The holiday season may look a bit different in 2020. With timid in-person shoppers, online ordering is expected to experience significant surges. Many pizzerias are operating without dine-in, making in-store gift card promotion even more challenging. As a result, you will be called upon once again to get creative. Here are five ways to invigorate those holiday gift card sales this season:

• Create a dynamite social campaign. Don’t simply say you have gift cards available. Incentivize your customers to buy your gift cards instead of the hundreds of others that they come across.
• Make gift cards part of your online ordering process. Leverage your online ordering system with gift card offer prompts. You will reap the benefits of the power of suggestion.
• Go old school with creative box toppers and inserts for to-go and delivery orders. A paper promo is easy to create and it’s an inexpensive way to get the word out.
• Incentivize your customer service staff to promote gift cards. Create a contest or reward system to give prizes for gift card sales. Cash is always a motivator.
• Tap other existing marketing tools. If you are sending e-mails and texts soon, can you incorporate a gift card promo in the message? Also look to your windows, curbside boards and even delivery vehicles to add a cling or magnetic gift card promo.

Tis the giving season

Pizzerias and communities have helped each other get through an extremely tough time. You have an opportunity to say, “thank you” and continue the giving spirit. Here are a couple of ideas to get your gears turning about leveraging your gift cards and community engagement:

• Give the gift of comfort food. Let’s face it, everyone is looking for a little ray of sunshine and comfort in 2020. Run a campaign to offer Secret Santa-style gift cards. Allow customers to buy gift cards for friends, loved ones and even strangers that are delivered anonymously. It’s a fun way to sell gift cards. It will require you to email, text, mail or deliver gift cards, but it’s also an avenue to gain new customer data.
• Create a pay-it-forward giving program. Encourage customers to buy additional gift cards for a charity or community organization by offering to match or give X% of gift card sales to a designated charity.