Ways to Create an Impactful Gift Card for Your Brand
One of the top searches for a major retailer’s gift cards on Google asks ‘where is the CVV on XXX’s gift card?’ This highlights a core design flaw – if they have to turn to a search engine – it’s not clear enough!
But what else can we learn about what great gift cards look like and how do you make sure that your gift card makes an impact for your brand? Here are key tips to get you started:
1. Print in Advance
Consider your options in terms of printing. The very first question we often hear around selling physical gift cards is whether codes need to be printed on the physical gift cards in advance or not. You have two options, where you can generate codes ahead of time and print them on the gift card in advance, or add a code retrospectively.
It is simple to get codes pre-printed on your gift cards and it can really help speed up the process.
2. Special Formats
Do you want to include a magnetic stripe on the back of your card? How about a special shape or size? Be sure to consider these options when you’re designing your gift card, but test it in real world conditions. One leading beauty brand used a mirrored card, but when held in a purse of wallet, it soon tarnished, leaving a rough appearance. Gift cards can act as little brand reminders, so it pays to treat them as a marketing channel!
3. Occasion-Specific Designs
Planning your marketing calendar should also include your gift card. Seasonal gift card designs can be a great way to show your customers that gift cards are an appropriate gift. Have a look at your designs and check that they are on brand. Often, brand fonts and colours can go out of the window for gift cards, but a cohesive message is beneficial. Get the whole marketing team on board.
4. Eye-catching Displays
How can you make gift cards an experience? We’ve seen all sorts of ways to display gift cards, from an impressive display with an interactive touch screen where customers can browse through different designs and see how much money is left on their card balance, through to POS gift card stands shaped like a Christmas tree.
Including your gift card in displays like this one is a great way to increase visibility and encourage customers to purchase them.
5. Preparing for Q4 Visibility
The end of the year is a peak time for gift cards – stats show that majority of all gift cards are sold in the last two months of the year!
Make sure your gift cards are visible during this time by including them in window displays, end-of-aisle displays, and other strategic locations in your store.
You should also think about how you can increase online visibility – one great way to do this is by featuring gift cards prominently on your website and in email marketing campaigns. You might also benefit from a PPC (Pay-per-Click) campaign offering gift cards as part of your brand search strategy.
6. AB Testing
Always be testing! Try different designs and offer different incentives to see what works best for your brand. Did you know that gift card designs with images are proven to outperform those without?
Why not test out a few different designs and see what works best for your customers? You can track gift card sales in a number of different ways, and online campaigns can have UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) codes and custom links so you can see what’s been a key traffic driver.
By following these simple tips, you can be sure that your gift card will make an impact for your brand that keeps on giving!
Do you have some questions? Reach out and we can help you find the right answers.