Don’t put Gift Cards away for the summer! The winter holidays are synonymous with gift card sales. Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Birthdays are major gift card giving occasions, too. However, the summer months bring many opportunities with graduations, Father’s Day, weddings and more. With a little planning and inexpensive marketing, merchants can increase summer gift card sales and generate more profit during these traditionally slower months.

Most Loyalty Programs run year-round with members earning the most rewards after they spend the most at a business. Don’t pause loyalty program promotions. The summer presents opportunities to entice new members, incentivize members to frequent a business, and to provide member benefits to gain more sales. 

10 Summer Gift Card & Loyalty Program Strategies:

1. Keep gift cards on display at Point-of-Sale throughout the summer.
2. Create signage to promote gift cards for Graduations, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, & Labor Day.
3. Have a drawing at summer’s end for all customers who purchase gift cards from June through August. Give a prize to the winner(s).
4. Put in place a gift card bonus program to increase average sale and bring customers back, i.e. spend $25 in June, get a $5 gift card redeemable in July.
5. Have a sale on gift cards, i.e. 20% off during August or 10% off for all summer holidays.
6. Hold a private VIP event at your location for your top loyalty members.
7. Offer double or triple points during a slow month.
8. Give a $5 gift card to all new loyalty program enrollees after they make their first purchase at your business.
9. Offer unique rewards during your slowest month to incentivize purchases.
10. Encourage loyalty enrollment by offering double points for the balance of summer to all new program enrollees.

These strategies won’t break the bank. Merchants can utilize their websites, social media, email marketing, in-store signage, and word of mouth to promote these strategies. 

Factor4 is always available to assist merchants. We offer quick-ship pre-designed gift cards, card holders, and marketing materials. We also have fast turn-around on custom gift cards and signage. We provide unlimited support to help merchants use gift card and loyalty programs to generate more profit and return visits. Contact us at sales@factor4gift.com for assistance.

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