Canadians Really Want gift cards
Gift cards have the highest awareness among prepaid products: Nearly all Canadian consumers (99 percent) are aware of gift cards. Eighty-nine percent have purchased them at some point, up from 71 percent in 2010.
Findings from Blackhawk Network’s 2015 Canada Gift Card Survey revealed that Gift cards are growing in popularity: Eighty-seven percent of respondents had both purchased and received gift cards in the last year, up from 68 percent in 2010. More than half of respondents who purchased a gift card in 2015 bought four or more cards (53 percent). Ninety-one percent received a gift card in 2015, and seventy-six percent stated they would prefer to receive a gift card from one of their favorite stores rather than a specific gift.. There are so many gifts that would be ideal for a recipient, but are truly a matter of taste. And when it comes to items like clothing and shoes, giving the option of the right fit the first time around is better than giving something that doesn’t work with a ‘gift receipt’ and the hassle of a return. And let’s be real.. A gift receipt says “I’m pretty sure you won’t like this anyway, so I’ll pretend not to be offended when you return it”. It’s not exactly a win-win unless the recipient just happens to GENUINELY like the gift.
People LIKE Gift Cards! A majority of Canadians believe most people enjoy receiving gift cards so they can choose what they want, prefer to give gift cards so the recipient can choose what he or she wants, and like to purchase gift cards because they are easier/more convenient to purchase than other gifts. Most Canadians like receiving gift cards because they can purchase what they want, and purchase something for themselves without spending any extra money. Some people have trouble treating themselves, like a single mom who feels guilty spending money that could be spent on groceries. There are more than a few single moms out there who would appreciate being “forced” to spend ‘money’ on a much-needed massage in the form of a gift card. And they are IDEAL for children’s birthday parties, which used to mean a mountain of plastic toys that the child would play with MAYBE once. Eighty-one percent feel gift cards are a good gift, and the other nineteen percent didn’t seem to have a very good reason why they didn’t. If you provide a product or service nowadays, it’s in your best interest to sell gift cards for your business.
Blackhawk Canada’s findings track with other research from the Canadian Prepaid Providers Organization, What Canadians Really Want: 2015 Holiday Gift Trends, which found that gift cards are the top holiday gift picks for Canadians this year, and 60% of Americans plan on purchasing gift cards for the people on their list