Small businesses owners need to constantly think of various ways to promote their brand. It will help ensure that your company will thrive despite the tough competition. But aside from the traditional marketing strategies like advertisements and promotions, implementing a gift card program that accepts a prepaid credit card must also be incorporated into your business plan.

Despite its popularity, gift card incentives are hardly explored by small businesses. If you are still unsure if you can offer this type of program in your brand, here are the reasons why you must optimise its potential.

Why Small Businesses Need a Gift Card 

The biggest motivation for implementing a gift card program in small businesses is to improve the revenue. It ensures that stores will continue generating sales despite any hurdles, including the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. This program is also convenient for customers since they do not need to bring cash to shop in your store.

If you still need more convincing to offer a prepaid credit card option in your business, these reasons might motivate you to start offering the gift card program.

1. To Compete with Bigger Stores – The gift card industry has continued to soar over the years. In Australia, the gift card market is worth over US$4 million as of 2019, and it is expected to increase to US$ 5.4 million by 2023. The growth can be attributed to the increasing popularity of sending gift cards as presents. It is also a common choice for big companies to use as incentives for their staff. Small businesses can also take advantage of this opportunity if they want to compete with national brands. Small entrepreneurs can use their presence in their community to encourage shoppers to use gift cards that the recipient can use to shop for their products.
2. To Boost Average Order Sizes – A report from CreditCards.com revealed that most people who received a gift card spend almost 40% more than the card’s original value. It can be beneficial for small businesses since it can optimise profitability. In addition, it can also reduce the possibility of losing sales, chargebacks, and customer complaints since the recipients can pick the item they want instead of replacing an unwanted product that they receive from the sender.
3. To Build Relationships – Unlike the usual credit card that you must pay after the sales, using prepaid credit cards allows the recipient to use the card’s value without worrying about an upcoming bill. They can also reload the card so they can use it again for future purchases. The process requires the recipient to visit your website to check their balance and reload the card. As a result, it will allow them to be more familiar with your brand and know all your offerings. It can forge a stronger customer relationship that will benefit your small business.

How to Maximise Your Gift Card Program

Apart from putting up a sign to optimise the gift card program of your small business, it will also help if you offer it as a reward for your loyal customers to encourage them to spend more money on your brand. You can also implement special gift card policies like Buy One, Get, One offers and post-holiday shopping incentives to encourage them to use their cards. You can also use the program as part of your marketing strategy by customising the cards using your brand’s logo.

Implementing a gift card program in your small business allows you to enjoy higher sales while boosting your marketing scheme. So as soon as you begin offering this strategy, you need to encourage all your customers to consider using their gift cards in your store to take advantage of all the convenience that this program can offer.