Tools for Tomorrow: Gift Cards Program

These days, many shoppers prefer to give gift cards as gifts – as opposed to picking out something that the recipient may or may not like. So, if you don’t already have a gift card program in place, it’s time to change how you see gift cards – especially as we approach the holidays! Instead of thinking of gift cards as an operational nuisance (“How do I ring this up again?”), think of them as a true product category that you should encourage your employees to sell.

So, where to start?

If you don’t already have a gift card provider in place (or maybe even if you do), we suggest checking out PlasticResource.com, a custom gift card company. We recently spoke with a lovely woman named Gretchen there, and she filled us in on all the options they have for making your gift card dreams a reality!

Why PlasticResource.com?

• They encode gift cards based on your POS. If you don’t have a POS, they can customize the cards to be manually tracked (and provide an Excel spreadsheet template to do so).
• They provide simple/basic design at no charge, and provide 1 free revision to their proposed design.
• Their minimum order quantity is low – just 250 cards!
• Their turn around time for quantities of 5,000 or less is always 4-9 business days, even during the holidays!

Some POS systems require that you use certain gift card vendors for their system, and PlasticResource.com is happy to check if your POS system is compatible with their cards. Visit their website or call 855-505-8251 to learn more about how PlasticResource.com can help you! (If you want, ask for Gretchen and let them know LSMGuide sent you… maybe they can make you a special deal!)

Why Gift Cards?

Often, gift cards spur significant additional store purchases at redemption above the face value of the gift card itself. Consumers often see a gift card as “free money” and may take the opportunity to “treat themselves” to a high-priced item, since they’re “only” paying the balance above the gift card value.

Plus, gift cards are very low-risk. Having them on hand doesn’t “cost” you anything. If they are unsold, no harm done. But if they are sold, that’s a new customer that will be walking through your doors to spend the value of the gift card, if not more!

Happy selling!