Did you know that your business can benefit from gift cards, regardless of their size? After all, gift cards are God’s gift to retail. People who use gift cards often buy more, and they’re more inclined to go to the store if they have gift cards. Clearly, gift cards are essential for businesses, which is why you should start offering them. You could be missing out on a lot of sales and potential customers if you don’t sell gift cards.
How to sell gift cards effectively
2021 has just started, so you have plenty of time to prepare. Gift cards usually ramp up in December, which is why, if you’re planning to sell gift cards, you need to know how to sell them effectively. Below are 7 ways to help you market your gift cards:
1. Create gift cards about specific events or themes
People love to give and receive gift cards, especially at special events. They’re not only the most requested gifts, but they’re also ranked 3rd among the list of items that people give out during the holidays. Because of this, it pays to invest in gift cards.
Aside from the general gift cards you sell, you should consider creating gift cards for special events, like Valentine’s day, birthdays, and other special occasions. Starbucks is a very good example of this – they released limited edition Mother’s Day gift cards at one point, complete with matching boxes.
Depending on your store, you should pay more attention to some events or occasions. For instance, if you’re selling items for babies and children, then you can try designing gift cards fit for baby showers or children’s birthdays. If you’re running a clothing store for men, then you can try stocking up on Father’s Day gift cards.
There are so many occasions in one year. Use them to market your gift cards effectively.
2. Cross-merchandise gift cards with relevant items
Another way to sell gift cards effectively is to put them near relevant items. For instance, if you have a display for Christmas presents, you can add a gift card rack beside it. Some shoppers browsing the Christmas presents section are likely to use gift cards. Target knows how to execute this well.
3. Increase their visibility
You’ll need to display your gift cards in your stores to make your customers see them. Putting them near the checkout counter is a great idea. Doing so ensures that your customers will be able to see them before they check out.
4. Market gift cards across multiple channels
Make sure to cover all marketing channels if you want to spread awareness about your gift cards. In short, if you communicate and market your merchandise to shoppers through certain channels, then you need to communicate and market them on those same platforms.
For most retailers, these channels can include e-commerce, physical retail, social media, and e-mail.
- E-commerce – Spend some time creating banners on your site to let visitors know that you’re selling gift cards. This can be very useful during the holiday season when a lot of consumers are looking for gift cards.
- Social media – You can make use of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other sites to talk about your gift cards. For best results, make sure to use high-quality images in your updates whenever you promote your gift cards.
- E-mail – Instead of sending out newsletters or promotions via e-mail, you can throw in some content about your gift cards every now and then. This is a sure way for people to remember you and your gift cards. You can add permanent gift card links in your e-mails, too, just like what other retailers are doing. Perhaps you can try to do something similar in your e-mail marketing strategy.
5. Proactively sell gift cards in-store
A lot of retailers use a passive approach when it comes to selling their gift cards. Merchants often practice benign sales work – they only sell them whenever a customer asks. However, retailers need to encourage gift cards more. It should be part of the store’s add-on strategy. For example, you can start mentioning gift cards at checkout or proactively suggest them to customers who haven’t made a single purchase and are on their way out of the store.
Retailers need to be more proactive in selling these cards. If you do that, you’ll get a bump in the gift cards you’re selling, which translates to more money for your store.
6. Market them to people outside your target consumers
When selling and advertising gift cards, it’s best not to focus only on your target consumers. You should also consider the people who would buy gifts for them. For example, if you run a spa, then you should consider targeting husbands who are looking for gifts for their wives.
This also works when you’re running ads online. Instead of just focusing on users who belong in your usual customer demographic, why don’t you think about the people outside that group? If you’re uncertain, you can try to run a few tests on this approach to figure out what works best for your store.
7. Market your gift cards at other retail stores
To sell your gift cards effectively, check if you can get some shelf space at other retail stores. Try to call local retailers and see if you can strike up a deal. They’ll probably agree to market your gift cards if you also display theirs at your stores. You can also try to get in touch with regional chains to see if they’re willing to sell your gift cards. However, this means you’ll need to share a significant chunk of the sales.
When it comes to selling gift cards, one of the common mistakes people make is failing to market them effectively. Remember: consumers don’t automatically buy gift cards. If you want to make the most out of these cards, you’ll need to be more proactive and put them out there.