online. As Barthwal points out, this helps you to earn customer loyalty.
“To make customers stick to your brand in the long run, earning their loyalty is important,” he stresses, “And you can earn that loyalty only when you can keep them happy and satisfied. For the customers who did not find a pleasing experience with your products or want to process a return or a refund, a gift card, in such a situation, can ease things up and help you retain customers, improving customer retention.”
At Divvia, we have a long history of helping business owners offer electronic gift cards to their customers. To take advantage of the benefits of selling e-gift cards, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-2884 or send us a message on our Contact Us page!
