How do you get consumers to buy more gift cards? Here are 9 ideas to help jump start your holiday gift card selling season.

1. HOW TO GET Consumers to Purchase More Gift Cards

2. Do More In-Store
Promotion#1
Can your customers easily find your gift cards
in-store? Do you display them in more than
one location? As a professional in the gift
card industry, I often look for gift card displays
in stores and I am surprised by how difficult
they are to find sometimes. Don’t make your
customers seek them out! As the saying goes,
out of sight, out of mind. Definitely display
them at your checkout area and, if you can,
promote them with plenty of signage. Mirror
clings in the bathroom, sign clings on windows
and doors, and buttons for the sales team are
just a few ways to give customers a gentle
reminder that you do, in fact, sell gift cards.

3. Promote gift cards
across multiple channels#2
Promoting cards in-store is great, but that
marketing push is only hitting customers that
already shop your store. What about everyone
else? A great media mix always yields
better results than selecting one marketing
avenue - so mix it up! Do you prominently
promote gift cards on your website? Do you
market gift cards across your social media
channels like Facebook, Instagram and
Twitter? Create a campaign that not only
brings awareness to your gift cards, but also
helps to sell them. Buy one - get ones,
contests and discounts all help to drive gift
card sales.

4. Consider the design#3
We often buy based on how we feel about a
product, both emotionally and tactilely. The
texture, color and design of a product can either
prompt a sale or dismiss a sale. The same can be
said for gift card purchases. For example, a gift card
with an image of a father and son fishing can spur a
purchase because the recipient loves fishing with
his son. Or, if a woman is looking for a gift card for
her trendy daughter and comes across one that
includes a carrier that looks like a shopping bag, she
may purchase just because of the carrier. Offering
more card designs, different substrates or unique
carriers can all contribute to increased gift card
sales. Consumers want something special -
something that speaks to them.

5. #4 Partner up
Although gift card malls are a great way to increase
visibility, it’s not the only way to merchandise your
gift cards in additional stores. Consider partnering
with other merchants to cross-promote each
other’s gift cards. By partnering with a
complementary brand (i.e., a home improvement
store and a furniture store), you can gain extra
exposure for your brand without the risk of losing
customers to your merchant partner. Start with an
extended promotional campaign to test the waters
(neither party will want to lose valuable floor space
if it is not a beneficial partnership.) Building
partnerships can help you reach new customers
and improve brand awareness.

6. #5 Appeal to all
demographics
While the majority of millennials are“all digital, all
the time”, there is still a huge population that has
not embraced the mobile lifestyle. To appeal to the
widest set of consumers, you must offer both
physical and digital gift cards. Physical gift cards
provide consumers with something tangible that
can be given as a gift, whereas digital cards provide
the immediacy that is sometimes required for those
last minute gifts. Even when it comes to selling gift
cards on your ecommerce site, both options should
be available. There are even a few gift card
companies that can manage the fulfillment of
physical gift cards to both consumers and
businesses, so that you don’t have to.

7. #6 Who doesn’t love
a discount?
We often see the“BOGO”campaigns during the
height of the holiday season, but they disappear
after December 31st and don’t reappear again until
holiday time rolls around the following year.
Presenting this offer at another time of the year,
perhaps in the spring or summer, would be a
great test as to how well a promotional offer
helps boost gift card sales outside of the holiday
season. The only caveat here is to be mindful of
how often you present this offer, as it can cause
consumers to delay their next gift card purchase if
they know another promotion is just around the
corner.

8. #7 Plant an idea
Sometimes people don’t even realize they need a
gift card until they see one. Your gift card display at
the point of purchase is great, but what if you
added a few more items to create a complete gift
(and increase the value of the sale)? Displaying a
complete gift package can help consumers by
giving them gift ideas. This could be as simple as a
button-down shirt with a gift card peeking out of
the pocket or a flower pot complete with gardening
tools, seed packets and a gift card. Sometimes
people just want to make the gift a little more
personal and by adding additional products, they
can really create a gift that is tailored to the
recipient.

9. #8 Run a contest
Giveaway gift cards as part of a contest. Not only is
it a great way to generate awareness of your cards,
but you’ll also benefit from gift card lift AND you’ll
be able to collect customer data in the process that
can be used in your marketing efforts.
#9 Don’t forget your
loyalty
Finally, don’t forget about tying in your loyalty
program. Run a campaign that gives customers
rewards points (or maybe triple points) whenever
they purchase a gift card.

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