When Gift Cards Meet Promotions

Often times, we walk by a store and will see a sign indicating that there’s a special promotion happening. It’s an instant pull because everyone loves feeling like they’re getting a great deal. In the digital gift card world, promotional marketing is used in that same way: to attract customers and drive sales.

Here are 3 promotional marketing ideas that we’ve seen work:

Buy one, get a 20% bonus card

Fairmont Hotels does a promotion every winter where they gift you a 20% bonus card with an online gift card purchase of any denomination. New customers are drawn to this because they receive an incentive for trying out a hotel that they’ve never stayed at before, let alone a great hotel like Fairmont. And loyal customers appreciate this as well because it makes them feel like they’re being rewarded for being a dedicated customer. More than that, this promotion drives loyalty because it ensures another service or stay, new customer or not.

Gift card towards a pre-set menu

This idea is one of our favorites. A couple times a year, restaurants a part of the Glowbal Group does a gift card promotion that is attributed towards a pre-set 3 course meal at one of their locations, on select days. Meaning, you buy a gift card and redeem it for a curated meal which includes an appy, entrée and dessert. This promotion gives a sampling of dishes, at a reduced cost, that could result in new customers coming back for more.

Gift bundle with purchase

In a recent post, we talked about how brands are beginning to match their in-store promotions to their online promotions. A client who made this transition was Cineplex. Every winter, Cineplex puts on a great promotion that is offered in-store and now online, where if their customers purchase a 40$ gift card, they receive a bonus coupon package. This package includes BOGO passes, vouchers for food and drinks and more. This promotion makes a customer feel like they’re getting more bang for their buck.