One way to grow your business is to offer corporate eGift cards to customers. The growth of eGift cards in the digital, ecommerce marketplace can be used as a tool to exponentially boost your sales. They make perfect gifts that consumers trust and appreciate. In this day and age, anything that allows consumers to save time, and decrease gift-giving stress for virtually any occasion, will work in your company’s favor.
- A definitive boost in sales – 72% of customers who are armed with an eGift card to spend at your store, will spend more than the intrinsic value of the card. They will also spend nearly 40% more than the actual card value. That’s an incredible amount of extra business which can be relied on. Plus, more than half of your target customers will spend an eGift card, on multiple visits, providing you with the opportunity to upsell, again and again. Word of mouth, the traditional and perhaps oldest marketing strategy there is, is elemental with an eGift card. The consumer has received it as a gift from someone they trust, and if they are not familiar with your company, it’s the perfect way for them to get acquainted.
- Greater consumer security – Nearly one-third of all consumers feel that they are at risk of becoming a victim of fraud. This creates a situation in which they will be very deliberate, and picky, about their buying choices. With eGift cards, purchases and balances are updated automatically, due to their digital nature, immediately satisfying the customer’s need to be fully aware of their purchasing statistics.
- Increase customer loyalty – By offering various loyalty programs in affiliation with eGift cards, consumers are more likely to feel an emotional connection to your brand. They will want their efforts to pay off, and will feel a higher dedication toward making purchases from your company, as opposed to your competitors. Loyalty programs which provide customers with coupons and bonuses, will help you create a customer base that spends their time and money at your business, both happily and repeatedly.
- Increase the reach of your potential audience – In the past, before the digital age, local stores relied heavily on word of mouth, a quick radio or television commercial, and perhaps a small ad in the local paper. Now, even the smallest of businesses can reach the far corners of the globe, with effective online media marketing. Consumers can purchase the eGift card as a present for virtually anyone in the world, and your business will reap the rewards.
- Boost those seasonal sales – Every year, more and more people purchase their goods, services, and gifts online. By offering seasonal and holiday-themed eGift cards, you can capture the spirit of the season, and add the all-important relevancy, for the customer, at a point when sales are generally at an all-time high.
- Build brand awareness – Every time a customer runs across your brand, you are building “brand awareness.” Providing them with the opportunity to exchange eGift cards for your company’s products, is a cost-effective mode of advertising that is convenient and easy. Trust is one of the most important tools for the longevity of a business and building brand awareness helps to inspire that trust.
- Gather useful customer information – When linked to online registrations, demographic queries, and customer preferences, you can use that information to promote sales, offers, addons, etc. for future purchases. Knowing your customer’s preferences, and having the ability to email them directly, provides an opportunity to follow consumer trends, and adapt accordingly.
- Facilitate consumer engagement – What could be better than one customer purchasing a gift for another, in the name of your company? The gift giver is relaying trust and knowledge of your company, while the gift recipient, then engages, by feeling exhilarated by receiving the gift. It’s a win-win situation.
- Offer a last-minute option – With the state of the world today, most people don’t have a moment to themselves, let alone the ability to sit down and think thoughtfully about a gift. Over 90% of shoppers have admitted to rushing out to buy last minute gifts. This is why eGift cards are the ideal solution to this issue. They can be sent immediately, via email or text, to the gift recipient.
Offering eGift cards to your customers is a cost-effective way to build not only cash flow, but also brand awareness, customer loyalty, and customer-to-customer engagement. These cards provide an easy, instant, and superior alternative, to what is often a mentally exhausting experience, that of figuring out the ‘perfect’ gift for that someone special. Businesses can capitalize on this need to please and delight peers, family, and friends, to achieve exponentially increased profits, for years to come.