The holidays make shopping hectic, and most shoppers are usually in a rush. Nowadays, most people are shopping online looking for gifts they can send in minutes, not days.
Digital gift cards is the answer to their prayers.
If you don’t offer digital gift cards with instant delivery, you may be losing business to the bigger brands who do offer them. Silver lining: you can change that in one or two days.
Why Digital Gift Cards Matter This Holiday Season
Your customers are obviously already familiar with how gift cards work. All year long, they buy them from big-box stores and online retailers. When they go to your website, shop, or restaurant, they expect the same choice to be available. They’re actually the most requested holiday gift, according to National Retail Federation’s 2024 holiday spending report.
The beauty of gift cards is the problem it solves for your customers.
They skip having to guess preferences, styles, sizes, and colors. For busy people in December, it’s a huge relief to be able to just set a budget and send something that still feels personal.
Digital gift cards take this to the next level. Someone in Naples can buy a gift card on their phone and send it to a friend in Sarasota in under five minutes. They can completely avoid lines, shipping, and late-arrival apologies.
You get paid upfront while your customer looks generous and organized, even if they’re a last minute shopper.
How often do these things happen near the holidays?
- A visitor forget a gift for their host
- A parent needs a gift for a teacher immediately
- A snowbird wants to treat family back in their home state
All of those people can choose you instead of a big chain when you offer digital gift cards.
Gift Cards vs Coupons: Real Value vs Discount
Don’t make the mistake of lumping gift cards and coupons together like many other owners.
Coupons are associated with discounts. They do help bring in traffic, but they train people to be bargain hunters and wait for the next big deal. They can cut into your margin and make your brand seem cheap if you rely on them too much.
Gift cards feel like stored value.
People usually pay full price for them. The person on the receiving end feels like they’re spending money that actually already belongs to them, getting them comfortable with spending their money on your business. Plus, they often bring friends or family with them and, based on data from Capital One Shopping, 61% of people spend more than the amount on the card.
Gift cards also work very well in local marketing and gift baskets. Pre-made baskets with a few items and a gift card make it easy for shoppers who are looking for a quick and easy gift. The card in the basket sends a message for the receiver to stop by when they are ready.
Gift cards can be nestled into:
- Raffle and charity event gift baskets
- New home baskets from realtors
- Staff appreciation gifts from employers
These all put your name right in the face of warm leads and give them a reason to visit.
Sell Gift Cards on Your Website 24/7
If your gift cards are only physically sitting on your counter, your missing a ton of opportunity. They can be sold all day and all night on your website.
With the right point of sale setup, you can add a button to your website that lets people buy gift cards. Visitors should be able to simply click, pay through a secure page, and receive a digital gift card right away.
You don’t even need a full online store to do this. Just a straight-forward path:
- See the gift card offer.
- Pick the amount.
- Enter an email and custom message.
- Complete purchase.
Suddenly, your site becomes a 24/7 employee with a register that keeps selling while your doors are locked and you’re snuggled in bed.
A clever way to market your gift cards is not just in dollar amounts, but around moments. Restaurants can sell “Date Night” cards. Spas can sell “Spa Day” or “Reset” cards. Home service businesses can sell “New Roof” or “Deep Clean” cards.
Don’t just sell the number, sell the beneficial experience.
Why Florida Businesses Choose Card Systems for Gift Cards
Card Systems makes life easier for you as an owner.
You can offer both physical and digital gift cards with one point of sale system. Customers can either pick up a plastic card from your store or buy one online with instant delivery. All sales can be tracked in one place so you can easily check outstanding balances and redemptions.
Setup is quick. Most often, Card Systems can get your gift card program live in 1-2 business days. That includes getting it connected to your POS, adding online sales, and training your staff so they know how to sell and redeem without confusion.
You also get clear reporting from anywhere. You can see how many cards have been sold and used, and how much extra revenue they bring in. If you have more than one location, you can see how cards move across all of them in one unified portal.
Most importantly, we have your back. Card Systems offers 24/7 local support. If you’re busy and a question pops up, or a storm knocks out your power and/or internet, you’ll be able to reach a real person who knows all about our business.
Ready to See It Working in Your Business?
A strong digital gift card program can:
- Bring in holiday revenue early with instant delivery
- Protect your prices by replacing coupons with real value
- Sell gift cards 24/7 with a website or online gateway
- Get setup in about 24-48 hours with local support
If you’d like more sales during the holidays, start by requesting a digital gift card demo from Card Systems. See how it would work with your point of sale and website, and how quickly you can start selling gift cards to your customers.
