Why retailers should promote them?
Often given as presents in the run-up to end of year celebrations or for birthdays, gift cards are clearly continuing their ascent; in the last decade they have become anchored in the shopping habits of millions of consumers.
Gift cards are a tremendous source of additional sales for retailers, whether they run big chains or manage independent stores.
Gift cards help to attract new customers to stores. The desire to take advantage of their gift card encourages recipients to cross the thresholds of shops they had never previously entered. According to a study conducted in 2017 based on a sample of more than 2000 US consumers, 44% of customers go to a store they would not have otherwise visited if they had not been in possession of a gift card.
While gift cards are offered for sale, they are also used as a marketing tool to boost customer loyalty. The gift card therefore becomes a bonus for the customer, encouraging them to return to the store at a time when they might not have considered it. Used especially during periods of sluggish sales, gift cards with an expiry date increase the number of visitors to stores and thus generate additional sales.
On the management side, gift cards are effective in motivating and rewarding your teams, thereby increasing the profitability of your business.
Gift cards come with guarantees that are highly valued by retailers:
Decked out with the brand's logo, gift cards are attractive and an excellent communication tool for a store. Choosing a gift card demonstrates the buyer's attachment to the issuing store: by giving a gift card, they automatically become a brand ambassador. This makes the store all the more attractive to the recipient of the card, whether or not they were a customer beforehand.
Another advantage of gift cards: their ability to be personalized! By offering a gift card personalization service, retailers set themselves apart from their competitors and bring real added value to cards. Solutions make it possible to personalize the gift cards directly within the stores, either using card printers operating at the store's reception desk, or at self-service kiosks. The gift card can then be as customizable as the retailer wants: by adding personal text, choosing colors, inserting a photo, and defining the desired value.
The range of Evolis printers makes it possible to issue standard or personalized gift cards according to retailers' needs. Renowned for their reliability, print quality, and ease of use, Evolis printers offer a variety of options: