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Gift cards can be incredibly useful to your business. People with a gift card tend to spend more money. They see their gift card balance as extra, a bonus, and they don’t mind spending more to get what they want. They are also much more likely to visit a store if they’ve got a gift card to spend. If someone receives a gift card for a store they don’t usually shop in, they’ll visit so as not to waste it, and often spend more than the balance of the card. It’s an easy to way to make more money, reach a new audience and get customers coming back.
Gift cards can make a great addition to your store, and as well as selling them, they are great to have in stock. Custom gift cards give you a great way to give your customers something extra, to offer deals and to promote your business. Most stores find that they sell a lot more cards over the holidays, but they can be exceptionally useful all year around if you can find ways to boost your gift card sales. Let’s take a look at some ways that you can do this.
Advertise Them
Most stores stock and sell gift cards. But, aside from sometimes displaying them by the tills, they fail to advertise them. If you want to sell more, the first thing that you need to do is let your customers know about them. Promote your cards with posters and marketing, offer an exclusive deal to those who purchase one, mention them in your email marketing newsletters, advertise them on your website and get your staff up selling them at the till. Get the word out as much as you can, and you are bound to sell more.
Motivate Your Staff
Your staff are a useful tool when it comes to selling gift cards. They can let customers know about them, and they can teach them more about how gift cards work and how fantastic a gift they can be. If you want your staff to sell more cards, turn it into a contest with a prize for the person who sells the most cards over a specific period. You could always trial this approach over a busy period, and then continue it the rest of the year if it does well.
Add Some Fun
Gift cards can be dull and uninspired. Or, they can be fresh and exciting. Don’t just offer the same basic card all year around. Inject some fun. Offer themed cards around holidays and events, add gift card holders or packaging to make them more appealing, or offer a choice of designs and envelopes.
Sell in Other Places
Selling cards in your store is great. But, if you want to reach a wider audience and sell more cards, you need to do more. Remember, people buying your cards as gifts might not necessarily shop in your store. Sell them on your website, and social media feeds, as well as adding links in your email marketing campaigns. Then, get them into other large stores such as supermarkets and department stores.