You might associate gift cards with larger businesses, the kinds of stores that have lots of repeat customers. However, have you ever considered that they have so many repeat customers because they use things like gift cards? These days, gift cards are easier to produce, and so there’s no excuse for not using them in your smaller store.
A gift card works because it nudges someone to return to the store. A gift card is often passed on to another consumer, and so it’s a bit like your business spreading by word of mouth, except your brand, gradually, becomes associated with that very pleasing business of giving and receiving a gift. A customer buys a gift card, passes it on and it’s like saying “why don’t you shop in this store, I trust this store.”
Businesses that know how to encourage brand loyalty can increase their sales by the power of infinity. One customer returning to your store over a period of weeks can make a real difference. Brand loyalty is so effective, also, because one customer might express their love of your brand to a friend or member of their family, marketing your business for you.
A gift card is a great tool for this. You can set them so that balance is transferrable should the card get lost, and you can remind customers if they have money remaining on a gift card at checkout. If you want to look into gift cards for your smaller business, look online for plastic card printing.
