• In 2020, consumers are shopping earlier and leaning more on digital gifting this holiday season.
• Restaurant guests will spend 29% more on restaurant e-gift cards during the 2020 holidays than they did in 2019.
• 52% of guests are more likely to buy more gift cards this holiday season compared to previous years.

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2020 has been a strange year. With the world continuing to adapt to more digital, more contactless options, there’s been an upsurge in e-Gift cards popularity. Business Wire projects that the e-Gift card market will grow by $527.11 billion from 2020-2024.

So, why e-Gift Cards?

LGift cards are an important part of every restaurant marketing strategy under normal circumstances. They help drive customer loyalty. In 2020, loyal customers will quite literally save your restaurant.

When a guest buys an e-Gift card, they are promising to order from your restaurant soon. In the current industry climate, driving one more visit from each guest is the highlight of a successful restaurant marketing strategy. Also, a fully-branded gift card will stay with the customer. Even if they don't use the gift card immediately, when next they decide to use it, they'll be reminded of your restaurant's unique brand.

• Suggested: Take a quick look at Oz Pizza SF’s fully-branded e-Gift card page.

Customers end up spending more than the gift card value

Customers seldom spend more than $30 to $40 on average at restaurants. With gift cards, however, gift-givers typically spend more than the average customer. Also, when ordering with e-Gift cards, users tend to spend a lot more than the value of the gift card. First Data reports that consumers spend an average of $59 above the value of their gift card. 

According to Revel Systems, 72% of consumers will spend more than the total gift card value. Assuming you sell one gift card worth $50, it’s likely they may purchase additional drinks, appetizers, snacks.

e-Gift cards are easy to use

LWhen guests purchase e-Gift cards, they receive the cards through SMS, making them always easily accessible. This is highly important in the middle of a pandemic when contactless payments are encouraged. All they need to do is apply for the gift cards at checkout.

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So how can you make eGift Cards bring more money to your restaurant during the holidays?

If you do it right, eGift cards will extend your holiday sales well into the new year and encourage guests to bring in friends, family members, and colleagues to your share your delicious food. Below are five things to keep in mind while marketing your eGift cards:

Start Early

Start talking about your gift cards across social media and all digital channels available to you. The earlier you start publicizing your e-Gift cards, the more your audience is primed to purchase them. Promote your gift card sales as much as you can. Make it fully-branded in order to keep your unique brand top-of-mind and reiterate a strong brand recall value.

• Create a Seamless e-Gift Card Purchasing Experience

Make sure your ordering webpage makes it easy for customers to purchase and redeem e-gift cards. Make sure that no matter what device a user is using to access your ordering webpage, the e-Gift card purchasing option is clearly visible. 

• Provide Promotional e-Gift Cards 

Make it possible for eGift cards to have slashed prices early on as an incentive. For example, you may offer 50% OFF one e-Gift card per customer. Since customers will spend more than the value of their eGift cards, it’s a win-win.

• Be Honest

Especially when promoting your eGift cards on social media. Be transparent with your customer base and try to humanize your brand as much as possible. The whole world is grappling with the current reality caused by the health crisis. People are more empathetic with the restaurant industry right now, and customers are doing more to help support local restaurants. When promoting your eGift cards, emphasize how vital every e-Gift card spent at your restaurant is, your customers are more likely to purchase them, especially when paired with incentives.

• Use your customer data to track spending habits 

Reviewing your customer data will help you gauge how your e-Gift sales are performing, find out what you are doing right, and what adjustments you need to make to guarantee for optimal sales. 

These days, customers are prioritizing ordering directly from the restaurants rather than third-parties. And so, if you’re going to sell e-Gift cards, make sure they’re fully-branded. Your restaurant will benefit greatly from a well-executed, fully-branded e-Gift card campaign. You’ll gain customer loyalty, higher average order value, more sales, and sustainable long-term brand recall value.

JoyUp is a white-label service that provides fully branded ordering experience and commission-free orders. Get fully-branded e-Gift cards that integrate seamlessly with your POS and transform your restaurant marketing this season. 

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