Last week, I discussed how gift cards can help generate leads and boost profitability all year round, not just during the Christmas holiday. Whether for Valentine’s Day or a birthday, a gift card is one-size-fits-all and never the wrong color or style! So for a small business, offering gift cards can only boost your marketing efforts as well as increase repeat business. But have you considered the type of gift card you’re offering? If you’re still offering paper certificates, you’re probably missing out on the many benefits of plastic cards over paper.
Paper or Plastic Cards: The Choice Is Clear
Many times when a paper gift certificate is given, they might end up in a drawer or folded up in a wallet or purse to never again see the light of day, let alone your establishment. And that’s your main goal with any gift card: You want the recipient to frequent your business! More often than not, a plastic gift card makes it into a prime spot in the recipient’s wallet, providing an almost daily reminder that they need to schedule an appointment or stop at your place of business. Choosing plastic card printing ensures that your brand is always in front of the customer.
In another recent post, I also discussed how it’s easy to make the transition from gift card to loyalty card when you choose plastic card printing over paper. Once a paper certificate is used and its monetary value gone, so is its usefulness to your business. Tying rewards to a plastic gift card encourages loyalty and repeat business that a paper certificate just can’t deliver since it’s designed for one-time use.
Plastic Cards Inspire Loyalty
A good example of a business transitioning to plastic cards is Baskin-Robbins. Up until a year and a half ago, the popular 31 flavors ice cream franchise was still offering paper certificates. In addition to the time they take to fill out, paper certificates just take up too much valuable counter space and probably weren’t promoted as heavily as they could have been.
By switching to plastic cards, you can put gift cards out on the counter, and they take up little real estate. And increased visibility inevitably leads to increased sales as customers have a visual reminder that everyone likes a trip to the ice cream shop.
Value of Plastic Cards Over Paper
I’m going to guess that there’s a marginal increase in the cost of a plastic card versus a paper gift certificate, but it all comes down to brand identity. What is promoting your brand worth to you? If you’re a small business owner, you know that your brand can speak volumes.
If you want to make the switch from paper to plastic, Plastek Cards is here to help. Check out our many cost-effective options for plastic card printing.
Last week, I discussed how gift cards can help generate leads and boost profitability all year round, not just during the Christmas holiday. Whether for Valentine’s Day or a birthday, a gift card is one-size-fits-all and never the wrong color or style! So for a small business, offering gift cards can only boost your marketing efforts as well as increase repeat business. But have you considered the type of gift card you’re offering? If you’re still offering paper certificates, you’re probably missing out on the many benefits of plastic cards over paper.
