questions to ask your corporate gift cards supplier

5 questions you should ask a corporate gift cards supplier

You deserve exceptional service and great value from your corporate gift cards supplier. But, a lot of people just don’t know how to spot a great deal from a gift card supplier. Which questions to ask, what to look for in a response.

There are 5 important questions you should be asking a gift card provider. I’ll tell you what they are, and why they should matter to you.

5 questions to ask your corporate gift cards supplier

Where does the money go?

You part with a significant sums of money to put value on gift cards. It’s worth asking where that money is going. Who keeps it, how safe is it, does it get ring-fenced, and what happens if the provider goes out of business?

The safest place it can go is into a safeguarded trust, so even if your provider goes out of business the money doesn’t disappear. Take us as an example. All value issued via flexecash® (our proprietary e-money) would still be available to card and reward code holders even if, heaven forbid, we disappeared overnight.

What does loyalty get me?

If you’re placing regular orders of any significant quantity, it’s time to talk about what your loyalty gets you. One of the biggest customer-facing applications for our gift cards is rewarding loyalty, so it’s an area we’re more than familiar with.

They could offer you a discount, a credit account, or upgraded gift card features. It could also be a specialist account handler, or next day delivery.

If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Who accepts this gift card?

Will the gift card be accepted at just one store, or is there a selection? Single-store and multi-retailer have their own benefits and drawbacks.

If you can confidently say all your staff want something from an individual retailer, single-store will work. But if there’s any doubt, you’re better off keeping the choice alive.

Obviously, we’d argue for the multi-retailer options. It’s our speciality. But we have good reason to. Uncertainty on the high street is mounting, and retail brands aren’t as stable and secure as they once were. We’re also seeing more demand for experiences and dining over just shopping.

As we pointed out earlier, putting all your eggs in one basket with a retailer has risks that are mitigated with multi-retailer gift cards.

How, and when, will the gift cards arrive?

If your staff numbers into the hundreds, or thousands, you would probably prefer not to be warehousing and distributing your own gift cards.

Ask how your corporate gift cards provider can help you with the logistics. A robust provider can deliver to offices and houses. They’ll customise the presentation of your gift cards. They should be able to include branding, personalised messages, and interesting designs as well as the logistic support.

Where’s the mobile experience?

Pleasing mobile experiences are now mandatory. When someone receives a gift card through your company, there needs to be a simple and user-friendly way for them to get to grips with it.

That means geo-location to show them where they can use it nearby. Accessible lists of places to spend the gift card. Text alerts to manage gift card balances. An app to centralise all these features in one simple platform.

Even the best gift cards now need a great experience to go with them.

The answers to these questions are a matrix for whether you’re getting the most you could be out of a corporate gift card provider. The more positive answers you, or the provider, can summon, the better the deal you’re getting from your corporate gift card provider is.