People all over the world are planning to spend more money during this holiday season, and more of that money is targeted towards digital gift cards. Many gift trends that were established during the Covid-19 lockdown are expected to continue and grow, including the increased online purchases or the use of digital gift cards for giving, rewarding and recognizing.
Christmas is the season of endless queues, out-of-stock products, shipping delays and last-minute stress. Although buying a risky Christmas gift may look like a good idea, there’s a better option that will avoid the Christmas stress: a digital gift card.
Yes, we know. Many people think that giving gift cards for Christmas is impersonal,a new research indicates that four out of five consumers would prefer a digital gift card for this Christmas season. It’s a reality: gift cards are listed as one of the most preferred gifts year after year. And there is good news about this: the vast offer of products, brands and experiences around gift cards will make this present as touching as a regular gift.
Why give gift cards for Christmas? The data behind the trend
According to the digital world trends, there has been a huge change in the way people give gifts: they definitely don’t want to waste time, effort or money. People are becoming more and more environmentally conscious, and would rather give a useful gift than one that will end up in the trash.
A Blackhawk report has found that almost 45% of holiday spending this year across ten countries will go to gift cards. This means a 27% increase over Christmas 2020.
Digital gift cards are easy to send and receive, they have slower delivery times and the inventory is virtually endless. For that reason, gift cards are not impersonal gifts anymore, and more people have embraced them and are eager to give them.
Last year, Christmas gift card statistics revealed that there was a noticeable change to the digital landscape. In December 2020, the average number of units of gift cards sold per retailer increased by 106.2% from the same period in 2019, according to a DigitalCommerce360 research.
The trend is also expected to grow for customer and employee reward programs with gift cards: the Incentive Research Foundation expects the gift card use for reward strategies to increase by 33% during the season.
How to give the perfect Christmas gift card
According to a study, gift-givers don’t use to think about practicality, but they focus too much on the moment where the receiver is unwrapping the gift. On the other hand, for recipients that moment is not as important as the gift itself or the practicality of a Christmas gift.
With so many options to choose from, giving the perfect digital gift card to a receiver can be a challenge. For that reason, there are five rules to follow every time we buy gift cards as Christmas presents:
- Buy gift cards according to the receiver’s preferences. Try to know what are the favorite things of the gift card receiver, and buy it accordingly.
- Choose an attractive amount depending on the product. Is it not the same to spend $20 in Starbucks as $20 in Apple (maybe the receiver cannot do a lot of things with that money in Apple). For that reason, give a usable amount for every gift card you buy.
- Read the small footprint. Try to be sure when the gift card can be redeemed and when it expires, and inform the recipient about that as soon as you give it.
- Make it easy to redeem. If the recipients can save the gift card on their mobile phone, it will be easier for them to redeem them online or physically.
- Choose the best delivery method. Choose a flexible retailer that allows you to send the gift card by email or SMS.
Top 5 ways to be creative when giving a gift card this Christmas season
Many people still think that a gift card is an impersonal present, but not at all! Here are 5 ideas you can apply to turn your gift cards into personalized gifts:
- Choose awesome packaging. If you want to give a gift card with a wow factor, be creative and think about items that can hold the gift card (frames, books, wallets, cups…).
- Complement it with a meaningful gift. If you want to add a personal touch to your gift cards this Christmas, pair them with a really special gift that tells something about your relationship with the recipient.
- Develop a full experience. With so many gift card brands in the market, why choose only one? You can pick 3 or 4 gift cards and create a story around them.
- The power of digital surprises. Take advantage of all the sending possibilities that digital gift cards offer and choose a moment to send the gift card when the receiver doesn’t expect it. Just say “Hey, look at your inbox” and… Ta-da!
- Make a custom holder. When being on a budget, maybe there are complications when choosing the perfect gift card holder. Not a problem! Do something really touching and choose a DIY holder for the gift card, designing and printing your custom holder.
Looking for a gift card solution? Discover the Reloadly Gift Card API: more than 14,000 products available
The good news about giving gift cards this Christmas season is that you can easily integrate Reloadly’s Gift Card API. The process is fast, easy, and you’ll receive dedicated support.
Reloadly Gift Card API is making it easy to set up and run customizable gift card services.
How to get started? Ask a developer from your company to integrate your website or app to the digital Gift Card API, which can be working within a day.
Relaodly’s Gift Card API will allow your platform to:
- Send gift cards to multiple customers (bulk) worldwide within five seconds.
- Have access to a wide catalog of retailers (and YES, Amazon Gift Cards are available in our API).
- Set precise values via the portal dashboard with over 100 currencies.
- Get metrics, analyze and improve your gift card delivery with the reports.
If you are planning to leverage your company culture and fuel up engagement with incentives & rewards strategies for employees, this is a great opportunity! Contact our Sales Team if you would like to understand prices and benefits!
In conclusion
Looking ahead, gift cards and digital vouchers are often the most convenient, safe and appropriate options for those buyers who don’t want their loved ones to be disappointed this Christmas. Get your present right this season by giving gift cards and forget the stress.
