GiftCard Partners Blog

For many businesses, staying open during the holidays is essential. Whether you’re a retail store, restaurant, healthcare provider, or service organization, holiday operations can make or break your end-of-year success. But for employees, working through the holidays can also bring stress, fatigue, and a sense of missing out.

Retailers' preparation for the holiday shopping season is now in full swing, and as retailers look for last minute ways to boost their year end revenue; gift marketing becomes a very effective option.  Gift marketing uses gift cards as a device for loyalty and rewards. Giving bonus gift cards to shoppers for spending a certain amount turns a gift card from a one-transaction device into a revenue boosting loyalty device that keeps shoppers coming back. It shows appreciation and gives the essential value-added incentive that shoppers look for as they shell out their holiday gift spending.

“After years of recession-fueled frugality, more Americans are feeling the holiday gift-giving spirit in 2011”, says a recent USAA survey. Has your company’s holiday giving increased this year? Budgeting was likely done a year ago, but are you spending more for employee and customer gifts due to better times or do you fall in the “budget glue” category? Have you thought of
gift cards as budget glue? You can literally stick to the dollar of your company gift giving budget with flexible denominations, while giving the gift that people really want – choice!

Holiday gifting season sneaks up fast and, for many employers, it comes with a familiar challenge: finding a gift that feels meaningful, useful, and appreciated by every employee. The stakes are high: a thoughtful holiday reward can reinforce culture, strengthen loyalty, and send employees into the new year with a positive impression of your organization.

Employee engagement in the U.S. has stalled at 31%, down from its pandemic-era peak and representing millions fewer engaged workers across the workforce. New findings from Gallup reveal a deeper issue behind the headline numbers: engagement isn’t eroding because employees don’t care; it’s declining because basic workplace needs are going unmet, especially for younger workers.