How to Create Online Gift Cards for Your Business

Online business gift cards programs have many applications.

The capabilities to create online gift cards have dramatically expanded and improved. They're not just for Christmas gifts anymore. Businesses can use them for employee rewards, sales team incentives, to build customer affinity and loyalty, and to gifts that give back to charities. Cards can even be "reloaded" by the recipient, just like a prepaid debit or credit card. Everything can be done online, from setting up your program to sending an email to recipients to announce your gift.

Things You'll Need

• Gift card budget
• Logo and graphics
• eMail list of employees, clients, customers
• Strategy for targets--employees, customers, clients
• Strategy for use--rewards, gifts, incentives, loyalty.
• Program or project manager

Instructions

Affiliated with Major Credit Card Company

1. 

   You can go with major online retailers like Amazon.

   Explore the Gift Cards Corporation. They utilize VISA for their corporate services programs. Cards can be made for one-time use, or made to be reloaded by the recipient.

2. Select services that allow you to integrate gift cards into your existing employee rewards and incentive programs, and develop additional service capabilities to target clients, customers, outside sales forces, and more.

3. Maximize capabilities to use cards for various efforts, including holiday gift giving, health and wellness rewards, acknowledgement of service contributions, instant recognition of performance, and as a thank you to customers and clients. Cards can also be structured for cash redemption at ATM machines.

Well Established Online Retailers

1. Use a major service like Amazon--Gift Cards for Business. You can develop a gift card program for gift giving, to provide rewards to employees, and to build loyalty and affinity for your brands and services with customers.

2. Develop your program for online processing only, or consider including plastic gift cards as an option.

3. Discuss your program objectives with Amazon business services representatives.

Compare Advantages

1. 

   Recipients love being able to shop at their choice of stores and malls.

   Examine the iCard program, operated by the iClick company. They work with top brands and merchants that range from Banana Republic, Bass Pro Shops to Pottery Barn, Star Bucks, iTunes .

2. Determine denominations for your cards, and if you want to provide recipients with the option to reload the card. Like most major corporate gift card programs, transactions can be performed all online as well as with actual gift cards.

3. Explore the benefits of printable gift cards in PDF format for hand or mail distribution.

Program for Charitable Gift Card Giving

1. 

   Consider gift cards that "give back" through charitable giving.

   Examine your charitable giving or social responsibility programs for opportunities to incorporate gift cards. Charity Gift Certificates offers customizable programs that you can develop to augment your charitable giving and social responsibility efforts.

2. Review your budget to determine a set amount to for charitable gift cards.

3. Determine charities that you wish to affiliate with your business, or if you wish to provide recipients with the option to select charities on their own. Charity Gift Certificates is affiliated with hundreds of major charities, including the American Red Cross, United Negro College Fund, the Worldfund, Public Broadcasting Service, Meals on Wheels.

4. Develop your own customizable website page on the Charity Gift Certificates site. Notify recipients and guests via email about their gift card and the "preloaded" amount your business is contributing. Give recipients the option to add or "reload" the card with additional donations at any time. Every activity can be performed online.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider developing a program that gives recipients retail redemption options, ATM cash redemption, as well as charitable giving.

• Carefully review your gift card program budget, personnel needs to manage the program, goals and strategy for your program.

References

• Amazon: Gift Cards for Business
• Gift Cards Corporation: Corporate Services
• iCard: Corporate Gift Cards
• Charity Choice: Corporate Gift Solutions