“What should I get for my little one this year?”

“What are the best presents for 6 year olds?

“We’re invited to a friend’s birthday party and I need to find something last minute!” 

Sound familiar? The holiday gifting season is a joyous occasion. Sometimes the pressure to give the perfect gift can be overwhelming. Families often look to children’s activity providers when they need inspiring suggestions and thoughtful tips to find the perfect gifts. By selling gift cards, you encourage families to give the gift of childhood wonder while supporting a local business. That’s something truly amazing to celebrate! 

The best gifts are personal, meaningful, and have lasting value. As a business owner, you provide a space for friends and families to make true magic by creating new memories together. When you activate gift cards, you can sell giftable experiences just in time for the holidays and help families give the perfect holiday presents.

If you’re worried that gift cards aren’t right for your audience, think again! According to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, 58.8% of shoppers said they would like to receive gift cards and purchase gift cards for a number of different reasons.

Selling gift cards helps increase revenue, build loyalty, grow relationships with existing customers, and acquire brand new customers. When someone receives a gift card, it means that someone who cares about them thought your product was a perfect fit. This gives you a chance to prove them right and give them an experience they’ll never forget. Gift cards are far more powerful than “word-of-mouth” advertising because your most loyal customers are actually paying you money to help you gain new business.

Looking to make this your best holiday season ever? Gift cards increase customer spend and business cash flow significantly. Approximately 65% of consumers will spend 38% more than the total value of their gift card when making a purchase. This is an important statistic for businesses as it gives you an upsell opportunity on transactions paid with a gift card. For example, if your customer has a $100 gift card and your classes are $65, a customer may be more likely to buy two classes in order to redeem the full value of their gift card. Moments like these help businesses make more profit, acquire new customers, and encourage repeat visits from families. 

Selling gift cards through Sawyer allows caregivers and gift givers to purchase digital gift cards. Why go digital? 

1. Forget me not! Recipients won’t lose or misplace gifts.
2. Instant! Send digital gift cards immediately or print out a paper voucher. 
3. No hidden fees! Companies that offer physical gift cards often charge a significant fee per card. 
4. Eco-friendly! Encourage gift givers to go paperless, without losing personalization! 

Looking for fun ways to drive gift cards purchases? We’ve got you covered! Here are a few ideas to encourage gifting magic all year long. We also added in some simple marketing language that you can use to help drive sales across email, social media, and your other marketing channels. 

Small Business Saturday: November 25th

Campaign tagline: Support small businesses and make a big impact!

Gift cards are a great way to encourage your community to shop local and celebrate small businesses like yours. 

Holiday season: 

Campaign tagline: “Give the gift that lasts a lifetime - Time spent together at Business Name

Allowing someone to gift experiences at your business provides an alternative to giving toys or material objects. Let’s be honest - toys have a typical shelf life but moments spent together as a family have a value that lasts forever.

Celebrations:

Campaign tagline: “Add us to your child’s wish list for upcoming celebrations!”

A class or experience is something that a child can cherish for years to come. Grandparents and other family members can easily contribute to larger purchases such as camps, workshops, and semester activities through gift cards.

Sponsored giving:

Campaign tagline: “Sponsor a child’s love of learning with a giftable experience this season.”

If you offer scholarships for families to attend your programs, gift cards are another way to encourage your customer base to contribute. Giving Tuesday (November 28th) is a wonderful time to promote ways for families to give back to their community in a meaningful way.

Share the love:

Campaign Tagline: “Share the love with your bestie - gift them a visit!” 

Any season is a good time to celebrate friendship! From Valentine’s Day to International Friendship Day, gift cards are a great way to encourage groups of friends to try something new together. If you offer drop-ins, you can encourage customers to buy lower value gift card amounts as a different way to create a trial.

Whatever the season or celebration, offering gift cards is a no-brainer! Looking to learn more about this feature? Check out our help center articles to get gift-card ready.