3 Reasons to (seriously) Promote Holiday Gift Cards

1. Your clients want to shop for gifts online already.

In-person shopping will be quite the kerfuffle this year as people try to meet social distancing requirements and stay healthy. Some germ-conscious shoppers will shop online for safety, others will shop online for convenience, as reduced store capacity and spaced-apart lines increase time and aggravation for everyone.

Plus, fewer people will deliver gifts face-to-face. With COVID-19 cases soaring, many families will cancel holiday visits and deliver holiday goodies online. 

According to an October report from Blackhawk Network, 49 percent of consumers plan to do more shopping online—in general, all consumers plan to do about 60 percent of their holiday shopping via the web. Gift card sales this fall were already up 21 percent from last holiday season, and that trend will probably increase.

The ease of giving and receiving gift cards online makes them the perfect item for your salon to promote this holiday season. Market your gift cards as a safe, convenient alternative to busy department store shopping, and something that everyone will enjoy receiving. Spoiler: They already know this so the friction point for buying gift cards is lower than ever.)

2. Go with the (cash) flow.

Let’s be honest: plenty of us felt the squeeze when pandemic-related closures made us miss weeks—or even months—of revenue. You may even have experienced low client engagement after lockdown due to fears of contagion.The holidays are a great time to make up that revenue loss with big sales. 

Gift cards improve cash flow by adding to your bottom line ahead of the service date. They also increase revenue; in 2019, more than half of consumers who received gift cards planned to spend more than the card amount on their services.

In short, gift cards are a predictable source of revenue at a time when little else feels predictable. Take every advantage of that this holiday season.

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3. Gift cards can grow your clientele.

Did your clientele shrink during the shutdown of salons due to COVID? Maybe regular clients churned or are simply worried about exposure.

Gift cards have long been recognized in the service industry as an easy way to grow your clientele base. Your loyal clients become brand ambassadors when they refer family and friends through giving gift cards.

They get a convenient gift option. You get new clients. Everybody wins!

Best practices for gift cards in 2020

Now's the time to optimize your holiday gift card strategy to make the most out of the seasonal opportunity. Learn more about how Boulevard software can help you stay on top of the holiday gift card game in 2020.

Make it personal.

Since more clients will want to deliver cards digitally this year—meaning they can’t wrap the card in shiny paper and hand it over with a hug—they’ll want to at least personalize their gift card as much as possible.

Boulevard software lets clients personalize gift cards with the recipient’s name and a brief message, as well as several options for design. Clients can even schedule a specific “send” date. Loved ones who can’t travel this year can at least ensure their gift arrives on exactly the right day.

Offer plenty of options for gift card amounts. Set certain amounts like $25 or $50 to help clients choose and go quickly, or, for clients who have a specific amount in mind, allow them to manually set their own price.

Make gift card purchases ridiculously easy.

Make gift card purchases so easy that clients can do it on a whim. Can your staff easily add gift cards to the service bill at checkout? Online, is the gift card purchase option easy to find? Can clients navigate it clearly? Is it easy to personalize the card? Make sure every step is user friendly and hassle free.

End the 2020 holidays on a good note by raking in the gift card revenue. Learn more about how Boulevard software can help your gift card program succeed.