Creating Gift Vouchers For Your Jewellery Business
Blog
We’re coming up to the time of year where it’s a real benefit to have gift vouchers/gift certificates/gift cards available for customers who either find it hard to decide or who want their loved one to choose their own present. But how do you create and manage sales of gift vouchers? Here are some tips from our community manager Anna
Designing your voucher
An attractive voucher that looks like a good gift is always important. It is definitely worth including a photograph of your voucher on your website so the purchaser will know what they’ll be getting.
To create my gift voucher I used Canva, a free online programme for creating graphics. I designed mine in A6 size, (148 x 105 mm or 5.8 x 4.1 inches) so that I could print it as a postcard size (I had them printed by Vistaprint).
To get ideas for the design of your gift voucher search ‘gift certificate’ in Canva and you’ll get some templates.
If you have worked on your branding for your website then use the colours and fonts to ensure that your designs remain consistent.
You could also consider buying gift voucher boxes for higher value vouchers.
Example of gift vouchers from the London Jewellery School
What to include on your voucher
It’s important to ensure your voucher has all the information on it that the recipient needs to redeem it. These include the following
Recipient name (optional but I like to have this as it’s an additional check that the right person is using the voucher)
Amount the voucher is for (you can get them printed with different amounts or you can leave a space to write in the amount)
Expiry date - usually 6 months to 1 year from the date of purchase
Voucher number - create your own voucher number system to help keep track of them and prevent any possibility of fraud. I use the date of purchase and the initials of the recipient e.g. 121118AC
Where the voucher can be redeemed. As it is a gift you need to ensure that you have your website or shop location where the voucher can be used
E-voucher design
Offering an e-voucher if you sell online is a really good idea. It costs you nothing versus getting a voucher printed and can be sent out for last minute gifts - a real benefit for last minute panic buying shoppers!
I create my e-voucher in Canva by using the printed voucher I designed. You can add text onto the graphic so I add the name of the recipient, expiry date, amount the voucher is worth etc. I then save that as a pdf and email it to the customer.
Administering your voucher sales
It’s important to keep a track of the vouchers you sell and when they are redeemed.
The best way I’ve found to do this is to have a spreadsheet with the following information on
Name of purchaser
Name of recipient
Date of purchase
Expiry date
Voucher code
Date redeemed
Notes (I tend to note what they bought)
Post versus e-voucher
On the whole, people don’t want to pay extra for postage for a gift voucher so the cost of printing and postage is important to consider. I am happy to send my gift vouchers in the post in the UK but would send an e-voucher to those in the rest of the world for example.
How to sell them
Make sure it is clear on the home page of your website that you have gift vouchers available as this will help your customers.
There are a few ways you can process their sales so consider what will work best for you.
You could create a listing on your website for gift vouchers at different prices e.g. £50, £100 etc.
You could use a paypal.me link which allows the purchaser to put in the amount of their choice.
I use the paypal option and I’ve created a Google form to collect all the details I need. Alternatively, you can also ask people to email you the details you need.
How is the voucher redeemed?
Online
If you use a website where you can add voucher codes you can create the voucher code and allow it to be used directly from the webshop. However, you don’t have to do it that way. You could ask people to browse your site and then email you with their choice of item.
In person
This is more straightforward as the recipient can hand their voucher over as payment.
When a voucher is redeemed I highlight the line in the spreadsheet with a different text colour so that it’s easy to see at a glance.
This system has really helped me keep track of the vouchers I’ve sold and when they’ve been redeemed.
Terms and conditions
It is good to send out your terms and conditions for using the voucher. You could print these on the back of the voucher or send them separately with the voucher. Make sure they are clear, positive and friendly and include any returns policy you have (for voucher sales I would offer exchanges only).
Do you sell gift vouchers? What tips would you give? We’d love to hear them in the comments.
Best of luck with your gift voucher sales, do let us know how you get on.