With the start of every new year, business owners  are always looking for a new and exciting way to increase sales and traffic into their stores. What the first thing that comes to mind? Membership cards and loyalty cards!  You want to be able to offer your customers something to show your appreciation, and offer incentives for repeat business.  

At Plastek Cards Inc, we have the perfect solution. We offer lots of different plastic cards that can be incorporated into every type of industry. When starting your search, it can often be overwhelming with the endless choices that you have to customize a plastic card. Should you do loyalty cards, gift cards, membership cards? The options are endless.

Looking for a quick and easy solution? One idea that seems to be the new trend is punch cards. We offer 12 mil thickness cards -  which is about the thickness of a regular business card, and because we print on PVC plastic they will won’t rip, and are extremely durable. The promotion that you want to highlight can be just about anything you can think of. For hair salons, clients can receive a punch for every visit and the 5^th visit rewards the client with a free styling product. Auto Repair shops can offer a free oil change, after 8 visits. Another option would be to track the cards with the amount of money the client spends per visit - $20 equals one punch – after 4 punches you can offer a 20% discount on their purchase. No one knows your clientele better than you – so be creative!

There are several different types of custom hole punches that can be purchased, the best way to protect your business is to get one that is unique to your store. The back of your card can explain the program you are offering and any details that can assist the client.

Above you will see an example of a punch card that is not just a plastic card. The owner decided to add a shiny silver metallic background, and purple foil stamping to highlight the logo.  Not only will it grab the attention of your client at the store – but it won’t get misplaced in a wallet because of the it looking like “just another plastic card.”  Punch cards are a quick an easy way reward your clients and offer incentives to keep them coming back again and again.

Gift card sleeves add an extra touch to your gift cards. It is always nice to have something to put the gift card in after purchasing this for someone, the client then will not have to worry about buying a card to place the gift card in when giving the gift card as a gift.

We offer a variety of paper sleeves, we have some that hang or fold and these are fully customized to go with your gift card design. To download our paper sleeve catalog please go to http://www.plastekcards.com/images/plastekcarriers.pdf.

We also offer a generic gift card sleeve that has A GIFT FOR YOU on the top front and below this has To: From: and Amount:  Ordering the preprinted sleeve is an inexpensive way to promote your gift cards giving your clients the option to have their gift cards placed in a envelope with no hassles to have to go out and purchase anything else.

When ordering gift cards do not forget to accessorize with gift card sleeves! Whether you decide to order a custom paper sleeve or the generic paper sleeve, give your client’s the option of having something to put their gift cards in. This will be a great way to market your new gift cards.  

Display your cards with a customized display stand. Our display stands include a customized background that we can create. This can help in the advertising of your new plastic cards whether it is gift cards, VIP cards or rewards cards. The display stand can give your cards placement on a counter, in a display window or just stand as a showcase for your plastic card needs. We have many different display stands to choose from. We have single tier, double tier, 5 x 7, 8 x 10 and many, many more to choose from. This does include the customization of the backing and shipping. What a perfect way to display your new plastic cards for your business.

We are pleased to offer plastic card displays as a convenience to one stop shopping when you order plastic cards to be printed here at Plastek Cards. They are acrylic stands. Most of them are clear and we can also print out and design a display to slide into your plastic card displays. Please contact us to see the different styles we offer.

There’s a certain simplicity in letting friends and loved ones choose the gift he or she wants rather than just guessing at a particular person’s tastes. Gift certificates and plastic gift cards are becoming a more popular purchase for people who aren’t quite sure what to get for the ones they are shopping for. You may already be offering gift certificates or gift cards to your customers, but are you using them to your best advantage?

Gift cards can actually be used to increase your sales, not just as a way for customers to redeem a pre-paid purchase. Here are three ways to use plastic gift cards bring in more money than ever this year.

1. Use your plastic gift cards as a way to give back to the purchaser and not just the recipient. For example, it’s a common practice to have sales of ten or twenty percent from time to time, so why not treat the card as a sale purchase in itself? In other words, advertise that when any gift card is purchased for someone, the buyer gets a “bonus” gift card worth 10-15% of the amount the original card. The buyer will have a greater incentive to buy a gift card since he or she will be getting one to keep as well. In fact, buyers will have a desire to buy gift cards with higher amounts on them because they will be getting something back in return. And as far as your profits are concerned, it’s the same as if you had run a sale for the bonus amount.
2. Print a special offer on the gift card itself as a way to entice a larger purchase when the recipient comes in to redeem it. If you set up your gift card printing so that cards have specific amounts appearing on them, you could arrange that the special offer is valid when an amount higher than the face value is spent at your business. For example, a $50 gift card may offer a 10% discount when $100 or more is spent in your store at one visit. Your customer will be enticed to spend the extra $50 just to get the $10 discount – but will in all likelihood spend even more.
3. Make your gift cards reloadable. By purchasing cards with a magnetic stripe on the backing, you can give customers the option to add money onto them when they bring them back into the store to be redeemed. You’ll want to make sure to give them a compelling reason to do so, such as a 5% cash bonus on the card or a special gift of a low-margin item from your inventory. Customers love the idea of getting something as a bonus, even if they have to spend more to get it.

These three tips can take an ordinary paper gift certificate offering and turn it into something that adds more to your bottom line every year. Consider using any or all of these tips and create a powerful sales tool that puts more money into your pocket. Using your business gift cards strategically will keep customers coming through your doors long after they receive their gift cards.

We offer a variety of gift card displays and card sleeves for your convenience. These products will help you increase your product for your promotion cards at your business.

As a custom manufacturer of wholesale business and corporate plastic gift cards we ensure that our cards are compatible with most POS software or service providers. Whether you have a provider who you are currently working with or you need us to refer one to you, our cards can be custom ordered, designed and programmed to work with your current or new system.

Swaying away from the paper gift certificates and using plastic cards instead is a great way to promote and advertise your business. People are giving gift cards for holidays now to save them time from shopping. Offering gift cards gives the consumer a option to buy for someone at your store without having to know specifically what that person likes. With the daily hustle of going to work, spending time with loved ones, making dinner, etc…gift cards are a more convenient way to shop.