Gift card sales become lifelines for restaurants during the pandemic
In the lead up to the 2022 International Pizza Expo, Card Market shares the results of its pro bono marketing efforts to help struggling restaurants.
(Booth #1864 – International Pizza Expo, Las Vegas, March 22-24, 2022) — In the United States, roughly 90,000 restaurants shut their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Card Market, the chaos and uncertainty of pandemic-related shutdowns were embraced as an opportunity to help merchants turn to in-store and digital gift card sales as essential revenue streams.
“We saw the demand for gift cards skyrocket and committed to doing whatever we could to help as many merchants as possible tap into that critical revenue source,” said Mark Miller, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Card Market. “Our clients needed to pivot quickly, and we’re proud to have played a role in keeping their doors open during the most challenging two years for restaurants across the country.”
Through Card Market Pro and Card Market Express, merchants can add a customizable shopping cart to their existing website. The online platforms provide a quick and easy way for patrons to purchase physical and virtual gift cards wherever they are, and whenever the impulse strikes, creating opportunities for customer satisfaction and business growth.
The company waived setup fees of $399 to $599 for 700 new clients, waived a $20 monthly hosting fee for all clients, and printed 250 free gift cards and envelopes for all of its new merchant partners at the onset of the pandemic. The company also streamlined its online shopping cart customization process and shifted physical gift card production staff to digital support roles in order to expedite gift card revenue for merchants.
As a result of the company’s efforts, Card Market’s clients saw an average of $30,000 in 2020 revenue through gift card sales alone—revenue that came at no cost to the merchant. In July of 2020, 2.63% of a merchant’s total revenue came from digital gift card sales compared to 1.17% in July 2019, on average.
Since 1993, Card Market has worked to serve its ever-evolving customer base through multiple additions of products and services, as well as brand acquisitions. The company serves over 100,000 merchants nationwide with efficient solutions for everything from gift card printing and promotion to order fulfillment and reporting to help its clients grow brand awareness, customer loyalty, and revenue.
To learn more about Card Market Pro or Card Market Express, visit Booth #1864 at this year’s International Pizza Expo & Conference or visit www.mycardmarket.com.
About Card Market
Card Market is a gift card solutions company that is headquartered in Nolensville, Tennessee, just south of Nashville. Partnering with gift card processors and point of sale systems, Card Market produces cards for use with a variety of gift, loyalty, and promotional programs. To learn more about Card Market’s products and services, please visit www.mycardmarket.com.
# # #
