Wow, today makes it official. We’ve already hit the middle of September! The new school year is in full swing and the summer season has about a week left to go. On the 23rd of September, the fall will officially be here. Ironically, it’s a time of year when you can actually see sales in your store begin to rise!
The impending start of fall gives you the opportunity to create an entirely new marketing strategy to promote your business. At Divvia, we think one of the best ways to boost sales this fall is to promote your gift cards!
Create a new festive design.
Not every Canadian sings the blues once the summer is done. Many love the fall season. Join them in their high spirits by designing your gift cards to welcome the fall. Orange, yellow and brown leaves, pumpkins, people wearing sweaters – the design choices are plenty! According to Cole Goebel on Upserve.com, creating a new design for gift cards is an especially good idea for retailers in malls.
“Make sure your phone number and web address are clearly displayed so that new customers can find you easily,” he advises, “If your store is in a mall, make sure you include the name of the mall, or building complex and store number. If you’re hard to find, consider including directions or a small map. Make it as easy as possible for shoppers to find your store.”
Place your gift cards at the checkout.
In some cases, location is everything. The selling of gift cards presents one of those cases. Because gift cards are small and lightweight, it’s fairly easy to create a display that showcases many of them at the point of purchase. Remember that, for many consumers, gift cards are impulse buys.
As Rieva Lesonsky points out on SmallBizTrends.com, “gift cards are often an impulse (or desperation) buy, so putting an attractive display with gift cards, envelopes, gift-card bags or gift-card cases near your registers can really boost sales.”
Use gift cards to reward your loyal customers.
Your gift cards shouldn’t just be regarded as products for sale. They are also excellent advertising mechanisms. Consider the level of customer satisfaction you’ll achieve when you gift a customer with a gift card. Why not create a loyalty program that offers your customers free gift cards after they’ve made a certain number of purchases? This initiative will work wonders in getting shoppers to keep coming back.
“If you have a loyalty program in place, try using gift cards instead of or in addition to discounts,” suggests Lesonsky, “Gift cards have higher perceived value than discounts, so they’re more successful at getting customers into your business.”
Launch your new electronic gift cards.
Not all gift cards come in plastic, rectangular form. These days, e-gift cards are all the rage! They are codes emailed to recipients that can be used the same way as any physical gift cards. Electronic gift cards are known to encourage repeat business, attract new customers and boost sales all year long!
To begin offering electronic gift cards to your customers, please don’t hesitate to call Divvia at 1-877-748-2884. You may also send us a message on our Contact Us page!
