Companies of all sizes and in all industries rely on digital gift card providers when they want to simplify their reward and incentive programs.
Whether they need to fill their pipeline, engage their employees, incentivize survey participation, or retain customers, digital gift cards are always the easiest, most cost effective way to go.
That said, how and where they source their bulk digital gift cards will always have an outsized impact on the success of any programs. Choosing the right gift card partner will make or break an incentive program, even before it starts.
Yes, sending gift cards to recipients can and should be easy. But that’s only the case if you choose a gift card distribution company that simplifies the whole process and has the right features for your needs.
In this article, we’ll explore how to choose the best digital gift card provider for your rewards and payout programs. We’ll also cover some red flags to watch out for, as well as some signs it might be time to switch providers.
First things first. If you’re responsible for running your company’s incentive programs, then you need an affordable distribution partner that will make your life easier. This is the ultimate criteria you should use when evaluating your options.
Maybe you’re currently using software for your incentive program, but you find yourself struggling with an opaque onboarding process, chasing down your account manager, doing extra paperwork, and dealing with unhappy recipients.
Or you’re paying extra fees to send your rewards, and your boss is wondering where all that extra money is actually going.
Perhaps you’re running your program without a gift card platform. If that’s the case, you might be spending up to 25% of your time each week (or more) manually buying, sending, and tracking gift cards.
Or you’ve just been tasked with finding a gift card distributor for a new incentive program your company is going to try out, and you're not sure where to get started.
In any of these situations, there’s an easy fix. You just need to find a gift card platform that:
We’ll cover exactly how to find that right platform next.
"I like things that are intuitive and keep it simple. Giftbit is really easy to use, and I think that is probably the most important feature of any tech product."
—Greg Augustine, Project Manager — Prime46
See how Greg saves 10 hours a week on incentive fulfillment
Spending the time upfront to find the best gift card provider for your business is always a worthwhile investment. You need to find a company that is going to be a partner in your long-term growth, i.e. one that will support your goals and scale with your operations.
Taking time now to find a platform that simplifies gift card management can also save you inordinate amounts of time in the future.
Specifically, that means looking for reward providers that actually provide the following five key features.
Simply put, if you want your gift card program to have long-term success, the following features are all non-negotiable.
Time for a little gift card terminology lesson.
There are two types of cards you can send your recipients: