How to Use Gift Cards to #SellMoreWine

Retailers and consumers alike love gift cards. They don’t take up much shelf space, they are easily brandable and they promote customer choice. But gift cards also make plain good business sense.

Customers that pay using gift cards often spend higher than the gift card value, and when they forget to use the cards (which 6% of consumers do) it means more money in your pocket. Gift cards also help get new customers through the door, and customers using gift cards are more likely to pay full price for your wine which is great if you’re watching margins.

So how can you make the most of them in your cellar door? Here are 3 ways to get started:

1. Design promotions that increase adoption.

Kick off the addition of gift cards to your cellar door with a new promotion, like a simple discount. For example, buy a $50 card and pay $45. This not only teaches your customers that gift cards are available for sale, but increases the likelihood that they’ll pass on the love to their social circle, attracting potential new customers to your cellar door.

2. Keep gift cards top of mind and within view.

Training your staff to encourage sales of gift cards to your customers will certainly help, but so will keeping them visible. Design your till to make impulse buys easy -- if you already have corkscrews or bottle stoppers at the register, feature gift cards alongside them. You likely have a cork or two (or hundred) lying around. Carve a slot into the top of a couple like this, toss them on the register et voila -- you have a unique way to display your gift cards.

3. Sell multiple designs.

Holidays mean busy periods for you. They also present an opportunity for you to sell special occasion gift cards -- keep “Happy Birthday” and “Thank You” gift cards in stock with your generic cards throughout the year, and break out the “Happy Holidays” cards in November for good variety. No need to stop there. Whatever occasion you can think of, there’s a gift card for that.

Making gift cards available for sale in your cellar door creates new opportunity for customers to share their experience at your winery with their friends and family. More revenue is of course always a plus, but finding new customers and increasing the lifetime value of existing customers is the real sweet spot.

Did you hear? Customisable, physical gift cards are now available in Vin65. Better late than never! Join the program.