Retailers are taking advantage of the popularity of gift cards with new innovations for the holidays.
Home Depot next month is launching a card that performs as a DVD featuring a 25-minute “how-to” instructional video. Topics include everything from painting and installing a ceiling fan to replacing a garbage disposal and the basics of an electrical system.
“It’s free added value for the consumer,” Manish Shrivastava, president of Home Depot Incentives Inc., said last week.
The interactive gift card can be loaded with amounts ranging from $5 to $5,000. Home Depot is partnering with Serious USA on the initiative.
The card was one of several retailers unveiled at this year’s Motivation Show in Chicago last week.
The company also is launching a gift card tied to a Coca-Cola coupon. People who buy a card in-store will receive a buy one, get one free coupon for a 20-ounce bottle of soda. The promotion runs Dec. 26 to Jan. 31.
Other holiday-oriented gifts include religious-themed cards for Christmas and Hanukkah, and new this year, African-American themed cards. It’s part of the company’s effort to cater to specific groups, Shrivastava said. In-store displays and signage will help promote the gift cards.
Under a new venture, Home Depot in January will launch a co-branded gift card for its corporate customers. The new card will let companies add logos to a standard gift card.
“A lot of customers have asked to put their logo on our gift cards,” Shrivastava said. “It’s a great way for customers to leverage the strength of Home Depot.”
Retailer Bath & Body Works is readying a new scented gift card—twisted peppermint, the company’s No. 1 holiday scent The scratch n’ sniff card is available this month. The offering will be available for consumers and as employee rewards, the company said.
Hallmark Insights, an incentive solutions provider, is putting a twist on the gift card experience. It’s launching a new line of greeting cards that double as gift cards. The Valued Expression cards, which rolled out Oct. 1, offer four customizable holiday-themed greeting cards through Dec. 31. The cards, which are part of a pilot program, are designed for corporate clients as employee reward or customer incentives and rewards. Awards are available starting at $10.
Companies can add logos or images to the card and include specific messages. Inside, each card will include an award tracking number, which recipients use to redeem for gift cards at HallmarkInsights.com/Cards at more than 350 merchants, including retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters, catalogs and specialty shops.
“This is really more of an event,” said Mary English, vice president of marketing for Hallmark Insights, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards Inc. “This impacts people from a sentimental aspect.”
And next year, Hallmark Insights plans to expand the offering to include Everyday Occasion cards, such as birthday, anniversary, retirement, thank you and other forms of recognition.
Meanwhile, in the prepaid card space, American Express is launching two new cards for business-to-business customers.
The Expedition Card, announced at the Motivation Show, lets recipients use the card at more than 60 travel-related merchants, including airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, resorts and vacation packages.
There is no limit on the value. Cards can be customized with the company’s branding or images.
“People love travel as a reward,” said David Terry, general manager of American Express Incentive Services’ consumer promotions group.
The second card, the American Express Persona Platinum, is reloadable and redeemable at more than 170 retail shops. The card is loaded with points each worth $1.
“It’s about giving people choice,” Terry said.
As part of the program cardholders can earn monthly bonus points. On the first Tuesday of every month, American Express will give users 10% points back on purchases made at participating retail in-store merchants.
The program also gives participants a coffee table-style shopping guide of merchants and sends a quarterly publication highlighting the latest merchandise offers and retail stores.
The card, which is now available in the U.S., launches in Canada in December, the company said.
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