Yes, you heard correctly! It’s officially two weeks until Christmas. What does this mean aside from the obvious of drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows and wearing onesies by the fireplace? It means that it’s time to think about the gifts you will be purchasing for your friends and family. Now, if you’re anything like me, you know that last minute shopping can be a tedious and often overwhelming task. You’re racing in and out of crowded stores only to find out that your perfect gift just isn’t there!
If you’re a retailer, you want to ensure that your store becomes a destination for these busy shoppers, offering the latest and greatest merchandise to support their growing needs and wants.
Lucky for both the consumer and retailer, there is a solution! Gift cards are the perfect holiday goodie that can be purchased last minute, added as an additional feature to spice up a present, and provide the consumer with flexibility to choose their desired denomination. Now, I don’t know about you, but as an avid shopper, this sounds good to me! - No muss no fuss!
Here’s how you can take advantage of last minute shoppers this holiday season:
1. Profit, Profit & Profit: Did you know? - according to a Canadian Gift Trend Survey conducted by the Canadian Prepaid Providers Organization, more than three-quarters of Canadians want to receive a gift card this holiday season. Gift cards ranked as the most popular, top gift followed by clothing and accessories, books & DVDs, mobile devices, and gaming last at 11%. What does this mean? - This means that your store is the perfect place to sell the gift cards consumers so clearly want. Making your store a gift card destination helps to further increase business profits.
You can even buy gift cards at your local Canada Post this holiday season. Check out our video!
2. Building Brand Awareness One Card At A Time: A gift card acts as a miniature branding tool inside of the customer’s wallet, further strengthening brand awareness around the various gift cards you retail. Additionally, your store itself presents a perfect opportunity to generate brand awareness around these gift cards. Placement and proper merchandising of gift card displays contributes to a positive customer experience. Remember, hiding your gift card displays where customers will have a difficult time finding them, does not contribute to a positive shopping experience. It is best to position these displays in the customer's’ direct line of sight. If you are a Now Prepay retailer, keep an eye out for the planograms (how to properly display your cards) included in your gift card shipments. It is important to follow these planograms to ensure that your cards are displayed in the best way possible to help promote sales in your store.
3. Gift Cards make Great Stocking Stuffers: Have you ever wondered what you should fill your stockings with? Along with the obvious stuffers like chocolate and gum, gift cards make great stocking stuffers! They are small enough to fit into a stocking and exciting for the receiver. During the holiday rush, shoppers will gravitate towards gift cards as quick and easy purchases to make. If you want to take advantage of this, ensure that your gift card displays are always stocked with the popular gift cards your consumers are looking for.
4. Mitigate Risk of Theft: Gift cards are a great merchandising piece to sell in your store because they carry no monetary value until they are activated at point of sale. Check out our ebook to learn more about the cost and consequences of fraudulent activity and how to protect your business!
If you're a retailer, visit www.nowprepay.ca to learn more about how you can add prepaid gift cards to your store. Sign up today and join the Now Prepay community of over 15,000 Canadian retailers offering prepaid products.