Did you participate in Small Business Saturday the day after Black Friday? Did your community focus on getting the message of the importance of shopping small out to everyone?
If you did, you want to keep that energy going. Small Business Saturday should be the beginning. It’s easy to keep the messaging going through the holidays as it’s a natural time for people to be making purchases but how do you keep the shop local or shop small energy going after that?
Community gift certificates!
They meet all of the qualifications you’re looking for in a local currency program that benefits the community. The certificates:
- can be purchased online.
- can be used at any participating merchant.
- come in a variety of denominations.
- can be sent to the recipient or to the purchaser.
- allow recipients to choose where they want to shop or spend the certificate.
- allow employers to give something more meaningful than a generic gift certificate to a national store. They can give the gift of community.
From an administrative standpoint they are easy to manage as the:
- funds are deposited into the participating group’s bank account and paid out by that group, which means more positive interaction between your group and the merchant.
- gift certificate can be branded to your community.
- merchants can validate the gift certificate through an app quicker than processing a credit card.
- data is easily accessible; who’s buying, where are they spending them, and other important info is on your dashboard.
Don’t let all the hard work you put forth for Small Business Saturday and your shop local movement languish after the holidays. Look for a way to keep everyone energized and excited about shopping local. Community gift certificates are fun and easy and so much more meaningful than other available gift cards. And since they’re available online, they are also the perfect gift for those of us who purchase gifts at the last minute.
Contact us today to learn more about community gift certificates and how easy it is to get started.
