Tips on How to Increase Christmas Gift Voucher Sales
The Christmas season is approaching - the perfect opportunity to delight your customers while increasing your revenue.
How can you set up voucher sales to boost your profits without adding to your workload during the busy pre-Christmas period?
1. Sell Online and Reach New Customers
Businesses that also sell vouchers online can sell up to twice as many. Online purchasing is quick, accessible from anywhere and saves time for both staff and customers. The first Christmas orders start coming in as early as mid-September, while the last ones can arrive as late as December 24. Most vouchers sold throughout the year are purchased between September and December. Online sales also allow you to reach customers outside your local area. For example, customers from Prague buy vouchers for the Ostrava-based HogoFogo bistro as gifts for their friends.
2. Save Your Staff Time
Selling and redeeming vouchers should never complicate your daily operations. The right system allows you to set up an online shop in just a few minutes. Customers pay online and automatically receive their vouchers by email. When they visit, your staff simply scan the QR code through the Storyous POS, using, for example, a mobile waiter device or an external scanner. The amount is automatically deducted from the bill, and the redemption is recorded in both the voucher system and Storyous. No manual tracking or unnecessary administration – and you receive the money before the customer even arrives, with payments transferred to your account within 3 business days. The solution also works for businesses with multiple locations, such as Zrno Zrnko.
3. Think About Security
Vouchers with stamps or handwritten codes are easy to misuse, and their redemption can be difficult to track. Unique QR codes and automatic redemption history tracking provide a much safer solution. Digital and printed vouchers are managed in one place, and thanks to the integration with Storyous, you can keep track of every redemption, even across multiple locations.
4. Your Offer and Design Make the Sale
A gift voucher is more than just a piece of paper. Customers expect attractive design, a festive Christmas theme and the option to add a personal message. It's also worth offering more than just a standard voucher worth CZK 500 or 1,000:
A voucher for a custom amount
A tasting menu
Brunch
A special Christmas package
Another experience-based voucher
You can sell both digital and printed vouchers through a single system, offering monetary vouchers as well as experience-based ones, with different options to choose from. Take inspiration from the offer at Resort and Restaurant Molo Lipno.
5. Make the Most of Social Media and Newsletters
Social media is an easy way to put your Christmas offer in front of both existing and potential customers – up to 35% of orders come from social media and newsletters. Add your vouchers to your Instagram Highlights, include a link in your bio, or create a dedicated post and themed Stories. Don't forget to remind customers about your offer just before Christmas, when many are looking for last-minute gifts.
6. Make Purchasing Easy
The rule is simple: the fewer clicks, the higher the chance of completing a purchase. Place a “Gift Vouchers” button directly on your website's homepage and support your offer throughout the season with a banner and marketing communications. The purchasing process itself should be quick and simple – ideally with Apple Pay / Google Pay, a one-step checkout and instant delivery. Gift vouchers are often a last-minute present, and every minute counts when it comes to whether customers buy from you or your competitors. Online voucher shops achieve an average conversion rate of 12.5%, which can mean up to four times more orders with the same website traffic.
7. The Voucher Is Just the Beginning
Vouchers shouldn't operate in isolation. Connecting vouchers, your POS system, reservations and loyalty programme saves you administrative work, helps you build long-term customer relationships and keeps all your data in one place. A gift voucher doesn't have to be just a one-time purchase. It can be the first step towards another visit and a loyal customer.
Integrated Solutions for Storyous
Selling digital and printed vouchers that can be redeemed directly through your Storyous POS is easy with qasima and CareCloud.
If you're unsure which solution is right for your business, don't hesitate to contact us at obchod@storyous.com or call us on +420 277 277 932.
Wishing you a wonderful pre-Christmas season!
