Our Favourite Christmas Gift Card Marketing Initiatives Of 2020
As strong believers in the power of gift cards, we’ve been raving about their importance to brands for years. With everything that’s happened lately, it’s safe to say that gift cards have proved as not just important, but a must-have for any brand trying to succeed in the face of the turbulent months of 2020 and beyond.
Some brands understood the necessity of gift cards a long time ago and we’ve really seen their programs thrive this festive season, with increasingly innovative ways to market their gift cards for added convenience, speed and value.
We’ve now whittled these best practices down to our Top 5 Gift Card Champions of 2020 to inspire your brand’s 2021 strategy.
1 . AMAZON
As much as it pains us to say it, Amazon has yet again come out on top with creative ways to make their gift cards more visible and convenient this year, with both a banner integration and perfectly visible top navigation for gift cards on the landing page.
But just because their customers didn’t originally set out to buy a gift card, doesn’t mean that Amazon is giving up that easily. They’ve even added their gift card in the checkout section for products that will not arrive until after Christmas, generating higher conversions for their branded currency alternative to the customer’s initial gift idea.
2 . ADIDAS
adidas has created festive, yet classy designs for their cards this year, making them stand out to the customer as a well-rounded gift for their loved ones.
They’ve even employed an inspired strategy of giving extra value to their customers in order to encourage them to spend more – by promising a free £10 gift card when the customer buys a £50 one. As always, we love to see creative uses for branded currency as not just a gift, but also to influence customer behaviour.
3 . ZALANDO
As per usual, Zalando has not disappointed with their gift card offering this year.
Adapting to the new demands of 2020, Zalando puts the control back into the customer’s hands, allowing them to personalise their digital gift card with multiple design options, as well as gift it how they want. With many unable to gift in person this year, Zalando was prepared for this outcome, enabling customers to gift digitally in a safe and meaningful way.
4 . LASTMINUTE.COM
It’s undeniable – we all want a holiday. But who knows when this will be an option?
lastminute.com has responded to exactly this challenge with the promise of a getaway, whenever and wherever the opportunity will arise once again.
We’ve been impressed with lastminute.com’s strong targeting of their B2B audience, particularly through their LinkedIn presence, as they find new ways to adapt to the changing priorities of B2C customers.
Even throwing in an extra 20% off for an added incentive, lastminute.com’s Christmas gift card is a poignant symbol of hope, with strong emotional branding.
5 . H&M
“An e-giftcard is the perfect present and does good”- H&M’s simple yet effective messaging becomes even more poignant this year as they donate 5% of the proceeds of each gift card sold to UNICEF.
As 2020 made for a harsh reality check for people across the globe, we’ve developed greater empathy for those in desperate situations, meaning consumers are likely to be emotionally driven to make charity affiliated purchases.
NEXT YEAR
Could we be seeing your brand on our list for 2021?
Innovative adopters of gift cards have allowed business to thrive in spite of a challenging retail environment. To join their success, be sure to act early in the new year to harness the power of this revenue-generating commercial tool.
Unsure on how to start? Reach out and we’ll guide you every step of the way!