VA: Gift cards help small firms
The use of gift cards as a marketing tool can prove very successful for some small businesses, the Voucher Association (VA) has said.
Closed-loop gift cards were introduced in the UK in 2002 - and since then over 70 programmes have been launched.
Research from the VA found that nearly 30 per cent of people had purchased a gift voucher or other gift card - with £25 the average load value.
German firm GmbH has also recently begun to offer an online-based smartcard customer loyalty system - the logical next step for the gift card industry and a future growth sector of internet marketing.
Andrew Johnson, director-general of The VA, said: "Gift cards can help small businesses.
"If we look at the US, where gift cards are more popular than they are in Europe, then generally you will find that small businesses, even with only one, two or three branches, are using gift cards to drive future business."
