7 Reasons Why You Should Buy Gift Cards
Everyone loves gift cards, especially consumers. And although the need for working capital remains the lifeblood of small businesses, many consumers prefer to conduct business using gift cards. A company that offers a large spectrum of services and goods for their consumers can make shopping for gifts an overwhelming effort. This wide selection of tangible products has contributed to the decision-making process of the 70% of consumers who plan to buy gift cards in the upcoming months.
You may think that traditional gift certificates can do the job easily, gift cards are a lot easier to load and reload. They have longer life spans because of their plastic material, and you can keep them on a display just right by the register so you can attract more customers. If you possess the capabilities, then you might want to consider an omnichannel strategy for gift cards.
Gift cards offer seamless convenience to consumers – the recipients are empowered with choice and they can easily make payments. Businesses like yours will have even more reasons to love gift cards. Merchants all around the world use gift cards to grow sales and raise awareness. If you add gift cards to your marketing strategy, then this will engage your consumers and make them want to keep coming back.
Why do consumers love to buy gift cards?
To understand consumers better, here are four reasons why they love to buy gift cards:
- It helps them stay on budget. Gift card programs make it easier for consumers to stay on budget. They don’t have to worry about spending more on great deals that are outside their limits. With gift cards, they can just decide on an amount, and that’s it. It’s like having cash in their hands for a specific store.
- Gift cards are flexible for the consumers, which allows them to choose what to buy. It takes away some of the anxiety connected with finding the perfect gift. This flexibility means that the recipient can choose an experience instead of an item. This will mean a lot to someone who doesn’t want to purchase items but prefers experiences instead. And while cash is more flexible, it’s considered a little crass.
- Gift cards offer an element of thoughtfulness. Of course, a lot of people decry gift cards because they’re so general. But while getting prepaid debit cards or general gift cards is very flexible, some consumers think they are impersonal. But this isn’t true. Gift cards don’t have to be impersonal. They’re perfect because they combine the flexibility of cash with the personalization that comes with a particular store. Consumers can be thoughtful and offer a flexible gift at the same time.
- Gift cards are easy to present attractively. It’s so easy to give gift cards! Wrapping presents can be a little messy sometimes, but not when you’re wrapping gift cards. You can easily slip them into a beautiful holiday card and write a sincere note. There are attractive gift card holders you can find for the right presentation, too.
How your business can benefit from consumers who buy gift cards?
Below are seven different ways on how your business can benefit from consumers who buy gift cards:
- Gift cards create brand awareness. Gift cards represent cost-effective advertising methods to help keep your business top-of-mind with your target market. Traditional plastic gift cards offer wallet-sized ads that share your company’s messaging. They’re so much better than life-sized billboards because they cost a lot less! And in addition to convenience, virtual gift cards can help promote your brand messages with consumers online.
- Gift cards can capture more holiday sales. Traditional retail businesses aren’t meant to have holiday sales rushes anymore. They just don’t work these days. At this time, gift cards allow all types of businesses to catch the holiday spirit – from gym memberships to salon services, car wash subscriptions to lawn mowing, gift card programs are making your holidays even brighter!
- Gift cards promote customer engagement. You’ll be surprised how many businesses start building a connection with their consumers through gift cards. Hopefully, the connection doesn’t end there. Gift card programs open opportunities to strengthen consumer engagement and additional marketing strategies. They engage gift-givers as your brand ambassadors, and in turn, the recipients of the gift cards feel uplifted.
- Gift cards help generate useful information. Gift cards give you the opportunities that allow you to serve your consumers more effectively. How? Gift cards help you collect very important information that can help you understand your target market better. You can also design them in a way that they are linked to online registration. This will allow your consumers to communicate their preferences so you’ll be able to serve them better.
- Gift cards are convenient and safe. Admit it or not, but we did enjoy using traditional paper gift certificates. In fact, they remain viable on a small scale. However, gift cards today are a lot more convenient to use than paper certificates. You can easily accept gift cards the same way you can accept debit cards and credit cards. The sales channels include online, in-app, and in-store. They are also safer because they aren’t as vulnerable to theft, loss, or fraud from duplication as the traditional gift certificates.
- Gift cards provide easy distribution. As previously mentioned, gift cards are a cost-effective way to promote your brand. They are also a cost-effective use of your in-store space. Gift card stalls in malls and grocery stores expose your brand to even more potential consumers. You can get your gift cards distributed in popular malls and grocery stores, placing your cards alongside popular brands in leading retail stores.
- Gift cards are a way to improve cash flow. Gift card programs can indeed improve cash flow, especially if you compare them with other marketing strategies. Traditional marketing techniques with strong demonstrated return on investment take more time to result in sales. However, selling gift cards allows your business to generate revenue in advance of providing goods and services.
I love gift cards 🙂