Austin Massage: Gift Certificates
Most retailers sell gift certificates, and many of them have don't have expiration dates anymore. But the average spa gift card expires around six months from the purchase date, and while often times a massage therapist will still honor the card, many spa gift certificates are often never redeemed.
According to a 2007 study conducted by The Marketing Workshop Inc., almost half of gift cards purchased are redeemed between one and six months of the purchase date and that recipients are holding onto gift certificates longer than they were in 2006 before using them for the first time.
This means more than 40 percent of spa gift cards with a six month expiration have will expire before they are used.
How many gift certificates have you let expire? How many did you buy your wife or mother or daughter last year? How much cash does that add up to?
Bankrate's gift card study says the average gift card in 2007 was around $50, which increased from 2006 and that the average person buys between three and four per year - mostly for immediate family members. Do the math.
So why aren't gift cards redeemed more readily? Busy with our daily lives, often when we are given a gift certificate dedicated to relaxation, it is more stressful to try to find a time to redeem the gift than it is to just let it sit in a wallet. Some people like to "save" for a special occasion or purchase. Really, there is no quantitative study for why. (Feel free to leave your comments below, and tell us why).
But don't give up on gift certificates yet! With teens and women as the most likely to both purchase and receive gift certificates, according to both studies previously sited, the gift card market is a growing one. According to Dan Horne, a marketing professor at Providence College and gift card expert says the "'perceived value [of a gift card] is very strong.'" People like them, they offer flexibility in regard to both what is purchased and when the purchase is made.
So for those who want to be assured that they are giving the gift of relaxation and that it is received, there is a less stressful and more sure solution for this gift certificate wastefulness.
Try this: instead of buying the massage gift certificate and handing it over on a special occasion, plan the whole day. Buy the gift certificate, make the appointment for them. Send them to breakfast - or somewhere else they would enjoy to go on a relaxing day - before or after the appointment. Planning the day from head-to-toe, pun intended, will not only ensure the gift certificate is used, but you will be giving them a whole day of thoughtfully planned luxury.
Just don't forget to make sure they don't have any other plans before-hand.
In need of luxury? Find Austin massage therapy and bodywork services just for you.
According to a 2007 study conducted by The Marketing Workshop Inc., almost half of gift cards purchased are redeemed between one and six months of the purchase date and that recipients are holding onto gift certificates longer than they were in 2006 before using them for the first time.
This means more than 40 percent of spa gift cards with a six month expiration have will expire before they are used.
How many gift certificates have you let expire? How many did you buy your wife or mother or daughter last year? How much cash does that add up to?
Bankrate's gift card study says the average gift card in 2007 was around $50, which increased from 2006 and that the average person buys between three and four per year - mostly for immediate family members. Do the math.
So why aren't gift cards redeemed more readily? Busy with our daily lives, often when we are given a gift certificate dedicated to relaxation, it is more stressful to try to find a time to redeem the gift than it is to just let it sit in a wallet. Some people like to "save" for a special occasion or purchase. Really, there is no quantitative study for why. (Feel free to leave your comments below, and tell us why).
But don't give up on gift certificates yet! With teens and women as the most likely to both purchase and receive gift certificates, according to both studies previously sited, the gift card market is a growing one. According to Dan Horne, a marketing professor at Providence College and gift card expert says the "'perceived value [of a gift card] is very strong.'" People like them, they offer flexibility in regard to both what is purchased and when the purchase is made.
So for those who want to be assured that they are giving the gift of relaxation and that it is received, there is a less stressful and more sure solution for this gift certificate wastefulness.
Try this: instead of buying the massage gift certificate and handing it over on a special occasion, plan the whole day. Buy the gift certificate, make the appointment for them. Send them to breakfast - or somewhere else they would enjoy to go on a relaxing day - before or after the appointment. Planning the day from head-to-toe, pun intended, will not only ensure the gift certificate is used, but you will be giving them a whole day of thoughtfully planned luxury.
Just don't forget to make sure they don't have any other plans before-hand.
In need of luxury? Find Austin massage therapy and bodywork services just for you.
Labels: couples massage, gift, gift certificate, gift ideas, gifts, luxury, massage gift certificate
posted by bodyworkinaustin at
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