The holiday season is the busiest time of year for retailers, and gift cards are at the heart of it. It’s easily accessible for both the giver and the receiver and let’s be real, it’s a great gift because it allows the recipient to purchase whatever they want or need from the particular retailer—no headaches attached.
In fact, year after year, gift cards top the list of most-requested holiday presents. What does that mean? It’s a golden opportunity to attract new customers, build loyalty, and keep revenue flowing well into the new year.
So how can your business prepare way ahead of time to maximize the holiday gift card rush? Let’s break it down.
Gift cards aren’t just convenient stocking stuffers—they’re revenue multipliers. Here’s why:
TL;DR: The reasons why gift cards matter are amplified during the holiday seasons. More people buying gift cards = more people using gift cards and spending more.
Shoppers are planning earlier each year, with many starting their holiday purchases as soon as October. So, why wait until the rush when you can launch your gift card campaigns earlier?
The holiday gift card rush often peaks on December 23rd, but last-minute planning leads to missed opportunities. So if you start promoting early, you’re top of mind when people come around to buying gifts.
Give your customers a reason to buy early! Early bird offers like “Buy a $100 gift card, get a $10 bonus gift card for yourself” drive sales and provide an incentive to purchase.
Those gift card deals you see during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Why not start easing those in before the shopping craze begins? You’ll be one step earlier, allowing you to secure those sales ahead of other businesses.
Have a loyalty program? Perfect. Now you have another way to incentivize a gift card purchase. Award bonus points when customers buy gift cards e.g. “Buy 2 gift cards worth $50 or more each and earn an extra 500 points!”.
And here’s where you can really play with the marketing: frame it as holiday spending that pays you back. Customers are already buying gift cards for friends and family—position the bonus points as “free money” they’ll get to use in the future, turning a necessary purchase into clear value and savings down the line.
With DataCandy, you can integrate gift card purchases into your loyalty strategy to drive retention.
During the holiday rush, convenience is everything. Make sure your customers can purchase gift cards seamlessly, whether they’re shopping in-store or online. Although 93% of Canadians express a preference for digital gift cards due to immediate delivery and ease of use, gift card sales from DataCandy clients show a stronger customer preference for in-store gift card purchases (86%) and physical gift cards (86%). The option of both physical and digital gift cards lets you cater to a broader customer base.
Bonus Tip: Enable customers to store and redeem gift cards directly from their smartphone wallet. A frictionless mobile experience makes gift cards easier to buy, track, and spend.
The true value of holiday gift cards extends into January and beyond. When customers redeem their cards, it’s the perfect opportunity to drive repeat visits.
The gift card rush is one of the most reliable ways to boost revenue during the busiest shopping season of the year. But with the right preparation, it can also become a long-term loyalty driver. By promoting early, bundling gift cards with loyalty rewards, and planning for post-holiday engagement, your business can capture short-term sales and lay the groundwork for lasting customer relationships.