How prepaid gift cards can boost retail sales

Everyone loves a gift card! It’s the reward points it offers with every buy or the discounts it offers. These are the incentives that attract every kind of customer. And customers tend to come back quite often at a store (online/offline) that offers these incentives. Which means increased sales!

As a retail business, you can take advantage of this. You can offer your customers with the best gift card options and in turn, boost your sales like a pro! But, how?

In this blog post, you will explore the basics of prepaid cards, their types, and their benefits for retailers. Plus, how you can maximize your sales with gift cards & their implementation in the retail business.

Let’s begin the concept of prepaid gift cards!

Understanding prepaid gift cards

Before we go in-depth about prepaid gift card’s role in boosting retail sales. Let’s learn what prepaid gift cards mean.

What are prepaid gift cards?

Prepaid gift cards or gift cards are a type of prepaid card that’s used as a reward system for customers. They can earn rewards, offers, or discounts and preload funds in it to get special offers or free products as a gift.

These cards are generally branded by the retailer names and are closed-loop in nature.

Types of prepaid gift cards

The prepaid gift cards can come in various types. The major types of prepaid gift cards include:

Physical cards

As the name suggests, prepaid cards are issued in the physical form of plastic cards. These are the prepaid gift cards for in stores.

For example, Starbucks in-store gift cards. When you go with the card and purchase, the reward points are automatically added to the card.

Digital cards

These cards are available as prepaid gift cards online or virtual prepaid cards, they can be used from a mobile device in a wallet or the retail store app.

For example, Amazon Pay gift cards can be used within the Amazon Pay app and from email via mobile devices.

Preloaded with a specific amount

These are the gift cards that are issued for one-time use. They are generally for seasonal offers and promotions.

An example of one of the best prepaid gift cards is Sephora’s loyalty program, Beauty Insider, which occasionally provides one-time use gift cards or promotional codes as rewards for members.

Reloadable gift cards

These gift cards can be reloaded with funds and customers can earn reward points and offers with every reload and purchase.

For instance, the Dunkin' Card can be reloaded via the Dunkin' app, online, or at any Dunkin' location. Customers use it to earn points and redeem them for free beverages & food items.

Single store gift cards

Single-store cards can be used at the issuing retailer only. For example, Starbucks, and Amazon.

Multi-store gift cards

Whereas, multi-store cards can be used at various retailers and are issued by a single card company.

For example, Visa or Mastercard gift cards can be used anywhere those cards are accepted.

Benefits of prepaid gift cards for retail businesses

As a retailer, there are numerous advantages to issuing prepaid gift cards to your customers. Let’s explore them one by one:

Increased sales & revenue

When you issue gift cards to your customers, they get benefits like rewards, loyalty points, discounts, and freebies.

Plus, on every purchase they receive points and rewards. This attracts them to keep coming back to your retail store (online/offline).

When customers make repeat purchases from your business, revenue and sales automatically increase.

Additionally, gift cards act as low-cost marketing tools, especially effective during holidays and promotions.

Enhanced customer loyalty

As discussed above, the customers make repeat purchases and keep coming for more rewards, discounts, and incentives.

The repeat visit to your store makes them loyal and long-term customers which is good for your brand image, revenue, and sales.

Read More: How do prepaid card solutions boost loyalty and security for retail

Attracting new customers

You can leverage prepaid gift cards to attract new customers. This is possible in three ways:

1. Your repeat customers, happy with prepaid gift cards for customer rewards, discounts, and offers will have word of mouth for you.
2. The brand name on your gift cards will increase the visibility of your brand. This will ultimately attract new customers.
3. You can do marketing campaigns to promote your branded cards. And new customers will follow you.

Brand exposure

Prepaid gift cards serve as a tangible representation of your brand which provides valuable brand exposure and awareness.

By offering visually appealing and well-designed gift cards, you can strengthen your brand identity and create a memorable experience for your customers. This leads to increased brand recognition and loyalty.

Upselling and cross-selling opportunities

When your customer visits your retail store to redeem their gift cards, it brings you an opportunity to upsell and cross-sell.

You can recommend complementary products or upgrades to them against more rewards and incentives.

This will increase your average transaction value and will drive more revenue for your business.

Inventory management

Prepaid gift cards can streamline your inventory management. When your customers use gift cards, they often buy a variety of products. It helps you move stock more evenly across different items. This can reduce overstock of specific products and minimize storage costs.

Plus, the direct and upfront payments from gift card sales offer better cash flow management. This allows for more strategic purchasing and restocking.

All in all, prepaid card solutions like gift cards can add significant value to your retail business and keep you afloat.

Read More: How prepaid card management platform can add value to your retail business?

Maximizing retail sales with prepaid gift cards

All the above benefits of prepaid gift cards in retail stores add extra value to your business. Each of these benefits can help you boost retail sales.

Yet, you can amplify the full potential of prepaid gift cards to maximize your retail sales!

Here’s how:

Seasonal promotions and events

To increase the impact of prepaid gift cards on retail sales, you can leverage seasonal promotions and events.

For example, offering special discounts or bonuses for gift card purchases during holidays or popular shopping periods can incentivize customers to purchase and redeem gift cards. Plus, it can drive increased footfall and sales.

Incentives and rewards

You can also implement prepaid gift cards into your loyalty programs or customer incentive strategies.

You can foster customer engagement and encourage repeat business by offering gift cards as rewards for;

• Referrals
• Repeat purchases, or
• Other desirable behaviors

Data collection and analytics

Prepaid gift cards can provide valuable data and insights into customer behavior, plus spending and buying patterns. This data can be a gold mine.

You can make informed decisions about marketing strategies and overall business operations, by analyzing data such as;

• Redemption rates
• Spending patterns, and
• Preferred product categories

Expanding sales channels

You can explore opportunities to sell prepaid gift cards through various channels, such as;

• Online platforms
• Mobile apps, or
• Third-party retailers.

By diversifying your sales channels, you can reach a wider audience & provide customers with convenient purchasing options. This will drive increased gift card sales and in-store or online purchases.

Implementing the prepaid gift card program for your retail business

Now, you must know the benefits of prepaid gift cards for your business and how you can maximize your business sales with them.

Let’s get you one step ahead - how to implement a prepaid gift card program:

Choose the right gift card solution

To ensure the success of your prepaid gift card program, it is crucial to partner with a reputable and experienced prepaid card solution provider.

When selecting a prepaid gift card solution, consider factors such as;

• Security features
• Customization options
• Integration capabilities, and
• Customer support services.
• Integrate with POS Systems

Integrate with POS Systems

Seamless integration with your existing point-of-sale (POS) systems is essential for a smooth and efficient gift card program implementation.

Look for a solution that can easily integrate with your current systems. This ensures a hassle-free experience for both your employees and customers during gift card purchases and redemptions.

Design and customization

The visual appeal and branding of your prepaid gift cards can play a significant role in their success.

Work closely with your prepaid gift card provider to design visually appealing and on-brand gift cards that resonate with your target audience.

You can strengthen your brand identity and create a memorable experience for your customers through customization options, such as incorporating your brand’s;

• Logo
• Colors, and
• Messaging

Market your gift card program

Effective marketing and promotion are essential for driving awareness and adoption of your prepaid gift card program.

To reach your target audience and promote your gift card offerings, you can leverage various marketing channels, including;

• In-store displays
• Email marketing
• Social media campaigns, and
• Partnerships with influencers or complementary businesses

Employee training and support

You must ensure your staff is well-trained and knowledgeable about your prepaid gift card program for an exceptional customer experience.

Invest in comprehensive training sessions and provide ongoing support. This will help you ensure that your employees can confidently handle;

• Gift card sales
• Redemptions, and
• Customer inquiries

How DigiPay.Guru can help?

DigiPay.Guru offers an advanced prepaid card solution that helps the fintech innovators to effortlessly issue, accept, process, manage, and handle physical, virtual & tokenized card programs on a global scale.

With our solution, you can offer;

• Open API support
• Seamless payment integration
• Innovate and offer new services
• User-friendly platforms and require minimal training
• Controlling the high risk of fraud and abuse of public funds
• Cost-effective solutions that provide a return on investment
• Customer service and support to ensure a positive user experience

Conclusion

So now you have discovered how prepaid gift cards can boost retail sales. Now it's time to implement them into your business. Leveraging the power of prepaid gift cards to boost your retail sales is one of the most effective solutions in the competitive market.

You can not only boost sales but also increase customer loyalty and satisfaction and establish yourself as a trusted brand in the retail sector. However, to implement them in your business, you would need a robust prepaid card issuance and management platform like DigiPay.Guru

If you are a retail business looking to boost your sales with prepaid gift cards, you must opt for DigiPay.Guru prepaid card solution. And become a business leader in the retail sector.