Here Come The Holidays!

There are lots of opportunities for merchants to capitalize on the upcoming holiday season: Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Chanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day are all coming within the next three months, and holiday shoppers are ready to shop. Here are some ways to help your merchants get ready for holiday shoppers.

Gift Cards

Because of their convenience and flexibility, gift cards are a favorite with shoppers, and their popularity means more profit for merchants. A 2019 Small Business Gift Card Study conducted by Fiserv showed that 74% of consumers surveyed said they buy gift cards from small businesses. And for over eleven years, gift cards have remained the most popular items on wish lists. Plus, it’s easy to connect gift cards to loyalty programs, which is a great way to ensure repeat customers! Integrating with Cardknox gives your merchants built-in access to our state-of-the-art gift card program. Click here to learn more about our gift card solution.

Email Address Rewards

Build up your mailing list by offering a free or discounted product or service in exchange for a customer’s email or mailing address, then send them special holiday offers. Cardknox integrates seamlessly with many point-of-sale (POS) systems, making it easy for you to manage all your email marketing campaigns.

Loyalty Programs

Help your merchants reward their loyal customers with a special treat this holiday season. Create a loyalty program that gives bonuses, like points toward free or reduced-cost products or services, or special discounts on holiday-related items. Our Cardknox recurring schedule feature is a great tool for businesses to connect subscription services and memberships to loyalty programs. Click here to learn more about integrating recurring payments.

Holiday Gift Guides

Create a printed or electronic holiday-themed gift guide to send to your customer contact list. A fun, inspiration-filled gift guide will encourage customers to choose your store for their holiday shopping. Your gift guide could include a collection of all the products or services you want to feature, or you could group items into specific collections, such as “Gifts for Him,” “Gifts for the Wine Enthusiast,” or “Gifts Under $20.” Be sure to include photos and item descriptions, and consider adding a coupon for a special discount on purchases totaling over a certain amount.

Special Seasonal Pricing

Offer special discounts on select items or services during a specific time period, like the weeks before and after a certain holiday. Post signs prominently throughout your store and send a special-pricing email to your customer contact list.

Exclusive Holiday Bundles

Create a holiday-themed collection of items your customers can purchase together, such as gift baskets. Create a gift basket containing some of your best selling items, sample sizes of new products, or themed collections such as “Gifts for Her.” Include a gift card or coupon good toward a future purchase.

In-Store Or E-Commerce Games and Contests

Everyone needs a little fun now and then, so use games and contests to engage your customers with some aspect of your business. Games are a great way to bridge the gap between and in-store experience and your online or social media presence, which helps create a better customer experience and grow customer loyalty. For example, you could post a picture on your website and hold a caption contest; ask customers to take a photo featuring one of your products or services and upload it to your website or social media account; or hold an in-store game like guessing how many holiday-themed items are in a container. Give the winners a discount or gift card toward a future purchase. 

Consumers are starting to be on the lookout for holiday shopping deals, so now’s the time to prepare special offers and promotions. Use the holiday season to showcase everything your business has to offer and turn seasonal shoppers into year-round customers! 

Need more inspiration? Visit us here for more information about our gift card and loyalty program.