The declaration that “gift cards practically sell themselves” is only partially true. Yes, we would agree that gift cards are incredibly popular with both shoppers and recipients alike. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that every single merchant that sells gift cards has easy times moving them off their shelves.
Just like all the rest of your inventory, your gift cards need to be promoted. They need to be intelligently displayed. They also need to be more appealing than all of those other gift cards being sold by all of those other merchants. Your success in selling gift cards all comes down to the inventiveness of your advertising strategies.
Create eye-catching designs.
Making your gift cards stand out is never a bad idea. Sure, it makes sense to incorporate your company’s branding such as its logo and tagline. However, you may want to play with a few different colour schemes and always keep the designs updated to match the seasons. For example, your next batch of cards should incorporate fall-themed colours and images. When the holiday season comes around, be sure to make your cards extra festive!
“Large retailers’ gift card designs can be sort of ho-hum, so differentiate yours by making them eye-catching,” encourages Square, “Custom gift cards with clever copy are a way more fun and memorable stocking stuffer than something generic.”
Give out your gift cards as gifts.
Well, that’s what they’re for, aren’t they? In order to boost your gift card sales, you’ll have to endear yourself to the people who already support your business. A great way to do that is to put gift cards directly in their hands…or perhaps, more accurately, directly in their shopping bags. Why not reward your loyal customers by giving them gift cards with small denominations?
“Whether you have a program based on number of purchases or purchase amounts, offering a $5 or $10 gift card is a nice incentive to keep customers coming in,” notes a separate Square article, “Another way to keep customers coming back? Consider offering a gift card as a reward for money spent. For example, a $5 or $10 reward for a larger purchase. You’ll be able to thank your customers while encouraging them to come back soon.”
Offer gift cards for referrals.
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said a thousand times – but we’ll go ahead and say it again! There’s no better type of promotion that word of mouth promotion. When happy customers tell other consumers about their favourite stores, those stores get new visitors. It’s just that simple. So why not create a referral program that rewards those who recommend your business with gift cards?
“A word-of-mouth endorsement is one of the best ways to get new clients,” insists Square, “Encourage this type of behaviour by offering people a small gift card when they refer new people.”
Sell the electronic variety!
These days, you don’t necessarily need to sell actual, physical gift cards. You can offer electronic gift cards! To learn how you can begin selling e-gift cards to your customers, please don’t hesitate to call Divvia at 1-877-748-2884 or send us a message on our Contact Us page.
