Are Gift Cards The Most Ideal Gifts For Society?

In our last blog, we pointed out a number of reasons that gift cards make for better gifts than cash. They’re more personable, they reflect more thought and they’re less dirty than cash! As a result, it only makes sense to provide gift cards as a buying option in your store. While some say that gift cards are more impersonal than traditional gifts, many more would argue that they’re actually the best gifts that people could possible give!

At least that’s what Jacob Davidson of Time.com thinks. “Let’s just say it: Gift cards are the best present for almost everyone on your list,” he writes. According to Davidson, gift cards eliminate one of the biggest problems associated with the act of gift-giving. And that’s getting someone a gift that he or she may not even like. How can you predict exactly what the person you’re shopping for wants?

Davidson insists that you can’t. “A 2014 survey from online retailer Rakuten showed almost three out of four Americans won’t like the gifts they receive this season,” he reveals. He also points out that “a recent Wall Street Journal article revealed that ‘only’ 37% of consumers want a gift card this season.” Interestingly, this revelation was “spun” as a negative. As far as Davidson is concerned, these findings prove the popularity of gift cards.

“Let’s do some quick Moneyball here,” writes Davidson, “Based on these two studies, most gifts have a 25% approval rating, while gift cards have a 37% approval rating. Gee, I wonder which one I should pick…” Gift cards, as you may have guessed, are only growing in popularity. With each passing year, more and more shoppers opt to buy gift cards over making the tough decisions about what exact gifts to buy their loved ones.

“According to BankRate, 84% of Americans have received a gift card and 72% have given one,” reveals Davidson, “By the end of 2014, $124 billion dollars will have been loaded onto gift cards, and sales have been growing for years.” As far as he’s concerned, a gift card actually shows a loved one more respect than the act of buying a gift that he or she may like. He offers a humorous scenario to prove his point.

“I got you a Star Wars ice cube tray because I know you like Star Wars (just like everyone else on the planet). I’m a real friend,” Davidson offers as an example, “Please. Does this type of vague, commercial knowledge of the people close to you—the type of knowledge that leads to thousands of tacky Han-Solo-in-Carbonite iPhone cases being given every year—actually demonstrate anything other than the commodification of companionship?”

Davidson goes on to insist that gift cards aren’t just the right gifts to buy friends, but they’re the right gifts for all of society! “They cast aside our anxieties and pretensions to declare, ‘I’m so confident in our relationship that I have nothing to prove.’” he believes, “That’s therapeutic for everyone. In contrast, the stress of trying to accurately translate our feelings into an object—something that’s neither possible nor desirable—can actually be dangerous.”

At Canadian POS Corporation, we believe that gift cards represent the perfect solution to grow your business. For many years, they have been proven to encourage repeat business, attract new customers and boost sales. You certainly don’t need to wait until the end-of-year holiday season to take advantage of the popularity of gift cards. Order them for your business today by calling us at 1-877-748-2884 or emailing us at info@localhost.