Christmas has passed for another year. For some retailers, Christmas is the busiest time of the year – whilst some retailers find it much quieter. Regardless of which category you fall under, the new year brings exciting opportunities for all retailers!
January 2021 saw physical retail sales plummet due to tighter restrictions placed after Christmas 2020 – whilst online sales rose to the highest on record. (ONS) Whilst this might seem like a worrying statistic (especially with it being uncertain on whether tighter restrictions will be imposed in January 2022!), what it actually shows is that it is more important than ever for retailers to put solutions in place to draw in as many customers as possible.
We have several exciting brand-new products that can improve and freshen up your business for 2022 and help boost your profits.
Saver Cards
It doesn’t seem right to think about Christmas so early in the year, but saver cards can be a great way to secure revenue during the festive period, and they can also encourage more frequent spend throughout the year. For many consumers, the festive period is an expensive time of the year. Retailers can make it easier by offering a savings card for Christmas – an option for customers to add money to reloadable gift cards throughout the year that can be redeemed whenever needed.
You may be familiar with savers cards from other retailers such as ASDA, but they are just as effective for smaller retailers or independent stores – particularly butchers and greengrocers where the consumer potentially spends quite a lot at Christmas!
This Christmas savings scheme runs alongside your general gift card system but stays entirely separate, meaning customers can have cards on both programs if needed. It’s ideal for customers who want to start saving any change from their purchases with your business, and you’ll ensure customer spend stays with your business when the value of the card is redeemed.
Gift Cards
Offering gift cards has a variety of benefits for small businesses, including:
- Improved cash flow
- An uplift in sales
- Gain extra customers
- Additional profits
Our new pre-printed plastic gift cards are in stock and ready to be dropped on your doorstep in as little as 2 days! With a sparkling design that’s perfect for any occasion, we can print your branding and company information on the reverse – such as your shop’s logo, address, and a QR code or barcode compatible with your till system. These are ideal for retailers who are just starting their gift card journey or those who need gift cards quickly.
Gift cards are also easy to market and display in-store, thanks to our printed gift card wallets. We’ve just launched four new designs! You can supply your gift cards year-round for a range of occasions, including Christmas, birthdays, and other celebrations, without any design process needed!
Our gift card carriers are printed on premium 300gsm cardstock with a laminated silk finish, and feature machine pressed creases for the perfect fold every time. You can also add an adhesive euro slot, ideal for hanging your gift cards in perfect view for your customers.
For a bespoke touch, we offer custom gift card carrier printing.
Alongside plastic gift cards, we can also offer a gift card system that’s entirely digital, meaning your customers can use a QR code sent to an email address as an easy, safe way to give gift cards to loved ones who may be far away. You can purchase as many or as few QR codes as your shop needs, meaning this is a perfect e-gift card system for small businesses.
Loyalty Schemes
For 2022, we’re delighted to offer a loyalty scheme for small businesses that can be run on an entirely digital basis.
The digital loyalty card system is managed online using an existing desktop or tablet device, where you can edit and adjust the way your customers collect points and the rewards they can redeem, as well as tracking transactions and other statistics. When in-store, you can use the business app on a mobile or tablet to scan your customers’ loyalty cards – and there’s even a separate app that allows your customers to collect points using a unique digital QR code.
Your customers can still use the same account to collect points with a physical, plastic card as well as a digital one, meaning it’s ideal in the event someone forgets their loyalty card when they visit your shop – or you can run your system the same with only a digital loyalty card, for those customers who prefer to use less plastic.
If any of these profit-boosting solutions have caught your eye, please contact us today to speak to an expert, who’ll be able to work with you to implement the solution and boost your retail!
