It’s time to start planning for the holiday season at your froyo shop, including gift card sales. Our guest blog post about online gifting comes from GiftRocker. GiftRocker provides best in class gifting and marketing tools for extraordinary shopkeepers including Cups Frozen Yogurt and Pitango Gelato.
Be sure to take advantage of the IFYA limited time only GiftRocker holiday promotion mentioned in this post by December 1, 2014.
Gift Cards: Something Old, Something New
With the holidays almost upon us, your customers are starting to think about shopping. People love giving and receiving gift cards. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is how convenient gifting has become and how a shopkeeper’s ability to interact with customers has improved with the introduction of the Internet, email and mobile technologies. Over the last few years, online gifting has moved from something that needs explaining to a feature expected by busy, need-it-now consumers.
According to the Corporate Executive Board, in 2012 and 2013 online gift cards experienced growth percentages well into the triple digits. Even though this is impressive, an equally interesting story can be told in the everyday details of how shopkeepers and consumers interact. Here are some interesting statistics that hint towards continued growth and diversity of services:
- Even though e-gifting accounts for less than 5% of all gift cards in the marketplace, GiftRocker merchants with hot brands have experienced online gift percentages exceeding 65%
- Apple’s digital wallet solution, Passbook, is used to manage about 25% of customer e-gift cards
- About 20% of customers text their e-gift cards
- 40% of all e-gift card sales occur during the Holiday Season. There is another spike in May and June for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
From a frozen yogurt shopkeeper perspective, besides selling e-gift cards from your website for convenience, consider online promotions to engage your customers. Here are a few examples:
- Cyber Monday, purchase a $25 gift card for a friend and receive a $15 gift card for yourself
- Stocking Stuffer, purchase a $10 gift card and receive a 4oz FROYO reward
- Set for Summer, purchase a $50 gift card for $35 for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day
- Thanks Coach, purchase a $25 gift card to thank your son or daughter’s coach after a great season
With mailing lists, Twitter followers and Facebook likes, taking digital promotions directly to your base is possible for the smallest of merchants.
About GiftRocker
GiftRocker provides best in class gifting and marketing tools for extraordinary shopkeepers including Cups Frozen Yogurt and Pitango Gelato. With the GiftRocker service, businesses can sell gift cards, events or just about anything from their website, on Facebook, Twitter or from their iPhone. Besides our comprehensive suite of online selling, promotions, loyalty and fundraising tools, GiftRocker provides customized eco-friendly and budget friendly gift cards and accessories.
IFYA/GiftRocker Holiday Promotion
GiftRocker salutes the entrepreneurial spirit of the small shopkeepers represented in the IFYA membership! We are offering a FROYO November Offer (use the promo code FROYONOVO) for IFYA members signing up before December 1st. With the FROYONOVO promotion, your first 5 gift cards are free in November and December. After that, you will enjoy the industry’s most Fair & Flexible pricing plan: no monthly subscription and your unit cost decreases as your volume increases.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Frozen Yogurt Association.
