How gift cards can supercharge your holiday sales strategy

How gift cards can supercharge your holiday sales strategy

Oct 1, 2024

Ah, the holiday season. That magical time of year when customers scramble to find the perfect gift while business owners figure out how to maximize sales. If you’re a small to medium-sized business on Shopify, the humble gift card is one of the best (and often overlooked) tools in your holiday sales arsenal.

Gift cards aren’t just convenient for last-minute shoppers—they’re a powerful way to increase sales, boost customer loyalty, and encourage repeat business.

Here’s how you can integrate gift cards into your holiday sales strategy with help from your friendly gift card reminder app.

1. Make gift cards a go-to gift option

Let’s face it—everyone has that one person on their holiday shopping list who’s impossible to buy for. That’s where gift cards come in. Offering gift cards front and center on your Shopify store during the holidays gives customers a hassle-free option they know will be appreciated.

Make sure your gift cards are easy to find, and promote them as the "perfect gift" for those hard-to-shop-for folks. You can even create holiday-themed gift card designs or offer customizable options where the buyer can add a personal message.

2. Run holiday promos with gift cards

Want to add a little extra incentive? Try running holiday promotions that include gift cards. For example, offer a free $10 gift card with a $100 purchase or give customers an extra $5 on every $50 gift card they buy. Not only does this encourage larger purchases, but it also brings customers back to your store to redeem their bonus cards after the holiday rush.

These promotions are great for attracting holiday shoppers and building customer loyalty. After all, who doesn’t love getting a little something extra?

3. Use gift cards to drive post-holiday traffic

Here’s where gift card reminders can come in handy. The holiday season is notorious for high sales volume, but what about after the New Year’s confetti settles? This is when Gift Card Reminders can do some heavy lifting. GCR can help you track all the gift card purchases during the holiday season and send timely reminders to customers who haven’t redeemed them.

These reminders help boost post-holiday traffic and turn liabilities (the unredeemed gift card balances) into actual revenue. And guess what? Customers tend to spend more than the value of their gift cards, so it’s a great way to upsell and increase average order value.

4. Track gift card performance during key retail periods

Your gift card app doesn’t just help send reminders—it also lets you track gift card sales and redemptions during crucial retail periods like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas. With these insights, you can measure the success of your gift card campaigns and see when your customers are most likely to make purchases.

With this data, you can fine-tune your holiday strategy year after year. You’ll know exactly when to send email promotions, run gift card discounts, or send those redemption reminders. It’s like having your own personal holiday sales crystal ball—minus the mystical fees.


Concluding thoughts

Gift cards are one of the easiest and most effective ways to supercharge your holiday sales strategy. Whether through smart promotions, personalized designs, or simply making them more visible on your site, they can help you increase sales, drive customer loyalty, and keep customers coming back well into the new year. And with some help from a gift card reminder app, you can keep that holiday magic going long after the snow melts.