Gift cards can be an extremely powerful revenue generator and marketing asset to increase engagement with existing customers and retain them longer.
An effective gift card campaign can help increase sales and engagement during slow seasons by using promotions in stores, social media posts and emails with attractive subject lines to drive engagement.
1. Store Websites
gift cards are an effective way to increase both sales immediately and over time involvement. Promoting incentives to customers, such as discounts, discount coupons and bonuses will increase sales for gift cards dramatically. Promoting these special offers on websites or kiosks that allow messaging within stores, and via emails can increase your company’s visibility as well as increase the amount of money spent on gift cards.
The promotion of gift cards may be supported by giveaways or contests through social media sites. Participants are asked to add their followers on social media posts and go through videos in order to stand the running to win an the most coveted gift card. Contests like these can generate anticipation to boost the visibility of your business and attract new customers to your business!
Another way to market gift cards include hosting occasions for short durations to provide customers with a gift card in addition to promoting the product. The events can be scheduled according to theme or occasion and can be a fantastic approach to engage with your targeted audience as well as expanding its reach for your business. Partnering with brands from other companies can boost the exposure of your brand in new segments of the market. This approach is especially effective when the brand you work with provides products or services which be appealing to the demographics you want to target.
2. Mobile Apps
Gift card promotions provide businesses with immediate revenue while building brand loyalty among customers who can use these cards both online and in stores to make purchases they need.
Apple, Android, and web browser users alike may all have apps which offer customers the chance to earn gift cards, with some being free downloads while others require payment or subscription services.
Capital One Shopping, Drop, Ibotta and Fetch are among the many notable apps for mobile shoppers that pay consumers to submit receipts from in-store and some online purchases and let them redeem those rewards for cash or gift cards.
Gift Card Guard is another popular app, offering users an easy way to upload any gift card – including those without barcodes – and use it in stores. Customers can easily check balances using mobile shopping. Unfortunately, though, Gift Card Guard may not be as well suited to in-store use than Folio and Prestmit which offer barcode and pin scans at checkout or Apple Wallet.
3. Email & Newsletter-Exclusive
Gift card markets offer an effective solution for driving immediate sales and capturing revenue that would otherwise go unrealized during peak seasonal moments. They’re also proven tools for building loyalty among customers and driving long-term growth.
Gift card marketing strategies that excel are those that prioritize simplicity while seamlessly incorporating other marketing initiatives. Emails that make purchasing and sending cards simple will increase conversion rates while clever messaging and design help make your message memorable.
Emergency preparedness brand JUDY uses an approachable subject line and conversational tone to engage gift card buyers while also positioning JUDY as a personal shopping destination. This simple yet powerful tactic shows how humor, targeted discounts, and playful language can transform transactional emails into more impactful marketing communications with higher returns on investment.
Restaurants can use targeted emails and newsletters to advertise gift card offers during specific events or holidays, creating urgency while segmenting audiences based on past behaviors and preferences. Furthermore, gift card distribution services help businesses automate and scale campaigns for maximum efficiency.
4. Social Media
Social media is a highly visual platform, so premium graphics must stand out to grab people’s attention and increase sales. Create eye-catching ads featuring gift cards or happy customers using them to prompt engagement and sales. Facebook’s Power Editor tool makes managing and tracking performance of ads simple.
Offer special packages of products or services alongside purchasing gift cards to maximize value for customers and encourage them to spend beyond their limit, knowing it will bring additional advantages. This approach creates loyalty among your customer base while encouraging spending above what was originally expected.
Use social media to drive traffic and sales by promoting your branded gift cards alongside other popular products or brands. This approach can reach new audiences while increasing sales without costly marketing campaigns.
Encourage your audience to take and post a selfie of themselves using one of your products or services on social media to win a branded gift card, thereby increasing brand exposure, inviting shoppers in for the experience, and increasing both online and in-store sales as customers make additional purchases after redeeming their gift card. This can drive sales both offline and online.
5. Partner Promotions
Partner promotions can help retailers expand their customer reach. When Starbucks partnered with Spotify to offer a loyalty program for coffee lovers, they were able to attract a whole new demographic while giving customers a truly unforgettable experience.
As gift card marketplaces team up with partners to promote special sales events, gift card marketplaces provide businesses with an opportunity to reach more audiences and drive additional purchases. Amazon Prime Big Deal Days provide shoppers with steep discounts on major brands including gift cards.
Partner promotions can be an excellent way for businesses to generate interest among their target audiences, but they may not always succeed at building strong lists. One effective method for list building would be cross-brand promotions that provide more value to consumers.