If you’re thinking about new ways to grow your business, add value for your customers or simply drive up revenue, there’s a particularly easy and simple solution you might not have tried out just yet. Starting a gift card program can be a hassle for first-timers, but there is a very straightforward way to go about it. Gift card programs help bring current customers back into your store, attract and bring in new customers, add value to your business, are a great referral source and are an easy way to upsell at the registers. Here’s how to do it in 5 simple steps:
- Identification
- Defining
- Decision-making
- Tracking
- Implementation
Identification
In the first step, you’ll need to decide on the type of gift card you want to offer. You can choose between two main types, the first being a Face Value Gift Card. This type of gift card is one that has a designated value shown on it and is a one-time use. The second type is a Reloadable Gift Card, where the client determines how much money they would like to place on the card when at the register. If they spend or use up all of the money on the card, they are able to add more to it at any time.
Defining
This step involves getting more into the specifics of your gift cards in terms of considering what shape you want them to be, which colours, what kind of images you’d like to incorporate or whether you’d perhaps like them to feature your company logo. This is typically the work of an in-house graphic designer, though it’s possible that your business does not yet have a logo. In that case, you’ll need to come up with one by either outsourcing the work or sketching it yourself.
Decision Making
This is the step in which you decide who will print your gift card. It is an important decision as it impacts various aspects. Cost is among the most important considerations as it often involves the cost of the product, design, shipping, encoding and more. Other crucial aspects involve usability, quality and delivery, all of which will tell you a lot about whether or not the company of your choice is experienced and really knows what it’s doing.
Tracking
Before you get tangled up into trying to understand this, consider for a moment how you currently track your sales when you take a purchase from a customer. Most businesses typically use a POS (Point Of Sale) system. If this is the case with your business as well, then it’s a great way to track your gift cards. Depending on the manner in which your gift cards are produced (either by incorporating a QR code, magnetic stripe or barcode), all you need is the name of your POS system and the numbering the POS software requires so the cards can be properly encoded and recognized by the system.
Implementation
Once you’ve the paid for your cards and received the shipment, you can then begin displaying them in your stores and or online. The idea is to get people to see them and understand that they are available to buy. A popular way to display them is to place them at the register, which appeals to your customer’s impulse to buy and gift needs. Find ways to incorporate promoting your new gift cards in all your marketing avenues, social media, direct email, print advertising and word of mouth. If you put the time into actively promoting them, your gift card program will be thriving in no time and the increase to your business’ bottom line is always a welcome change.
In Need Of Eye-Catching Gift Cards? There’s No Better Choice Than Quickcards
When looking to ensure customers notice and buy your business’ gift cards, the single best way to make that happen is to design them to be eye-catching and attention-grabbing. You can do this in different ways: with colour, overall design, by using different materials and so on. Whichever option you go for, have your gift cards manufactured by Quickcards in order to ensure maximum quality, flexible volumes and amazing delivery speeds in order to benefit from your gift card program as soon as possible.
