Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant uptick in the number of companies using digital and contactless gift cards as rewards and incentives for business partners and customers.
Due to social distancing and other mobility restrictions, brick-and-mortar stores and restaurants shifted to contactless delivery services. This shift encouraged digital and contactless payments as well which, in turn, led to a wider distribution of digital gift cards. Since 2019, digital gift card offerings have far outpaced the distribution of physical gift cards.
While digital gift cards are easy to generate and distribute, many managers still have difficulty learning to use this simple marketing tool. In this article, we offer some do’s and don’ts on how to forge stronger business relationships with the help of a digital gift vouchers programme, such as GrabGifts.
Do: Research your recipient’s interests
When looking for a gift card, consider whether your recipient can use it in a retail store or restaurant they already visit regularly. This simple expedient ensures that your gift card will be redeemed and used before it expires. Historically, a lot of gift cards go unused; in the United States alone, 47% of adults have at least one unused gift card, voucher, or store credit.
When in doubt, you can skip all the guesswork with GrabGifts. This digital voucher lets your recipients redeem rewards across Grab’s core services, such as Transport, Food, Mart, and Express. Make your recipients feel extra special by creating bespoke and fun experiences in transport, grocery shopping, and food delivery—all of which are meaningful rewards that are sure to be used and redeemed immediately.
Don’t: Limit gift cards to one store
No one wants limited options. Get a gift card that your recipients can use in multiple stores, expanding the rewards and incentives they can claim. Wide acceptability also comes in handy when you don’t know your recipient very well but still wish to give them a gift card.
Many gift cards and vouchers can be used online, or redeemed at thousands of retail stores, restaurants, and even charitable organisations. With GrabGifts, recipients can redeem rewards across Grab’s core services, such as Transport, Food, Mart, and Express. Access rewards from thousands of merchants within the Grab app – your recipients can already choose from over 12,000 merchants within GrabFood and GrabMart alone.
Recipients also have the freedom to break their digital vouchers into smaller increments to use across Grab’s core services, namely Transport, Food, Mart, and Express. For example, a S$100 GrabGift voucher can be broken down into five S$20 vouchers, which can then be used either for rides, grocery shopping, or food delivery.
Do: Offer digital gift vouchers
If you had to choose a flexible and customisable reward or incentive for your business partners or clients, opt for digital gift vouchers right away.
First, they are highly valued by recipients – more than 60% of consumers say they prefer digital gift cards over store discounts and coupons. Second, since they are digital in nature, they are easy to generate, distribute, and redeem. This is particularly valuable for last-minute gift-giving, as more than 20% of digital gift cards are purchased on the same day they are given. Finally, recipients no longer need to worry about keeping tabs on physical gift cards, which might get lost or destroyed.
GrabGifts allows your recipients to experience a fully digital gifting experience. You can send and redeem digital gift vouchers within the Grab app in just a few clicks. Recipients can also keep tabs on active or expiring digital vouchers, so they can be used immediately for rides, grocery shopping, and food delivery.
Don’t: Wait for shopping seasons to start offering gift cards
Most retailers and restaurants wait for big-ticket shopping seasons, such as Valentine’s Day or Christmas Day, before offering special promotions or selling gift cards. Sure, gift card sales may be flying through the roof during these peak seasons, but gift cards don’t fall off the radar beyond these seasonal peaks. In fact, gift cards have high demand throughout the year.
With gift cards, you don’t really have to wait for these special shopping seasons to reward your recipients. You can generate gift cards for any occasion, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and other employee or customer milestones.
GrabGifts vouchers are a welcome gift for any occasion, with many uses across B2B and B2C consumers. Use it to enhance your employee engagement programmes, boost marketing campaigns, or simply say “thank you” to your most loyal customers. You can also customise each digital voucher with a message, creating a more engaging and personalised gifting experience.
Do: Let your recipients know of expiry dates
In an ideal world, gift cards will stay valid forever. Some retailers already offer gift cards with no expiration dates, especially online.
However, expiry dates exist for a reason: to better account for redemptions and remaining balances. Depending on the gift card, the validity period may vary from three months to two years.
Update your recipients with their digital vouchers’ expiry dates so they can redeem their gifts before they expire. GrabGifts lets your recipients know when their digital voucher will expire as soon as they receive their gift. All GrabGifts vouchers have a default six-month expiry, and recipients will know within the Grab app how many days they have left to redeem their rewards (e.g., “Expires in 180 days”).
Don’t: Stick to just one approach to corporate gifting
Gift card trends and regulations change rather quickly. You can’t craft a corporate gifting or digital voucher programme one time and just stick with it forever. You need to regularly update your gift card strategies to align with the latest trends and regulations. For example, digital or contactless gift cards are now increasingly preferred over physical gift cards.
You may also need to adjust your gift card strategies to account for the changing tastes and preferences of your business partners and customers. For example, some customers may prefer a birthday or anniversary gift voucher over seasonal shopping vouchers. Some business partners, on the other hand, may prefer a significant welcome voucher at the start of the year, whose value they can break down and redeem in smaller increments throughout the year.
GrabGifts is a flexible and customisable gifting experience that changes with the times. From standardised bulk buying to bespoke gifting experiences, GrabGifts can do it all within the Grab app.
Don’t know where to begin when it comes to using gifts to build business relationships? Get started with GrabGifts. This digital voucher can be redeemed across Grab’s core services – such as Transport, Food, Mart, and Express – to support B2B engagement needs and B2C peer-to-peer gifting.
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Ready to grab some gifts? Contact us today and find the perfect gift cards for all your corporate gifting and promotional needs.