There are many chambers using gift certificate or currency programs. They’ve been extremely successful in the past and the program is well received. Because of this many chambers don’t recognize a program that’s no longer working because from their perspective — sales — it sill is.
But that’s not the only measure.
It’s great to be bringing in money but how much are you leaving on the table by:
- selling your chamber gift certificates in office only
- using paper checks
- having no additional advertising or sponsorship opportunities for merchants
Many people work in towns outside of where they live. They have long days at the office and many drains on their time. Stopping into the chamber office to purchase a gift certificate just might not be possible. If your system is on paper only, you need to change it.
Not only is there potential revenue at stake but there’s also the question of how much time you are spending on administrative work for the program every month. How long does it take you to:
- balance the books
- issue the checks
- reissue the checks when one is lost
- validate the checks
- process payments to your merchants
If you’re spending hours on administration, what exactly is your return on investment? How is this a valuable source of non-dues revenue for your chamber?
Give Up the Paper, Embrace the Efficiency of Online
An online gift certificate program lets you reach more people and allows for sales even when you’re not at the office. For those who can’t make the trip to your office during the day, allowing for an online option helps you sell during the most common time to make online purchases (9 AM- 5 PM).
An online gift certificate program allows for quicker processing both by the merchant and end-of-month administration on the chamber’s end. You also have access to data no matter where you are. We all know chamber professionals don’t sit around their offices. You’re often at events and visiting businesses. Now you have all the information on your currency program at your fingertips anywhere you have a WiFi connection.
Bottom line — bringing it online saves you time and money and who couldn’t use more of that?
