Gift card delivery is transforming the way retailers and recipients are interacting with each other and forming long-term loyalty. It’s evolving with retail and also financial tech. The more ways gift cards are delivered, the more the gift card industry innovates.
Here are a couple innovative gift card delivery options:
Geo-Targeting
Retailers now have the ability to target eGift card users by their exact geolocation via smartphone GPS. Additionally, merchants can entice customers with in-store discounts. This advancement in technology has been perceived as intrusive by some, while proponents see it as a valid business opportunity.
With consumers always controlling who has access to their phone’s location, retailers can access authorized phone locations, targeting both loyal shoppers and new customers. This allows both gift card delivery as well as promotion delivery for digitally engaged consumers.
Mobile Apps & Wallets
Mobile apps and wallets are shifting the way retailers and gift card recipients have the opportunity to communicate with each other.
From creating limited-time offers related to shopping habits, making gift cards more lucrative, to rewarding consumers for using a digital wallet as payment is changing the face of gift card delivery.
What used to be a simple transaction is now a merchant’s opportunity to create sustained customer loyalty.
Online Delivery
This one seems obvious, however, not all retailers have caught on yet. Here’s an example: I wasn’t able to attend a close friend’s bridal shower.
Rather than having to either buy something and mail it, I was able to go on a popular home goods retailer’s website, buy a gift card, write a personal note, and send both straight to her via mail. It’s not email delivery, and it combines the personal touch of a gift with the convenience of online shopping.
Retailers as big as Nordstroms have noted the e-commerce component of their omnichannel mix making up as much as 20 percent of their business model and more than doubling over the last five years. It’s important to keep up with these major trends in the market so as not to fall behind.
Gift cards and gift card delivery are going well beyond the plastic stack at the register. How is your organization delivering its gift cards? If it’s still all plastic, it might be time to think about how innovation of gift card delivery could drive your business forward.
Visit the GiftCard Partners website to shop and order gift cards from top brands.
