Gift card growth
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News , Creative News, Outdoor News
The Q1 2012 results from the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association (UKGCVA) have shown that gift card sales are still growing despite the prevailing tough trading conditions.
If you currently don't offer gift cards in store, or you offer paper vouchers, now is the time to update your offering and get involved in the Experts Gift Card programme.
According to the UKGVCA data, sales of Closed Loop gift cards increased by 11.8% in Q1 which is in stark contrast to paper gift vouchers which saw a drop in sales of 12.2%.
Not only are gift cards proving to generate more sales than paper vouchers, but the added benefit of being able to monitor spending and purchasing activity with the electronic cards provides retailers with even more incentive to switch to gift cards today.
Consumer gift card sales yet again outstripped the wider retail market increasing by 1.4% in comparison to a modest 0.3% increase in retail sales as reported by the BRC.
As anticipated, growth for the paper voucher market in Q1 has not quite reached the double-digit heights previously seen. The most encouraging aspect of the Q1 findings are that although the gift card market is not completely immune to continuing tough conditions in the wider economy, it is still growing! As the market for gift cards becomes more established, a more measured and sustainable growth rate is to be expected in the long term.
Boost your sales with gift cards
With all the positive feedback from UKGCVA, why not get involved and offer your own personalised, in store gift cards?
The Experts Gift Card programme has been created to enable specialist retailers to offer their customers a professionally produced electronic gift card with a low cost entry point and national recognition as an Experts Gift Card retailer.
You can have a fully functional gift card scheme within weeks and our specialist partner Card Commerce will be available to guide you through the process.
To find out more about starting your own gift card programme in store, click here or contact us.
Coming soon...
If you're interested in starting your own gift card programme, look out for our promotional offering coming soon. Email us for more information and take advantage of the promotional offer now!
