1 billion dollar worth of gift cards are wasted every year!
Gift cards sales were around 160b$ in 2018 in the US and are steadily growing as a handy gift option. But did you know that every year $1B are unredeemed? And that unused gift cards total more than $44B since 2008?
If you've ever given a gift card in your life, did the recipient tell you what he/she bought with it? If no, there are chances it went to waste! Actually this is where most cards end up eventually as only a tiny percent is recycled. What a bad impact it has on our planet and on all of us! Think about the piles of lost, stolen, expired, broken and unreadable cards waiting to be burnt down in large landfill everywhere in the world.
Of course electronic gift cards avoid this problem, but have you thought about the waste of energy in terms of computing power needed to generate the gift card, handle the payment of the card, make it available for years in the event of a purchase with the card? All that for it to simply expire? That's a big over-engineering feat for a lost purpose, not exactly what we expect right now in a world much in need of a cool down, pragmatic use of resources and sustainable balance between growth and happiness.
It happens over and over: you may not even know if the person has received it through the post or by email, and even after chasing it up, you'll never know if it's ever been used. I'm not saying that everyone should know what you buy with the card, but it'd be great to have news for the individual making the present as it'd entice us to give more gift cards if we knew that they'd been useful.
A gift card is to it plainly a licence to have fun, but without telling you explicitly how. Just do it, you'll figure it out. Sure! Of course if one day you need to make a payement in a shop that's covered by your gift card AND that you remember to use it, then you'll be able to have fun. Loads of ifs here! And on that day, chances are you'll have forgotten who gave you the card in the first place...
Let's face it, gift cards are a smarter version of "cash with conditions". They have an expiry date, which may seem far ahead but comes always too quickly. The limit is 5 years in the USA but this can vary and it's often a lot less, from 6 months to a year. Would there be a difference if the duration was longer? Probably not as we often wait until the last minute for these kinds of things... human nature speaking here.
They also come with conditions: selected items only, not during sales, using in only one purchase. Some gift cards are really a pain to use and most people will just give up. Why would you give yourself a headache for a piece of plastic you haven't even chosen? Of course you could resell it and get some money back, but is it really worth it in the first place?
To finish on conditions, they are tied to one or more shops which may close down before you've had a chance to buy anything. Indeed only about one in three small businesses reach the 10-year mark! I'm not saying that Amazon will wind down from one day to the other, but the shops available on its marketplace may do so without warning!
Then there's also the fact we often forget we have a gift card or misplace it, but that's understandable as many people consider them "thoughtless". Just a piece of plastic and a code on it, maybe a corporate logo and that's it. Some people will just not accept them, saying they don't know how to use them! Or they'll try and the amount isn't sufficient to buy anything and they have to pay with their own money in order to use them.
All in all, despite their popularity, most people don't want them: only 27% say they like to receive gift cards! Is having a bad present better than not having one at all? What gift do you choose when you haven't got a clue about what to get? Are you strong enough to resist the marketing temptation of "a gift card will let them chose exactly what they want to have"?
Fortunately there are alternatives! You can also make a gift with your own hands or have a look at our social accounts for beautiful ideas of gifts that will put a smile of your face. Finding a gift is difficult and most shopping websites will try to force their gifts at you telling you they are what you need, beware! In the end, you make the final call, being the customer you decide what you want to spend money on. If after reading this post you consider buying gift cards as a second option and not a first, then we'll be happy!
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| Who's never used one of these? |
If you've ever given a gift card in your life, did the recipient tell you what he/she bought with it? If no, there are chances it went to waste! Actually this is where most cards end up eventually as only a tiny percent is recycled. What a bad impact it has on our planet and on all of us! Think about the piles of lost, stolen, expired, broken and unreadable cards waiting to be burnt down in large landfill everywhere in the world.
 |
| Stop the expired gift card waste! |
Of course electronic gift cards avoid this problem, but have you thought about the waste of energy in terms of computing power needed to generate the gift card, handle the payment of the card, make it available for years in the event of a purchase with the card? All that for it to simply expire? That's a big over-engineering feat for a lost purpose, not exactly what we expect right now in a world much in need of a cool down, pragmatic use of resources and sustainable balance between growth and happiness.
It happens over and over: you may not even know if the person has received it through the post or by email, and even after chasing it up, you'll never know if it's ever been used. I'm not saying that everyone should know what you buy with the card, but it'd be great to have news for the individual making the present as it'd entice us to give more gift cards if we knew that they'd been useful.
A gift card is to it plainly a licence to have fun, but without telling you explicitly how. Just do it, you'll figure it out. Sure! Of course if one day you need to make a payement in a shop that's covered by your gift card AND that you remember to use it, then you'll be able to have fun. Loads of ifs here! And on that day, chances are you'll have forgotten who gave you the card in the first place...
 |
| Don't forget whom to say thanks... |
Let's face it, gift cards are a smarter version of "cash with conditions". They have an expiry date, which may seem far ahead but comes always too quickly. The limit is 5 years in the USA but this can vary and it's often a lot less, from 6 months to a year. Would there be a difference if the duration was longer? Probably not as we often wait until the last minute for these kinds of things... human nature speaking here.
They also come with conditions: selected items only, not during sales, using in only one purchase. Some gift cards are really a pain to use and most people will just give up. Why would you give yourself a headache for a piece of plastic you haven't even chosen? Of course you could resell it and get some money back, but is it really worth it in the first place?
To finish on conditions, they are tied to one or more shops which may close down before you've had a chance to buy anything. Indeed only about one in three small businesses reach the 10-year mark! I'm not saying that Amazon will wind down from one day to the other, but the shops available on its marketplace may do so without warning!
 |
| Refer to the conditions before using your gift card |
Then there's also the fact we often forget we have a gift card or misplace it, but that's understandable as many people consider them "thoughtless". Just a piece of plastic and a code on it, maybe a corporate logo and that's it. Some people will just not accept them, saying they don't know how to use them! Or they'll try and the amount isn't sufficient to buy anything and they have to pay with their own money in order to use them.
All in all, despite their popularity, most people don't want them: only 27% say they like to receive gift cards! Is having a bad present better than not having one at all? What gift do you choose when you haven't got a clue about what to get? Are you strong enough to resist the marketing temptation of "a gift card will let them chose exactly what they want to have"?
Fortunately there are alternatives! You can also make a gift with your own hands or have a look at our social accounts for beautiful ideas of gifts that will put a smile of your face. Finding a gift is difficult and most shopping websites will try to force their gifts at you telling you they are what you need, beware! In the end, you make the final call, being the customer you decide what you want to spend money on. If after reading this post you consider buying gift cards as a second option and not a first, then we'll be happy!
But that's not it, for a lasting satisfaction and a fun experience, try ProdiGift to send gifts that are both personalised and exchangeable. Just as fast as sending a gift card, but with much more personalisation and intention inside, with a design that will make it memorable. Instant gifts with lasting satisfaction!
We hope you enjoyed this post, feel free to react and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. ProdiGift is always trying to improve and learn from its audience, that means we're all ears for your feedback and we'll be very happy to have a conversation with you. We believe we're growing as a result of your own growth and that's what's making us thrive.
Interesting... I've been using gift cards for the last 5 years but I've now stopped using them because you never know what they were used for and if the recipient was happy at all in the end.
RépondreSupprimerAs far as I'm concerned, I either buy something I don't like or end up putting more money in! I'll give prodigift a try and see if it's any better than the others.
About bankruptcy, I realise I still had Toy R Us gift cards when they closed down: https://www.businessinsider.fr/us/toys-r-us-bankruptcy-gift-cards-could-be-useless-2018-3 they'll never be refunded!
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