Advertising Your Virtual Assistant Business on a Budget

by Justine Curtis

When you are starting out as a Virtual Assistant and no one knows who you are or what you do, one of the biggest challenges you will face is how to drum up new business. So how can you get your message out there, without breaking the bank?

When you are starting out as a Virtual Assistant and no one knows who you are or what you do, one of the biggest challenges you will face is how to drum up new business.

You probably have already done some research and already know that there are people who need your services or you would not have started your business in the first place. But once you have spoken to those you already know who may need you, your next task is to find others who will help you make your business a success.

At this point most people turn to advertising. If I had a pound for every VA that has said to me, 'There's a little local magazine that comes through my door each month. Should I advertise in it?' I wouldn't have to run a VA business myself; I could retire on the proceeds. The answer, by the way, for many reasons is no. There are many better ways to spend your limited advertising and marketing budget.

It is a misconception that you have to spend lots of money to advertise your Virtual Assistant business. Unless you have some sort of financial backing, it is unlikely that you will have a huge budget so it's better to get a little bit creative and use what you have wisely.
In the rest of this series, I will be letting you in on a few tips and some of the lessons I've learned on how to advertise your virtual assistant business on a budget.

Advertising Your Virtual Assistant Business on a Budget - Lesson One - Word Of Mouth
If you've just started out and you've done a piece of work for a client who is pleased with the results, they will talk about it. My advice in the early days is to under promise and over deliver. Think about how you can 'delight' your customer. What can you add or improve that would really 'wow' them? Could you deliver the work early, could you suggest some ideas that might improve it, could you put them into contact with a potential new client that you know? Anything that is seen as going the extra mile and helping your client within their business will be appreciated. When they thank you for it, ask them if they know anyone else who might need your services. Put it in their mind that you are looking for new clients in this way and they may send you referrals. More on referrals next time!

Advertising Your Virtual Assistant Business on a Budget - Lesson Two - Referrals
Sometimes it's not about whom you know, but about who they know. We've all heard the theory about the six degrees of separation, that you are only six people away from anyone you want to get to know. Well the same applies to business. The person you are talking to may not have any requirement for a virtual assistant but who do they know that might?

If you make an impression on the person you are talking to they will remember you and possibly refer on to you anyone who may need your services. This is particularly true at networking events, which we'll cover next time. But how can you make sure that they will remember you and refer you when appropriate. How about offering a referral fee?

A referral fee can be a gift or cash and is usually related to the amount a referred new customer spends. You only pay out on the referral if the potential new client signs up so you have nothing to lose. You may want to offer a free bottle of champagne or gift vouchers for each new referral or perhaps 10% of the first invoice total. It's up to you but it can be a very effective way of getting your contacts to refer their contacts to you.

Advertising Your Virtual Assistant Business on a Budget - Lesson Three - Networking
If up until now you've been an employee, you might never have been to a networking event before. The whole idea is that everyone who goes along is a business owner or key decision maker in their business and is there, like everyone else, to promote their product or service. The beauty of networking is that if you attend groups regularly, people get to know and trust you and are happy to work with you if they need a virtual assistant or refer business your way.

Now I could write a whole series on the subject of networking alone but these are the basics. If it is your first time networking I would initially go to an informal group as this will help you get your confidence and see how they work. Do an Internet search on networking and you town and you should find a whole range of groups in your area. Have a look for one that takes your fancy and book on. Most groups will let you attend one or two meetings before asking you to take out a membership so make full use of all the free trails until you find a group that you like. Some groups are free but you will find that those that charge a membership fee are often more formal business networking groups and produce more clients and referrals.

Again don't forget that anyone you speak to may know someone who needs a virtual assistant so don't dismiss anyone on first impressions and also remember that networking is two way so if you can put those you meet in touch with anyone they would be interested in, do it. You will be remembered for it and that's the first step in getting referrals.

Advertising Your Virtual Assistant Business on a Budget - Lesson Four - Press Releases
Press Releases are useful for generating a buzz about your virtual assistant business. The business editor at your local newspaper will always be on the lookout for a good business story to fill the business news section of the newspaper.

Of course, the business editor understands the economics of running a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you buy advertising in his/her publication, but will still print stories for special events and openings. Think of an angle, could you offer a competition prize, could you help a local charity.

The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are a sole proprietorship, quotes from you should be written in a third person format: John Doe said, "Your quote here."

A Press Release should pack the most important information at the beginning of the copy, and leave extra details towards the end.

You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will enhance their take on your story.

Advertising Your Virtual Assistant Business on a Budget - Lesson Five - Online Presence
It goes without saying that as a virtual assistant you need a website. But have you really thought about the best way to use it? Some visitors will arrive at your website as result of you telling them about it or seeing the URL on your business card or marketing material.

What you really want though is the visitors who have arrived at your website because they are actually searching for a virtual pa. These are not just visitors these are prospects. They have actually gone to the trouble of going to a search engine and entering a relevant term into the search bar and are busy looking through the results to find someone they want to work with. So how do you make sure your website ends up in front of them?

Well search engine optimisation (SEO) companies charge a small fortune for 'optimising' your website in an attempt to make is appear at the top of that search engines results. And with good reason. The search engines constantly change their indexing criteria to keep out the spammers so the SEO companies have to consistently keep one step ahead. If you don't have the budget to compete with the big players the best thing you can do is get listed on their websites. Visitors to their websites will then see your information and click through to your website.

There are several directories advertising virtual assistants and their services in the UK. Ours consistently appears on the first page of Google and can be found at www.ukava.co.uk

Advertising Your Virtual Assistant Business on a Budget - Lesson Six - Test Everything
As much as is possible, you should always test your advertising and marketing efforts. You might want to jump in and try a range of different ideas and formats and that's great, but try and keep tabs on where each enquiry comes from, and which enquiries go on to convert into paying customers.

With this data to hand you can then look at has been cost effective and what has not. For example if you paid £500 to join a networking group and attended 50 breakfast meetings costing £10 each over the course of a year, and as a result you got one new client, that client would have cost you £1000 to source. If you put an advert in the UKAVA Directory for £49.95 and over a year that advert resulted in 5 new clients, each client has cost you less than £10 to source. In this scenario you may decide to drop the networking group and advertise more widely in the Directory.

The important point is that you can't improve on what you don't measure so if you don't know what is working for you, and what is not, how can you expect to improve your results next time around?

Sometimes you may find that the lower cost advertising and marketing strategies are the ones that bring you the most business.

For a listing in the UKAVA Directory visit: http://www.ukava.co.uk/html/join_the_uk_association_of_vir.html

Article source:http://www.goarticles.com

Gift Card Innovations - Quality Gift Card Carriers can enhance the gift card experience

by Paul Whitney

Today's gift of convenience is a Gift Card. It takes away the hassle of trying to decide what would be the best present to buy. For example, what does Cousin Sally really want for her birthday? A gift card removes all of the guesswork and ensures that you do not waste your hard-earned money on an unwanted gift. It also saves time and effort wracking your brain over the problem.

One drawback, though, is that a gift card is somewhat impersonal and is only slightly less impersonal than giving a cash gift. In order to move away from that feeling you could dress up your gift card with a gift cardholder or a gift card carrier.

Gift card malls have been around in the States for a couple of years or more and gift card packaging solutions such as gift card carriers, gift card presenters and gift card holders are quite commonplace in North America. However, the gift card phenomenon is relatively new in the UK and Europe and gift card packaging solutions are not as prevalent.

However, that is not to say that gift card carriers do not exist in Europe and when you want to give your gift card a more personal appeal you need to look for a unique gift cardholder or alternative gift packaging solutions.

As the gift card trend grows, cards are being bought to cover many different occasions, such as wedding presents, baby gifts and anniversaries. It would be nice to find a themed gift cardholder to match the occasion. When you buy a card, however, all that the store gives you is often just a simple 4-page card with slots cut to hold your card in place. You have to buy your own gift cardholder or gift card packaging. Even though a gift card will be appreciated, it is neither attractive nor exceptional by itself.

An ideal way to present your gift card is to choose gift card packaging that offers a prestigious feel in order to give your card the impression of having a special value. Packaging that resembles traditional gift packaging will also help to improve the gift card experience. This is much more likely than a plain card to display the true spirit of gift giving.

However, if you are shopping in the UK and Europe then you might not find too much choice readily available on the shelves alongside the selection of gift cards but there are many different ways to dress up the gift card. Many shops sell attractive boxes and pillow packs that can be filled with tissue paper to help the presentation along. You can add to the pack by tying a ribbon to the box or affixing a self-adhesive bow.

If you are lucky enough to find a specially designed gift cardholder or gift card presenter you may be pleasantly surprised to find some really delightful designs and innovative packaging solutions. They are slowly but surely finding their way into retailers.

Article source:http://www.goarticles.com

American Express Gift Cards

by Chad Nordaune

American Express gift cards provide a simple solution for businesses and consumers. Businesses can reward their employees, or award their customers. Consumers can send a personalized gift card to their loved ones as a Christmas gift, a graduation present, or a birthday.

I see a lot of questions and popularity with the American Express Gift Card. With the holidays coming up, Christmas gift cards from American Express is a viable alternative to limiting someone to a particular store or restaurant, or risking sounding cash over the US Postal Service.

American Express Gift Card, in two formats. There is the American Express business gift card, and the American Express consumer gift card (for family and friends). Each American Express Gift Card has different features and applicable uses.

The American Express business gift card can be ordered with multiple cards totaling as high as $35,000. Business gift card from American Express are also an easy solution for rewards, promotions, and incentives. Large orders are also eligible for a possible discount.

The American Express consumer gift card can be ordered in ships within one to two days, allows the recipient to choose what they want to buy, multiple cards can be shipped with one package, and specialty cards are also available.

If you're a business and you want some ideas for uses of the American Express business gift card, take these into consideration. You can use these American Express Gift Card for sales incentives for your top sales reps and distributors. You also might want to give out the Christmas bonus, or a birthday gift in the form of an American Express Gift Card. On the other hand, you might want to reward your consumers. For example you may offer a loyalty program where somebody who stays with you for six months to a year gets a free $50 American Express Gift Card.

As a consumer the beauty of the American Express Gift Card is they're perfect for any occasion, whether it's a birthday, graduation, holiday, or any other event. The gift card also comes with special offers, including additional savings that featured partners like Pier 1 Imports, KB toys and foot locker. They also offer a decent sized denomination range from $25-$500 per card. If the card becomes lost or stolen it can easily be replaced or refunded.

American Express recommends that when you receive your gift card you send a signature panel immediately, and also write down the gift card number and customer service phone number on a piece of paper so that if the card is lost or stolen you can call them immediately to have the card replaced or refund the money. There is also no expiration date, however after a certain amount of time American Express does begin to charge a service fee, and at the time of this writing is 365 days after the card has been purchased.

If your American Express Gift Card is lost or stolen the phone number to call is 1877 AXP-GIFT (1-877-297-4498).

American Express does not allow you to reload the gift card. Once the initial balance is depleted the card is worthless and should be cut up or destroyed.

Since the American Express Gift Card is treated like a regular credit card, only one name is allowed to be placed on the actual gift card. However when sending out the gift card to another person you are allowed to put more than one name on the note or notice that is sent along with the card.

One more final note, when using your American Express Gift Card or your American Express business gift card, there are a couple things that may become issues mainly at restaurants and gas stations. Many restaurants will request authorization for 10 to 15% even up to 20% higher than the actual tab to account for a tip. Your card could become declined if you have $50 on your card and your bill comes to $50 because if they were to add 10% to that authorization do actually be authorizing a $55 purchase. This doesn't mean you will pay $55 but he basically puts a hold on the card. You can request a restaurant to put in a specific dollar amount but there are no guarantees that they will or can do this. Also at gas stations it is recommended that you pay inside versus paying at the pump because many gas station pay at the pump credit card terminals will automatically authorize $50-$75 which could cause a problem if you don't have enough funds on your gift card. Therefore if you go inside and pay the exact amount there should be no issues.

Article Tags: American Express Gift, Express Gift Card, American Express Business, Express Business Gift, Business Gift Card, American Express, Express Gift, Gift Cards, Gift Card, Express Business, Business Gift

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Gift Credit Cards - Versatile, Flexible and Secure

by Margaret Winfrey

You might know the person you are giving the gift to quite well A gift credit card therefore represents an ideal solution all round.

Gift credit cards are a tremendously versatile option for giving or donating money as a gift anywhere in the world, for business incentive purposes or even for giving students or your teenage children the money they need for making their own purchases.

Sending cash by post is extremely risky, and for this reason, many people choose instead to insert vouchers in cards to send people for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or Christmas. However, although vouchers represent a certain degree of security, they are still not entirely safe because they are anonymous and a finder can easily use them. Not only that, but they are fairly limited in terms of outlets that accept them in payment for goods.

You might know the person you are giving the gift to quite well, but it can still be a challenge trying to decide what kind of voucher to use. Buying a voucher for a retail store or group of stores that the person no longer frequents is largely a waste of money.

A gift credit card therefore represents an ideal solution all round. Posting such a card presents very little risk as far as losing the money is concerned, since this is included on the account, not the card itself. Only the person for whom it is intended will be able to use the card and spend the money. Additionally there is the advantage that a gift card can be used in almost any shop or store. Most gift credit cards are under either the Visa or MasterCard name, and wherever you see these names you will be able to use the card. This means that the recipient will be able to use the card in almost any store in the world.

The flexibility and versatility represents a real advantage, both offline and online. With an increasing number of people buying goods and services online, a gift credit card that has been preloaded with funds means that they will be able to use the card to purchase items online. They can therefore make best use of internet discounts and also have a much wider choice of stores from which to choose.

The amount that can be preloaded varies, but is often anything from $25 to $500. You pay for the card itself to begin with, usually just a few dollars, and then a loading fee. These two fees together may total about $10, and then, in most cases, the funds are available to spend without any further fees attached.

Some gift credit cards can only be loaded once, so that after the funds have been used the card is no longer valid. However there are other pre paid credit card services which can be reloaded, so that once the funds have been used, more funds can be added at a later date, allowing the card to be used indefinitely as a pre-pay credit card.

Some businesses and organisations have used these gift cards as incentives. Rather than giving vouchers which may or may not be suitable for the recipient to make use of, a credit card that has been preloaded with funds represents a very real incentive. Knowing that the funds can be used in any way you like, at virtually any store, means that anyone would be pleased to receive this, without any risk of it being unsuitable.

Those credit cards which can be reloaded also represent very versatile solutions. For example, if your child is going away to college you may decide that giving them a preloaded credit card is a perfect way of giving them the finance they need for college, without simply providing them with a pile of cash that can be spent in ways that may not be suitable, or which represents a security risk. You can easily put certain spending limits on the card, prevent it from being used for cash withdrawal, and even put age limits on the card so that if the goods or services are not suitable for minors, the card can't be used.

Most pre-pay cards have online banking services so that you can go online, make a payment on to the card, and even check the current balance and recent transactions. This is a great way to give your children their pocket money as you can provide them with money, but still have a degree of control over how and where it is spent.

Because so many teenagers and students use the internet for making their purchases, giving a pre paid gift credit card is a much more useful gift of money than cash or vouchers. It's also worth remembering that although they are called gift credit cards, there is no actual credit available, since the funds have already been deposited. Once the funds have been spent, the card can no longer be used until it is topped up. With no risk of debt, tremendous versatility and a good degree of control, gift credit cards represent an ideal solution that can be accepted and used by almost anyone.

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Gift Cards - Why Gift Card Fees and Expiration Should be Eliminated

by Kwame Kuadey

There is no reason why gift cards should have fees and expiration, especially since gift cards are a loan to the card issuer until the card holder redeems the gift card. Gift card issuers will make more money

if they remove fees and expiration from gift cards.

I have not yet come across a sound reason why there should be fees or expiration on gift cards. First, by buying gift cards, consumers are essentially giving the card issuers an unsecured loan, on which they earn no interest, even if the card is not redeemed for a year or more. Second, if the company goes bankrupt, there is very little chance the money will be returned (except in a few cases, like recently with Linens and Things). So, if consumers are taking on these risks by buying gift cards, why should they then be subjected to fees and expiration? They might as well change the gift card fee disclosures to read like this:Dear Gift Card Buyer,We really appreciate the unsecured loan you gave us. Together, you all gave us $97 billion in loans in 2007, up from $83 billion in 2006. You know we could use the extra cash, given all the talk of a recession. We thank you for not charging us any interest or fees on the loan. We will put your money to work immediately and generate great returns on it. You may even hear about all the kudos we will get from Wall Street due to our outstanding earnings (which will be helped by the money we get when your gift card expires). Heck, our CEO may even buy his third McMansion in the Hamptons after we reward him for making good use of your loan. A few house cleaning items: 1. If you purchased the gift card from our website, we may charge you a processing fee, separate from the shipping charge, in order to get you the card that shows that we owe you money. Feel free to buy stuff in our store up to the amount of the loan (gift card value). But if you don’t hurry, we will punish you every month by charging you ridiculous fees. These fees can start as soon as six months into the loan. We may even start your fees as early as a month into the loan if we so desire. And remember, the fees will continue until the balance on your gift card reaches ZERO. Why? Because we can. Yes, your state legislatures are all complaining about this because it is an election year. Do you really think they will do something about this? 2. Also, we have noticed from experience that some of you like to wait a long time, and we mean a long, long time to redeem your gift card. It takes a while for us to get your $100 gift card to ZERO if all we are charging is $2.50 each month. So, we now have a better idea. We will charge you the $2.50 for sometime and if you still don’t redeem your gift card by a certain date, say within two years, your card will expire. Once your card expires, we will get all the money left on the card. You are probably wondering if this is legal. Well, no one has told us it isn’t. 3. And don’t even think about losing your card. We reserve the right not to replace lost or stolen gift cards. Yes, we know that if you lose your Savings Account Statement or CD Certificate, the bank will replace it, but we are not a bank, so we can do whatever we want. If we feel generous, we may replace your gift card, but we will charge you a fee, up to $15 to teach you a lesson. 4. Lastly, if you bought a bank issued gift card (like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover), then you better read the fine print and become familiar with fees like Transaction or Statement Copy Fee, Foreign Currency Conversion Fee, Check issuance Fee, and Transaction Fee / Balance inquiry Fee. And one last thing; Don’t call the FTC because they may be willing to push for laws to limit fees on retail gift cards but they have not been willing to touch us, the bank issued gift cards. Why? Because our lobbyists are doing an excellent job. We hope you enjoy your gift card. It is my belief that gift card issuers will be better off and make more money if they remove fees and expiration from gift cards since the negative publicity around gift cards from both state lawmakers and the news media has led some consumers to stay away from gift cards. This is particularly true during the holiday season when every local news station and newspaper seem to run a story about the dangers of gift card fees and expiration.

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Find a Cheap LCD TV and Safely Dispose of that Old TV!

Finding good LCD TV deals can be time consuming hassle, getting rid of your old TV set doesn't have to be. Learn how you can protect the environment and your family by safely disposing of your old television.

Finding a good cheap LCD TV can take a bit of research, but once you do find that incredible HDTV, what are you planning to do with that old analog TV? The environmental hazards of old television sets and other electronic waste break down over time. Whether you’re getting rid of an old analog TV, which contains large amounts of lead in the cathode-ray tube, or replacing a flat-panel LCD TV, which encloses toxic mercury, disposing of it properly is crucial for our environment’s safety. The good news is that your choices for minimizing any environmental hazards have improved.

First, you can try to sell or donate the old set. There are plenty of websites dedicated to reselling or donating your electronics; one place that has recently gained a lot of popularity for getting rid of old TVs is Freecycle (Freecycle).

If that doesn't work for you, check to see if your city allows residents to drop off their old electronics through a safe disposal service. Some cities offer this free of charge. However, drop-off events might require a long drive to a distant trash-transfer station and may not happen every week. So call your local government’s recycling office for details or check their website.

The safe disposal services break down your TV safely, but most of them can charge a small fee of $10 to $20 a set for this service. You still might be able to lower your cost if you use a retail store or a manufacturer’s recycle program. For example, Best Buy (Bestbuy/recycling) will accept two items from a household per day; they charge $10 for most TV sets, but unlike most stores, they offer a $10 store gift card in return.

Finding the best LCD TV deals on your new HDTV was hard enough, why pay more money just to get rid of your old TV set? Well another option which most people aren’t aware of is that many of the same manufacturers that sold you your new cheap LCD TV will take back their old electronic merchandise for free at designated sites; items from other vendors are also accepted for a small fee. Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Sony and others, have set up this sort of recycling program which can be found in detail on their websites.

If you just want to find an area close to you with the least amount of hassle, MyGreenElectronics offers a site run tool which offers a searchable database of services where you can easily find the closest disposal site near your zip code.

Before you get rid of your old TV make sure you’ve found a good deal on a Cheap LCD TV when discounts are offered. You can save money when you search online for coupons and special sales for LCD TV deals throughout the year!

By Robert Jacobson

Article source:http://www.buzzle.com

Online Shopping: Where to Compare?

Comparison shopping: not just your mother’s Saturday pastime anymore.

By: Ira Allen

As a quick glance through the articles surrounding this one will show, these days, you’re unlikely to find an even halfway savvy consumer buying anything without looking around a little online first. Well, except for e-bay auction items, maybe. In fact, I just bought a crummy camera posing as a much better one on e-bay, and was so caught up in a small bidding war and in really wanting to get something good for cheap that I didn’t even look the thing up before entering the winning bid. But that’s different—I’m not an even halfway savvy consumer. Maybe a quarterway savvy, but that’s about it. I’m talking here about people who buy smart.

Except here’s the thing: what does it mean to buy smart, actually? I’m not comparison shopping is bad—not at all—but I do want to suggest that even a habit of comparison shopping doesn’t guarantee the "best buy." Moreover, I suspect that doing all one’s comparison shopping online actually makes finding the "best buy" less likely, especially if we really stop to think about what we mean by the "best buy." Following, a personal anecdote to draw out the points I hope to make:

I moved to Paris almost two months ago—Paris, the shopping capital of the world! And I’m broke, working 70-hour weeks to live downtown in a 7th-story walk-up. Now, you might quite reasonably take issue with my life choices, but you cannot dispute that I’m in need of finding the "best buy" with each purchase I make. Especially once you know that I’ve had to mostly furnish this apartment myself, and have been renovating it, too. Let’s re-cap: I’m broke, living in one of the world’s more expensive cities, surrounded by a plethora of options for every consumer decision, and am renovating and outfitting a studio apartment for as little as I possibly can.

So, the "best buy" would seem at first glance simple: it’s whatever’s cheapest. Or, at second glance, it’s the cheapest option that I actually like. At a third glance, it’s more complex, but stays along these same lines: The "best buy" is whatever item that feels like the best negotiation between what I want (from virtually limitless options) and what I can afford (with a more than a little restricted pocketbook).

In fact, though, the "best buy" has come to mean something more than that for me. It’s not just about an item; it’s about an overall experience. The "best buy" is that which offers the best interaction with my environment, balancing a delicate complex of factors: the standard price, style, quality, sure; but also a new experience, an interesting encounter with someone, seeing a different part of the city, some moral satisfaction with the purchase, even physical exercise.

Take, for example, the aforementioned (digital) camera. Now, that was not the best purchase, not at all. I bought it for about 80 euro (~110 to 115 USD), and I didn’t check around in advance, and now I’m stuck with this lousy piece of thick plastic with awkward sliding mechanisms, no lens cover, and a wait-time of about half a minute after each photo. Not good. (By the way, that’s an easypix S312—not recommended.) What’s worse, it just arrived in my mailbox one day; I didn’t even have to leave my house. I know that last part is something a lot of people value, but I don’t. Even if this had been a "good buy" in terms of price and quality, it wouldn’t have been a "best buy" because it gave me nothing, in terms of an experience of the world around me. After all, isn’t a large part of the historical value of trade—so often touted by subscribers to the system of capitalism—precisely its ability to bring people together, to motivate new movements? So, why on earth would I want to buy a camera online, eschewing the world of opportunities around me here in Paris?

Here’s the thing: I was comparison shopping at the time. I was checking out camera prices on ebay in order to know if I was getting a good deal on one here in town. Then, sadly, I got caught up in auction madness. Again, that’s not exactly a point against comparison shopping as such—it seems to have a lot more to do with my own psyche—but I suspect I’m not 100% alone in this particular tendency. Especially given what I hear and read about other people’s credit card debt.

Far better would have been—as I did for my sheets, my computer monitor and speakers, lamps, a coffee table, a toaster oven, and other sundries—to check on craigslist (paris.craigslist.org) and to window shop. Because, see, here’s the thing: For every item I’ve bought from a private individual or at a shop somewhere along the way (some were bargains, and others were not), I’ve had an interesting interaction and have seen a little more of the city I live in. By exercising a little common sense in my purchases (and doing some budgeting), I really haven’t had or wanted to "comparison shop" for most of my purchases, at least not in the sense of obsessive checking around on the internet.

A final example, and that’s it from me. I need a new pair of shoes, and I’ve tried both methods: hardcore comparison shopping through internet merchants and lots and lots of window shopping. The latter, almost needless to say, is far more pleasurable. As I stroll from place to place (and remember, I’m working my tail off; it’s not like I’m just hanging around the city), I stop here and there to check out a good pair in a window. Sometimes, if I have an extra moment, I’ll stop in, maybe even try on a pair. I’ve seen a lot of shoes I like—and, truth be told, I really need a pair; I don’t have any black "dress" shoes at the moment, and that’s no good—but I’m not ready to buy just yet. I wouldn’t say I’m comparison shopping, exactly. I’m just waiting for the right pair to make themselves known to me. And that’s the way shopping should be.

By Buzzle Staff and Agencies

Article source:http://www.buzzle.com

Increasing revenue with gift card software

As a business you may be looking for that next "big idea to get you going". While you are looking let me tell you about something that you can do to increase revenue. Gift card software is an add-on to your already existing POS System. It allows you to sell a coupon for your store that is redeemable by the holder for the amount associated with the card. Think of it as an in store debit card. Gift cards can increase revenue, build brand equity and increase customer base.

Gift cards are a funny idea. Think about it, we give a piece of paper or plastic with a cute picture on it to a friend and then they come and redeem it for what ever they want. They are a step above giving a check as a gift for Christmas, birthday or any other holiday. Yet in the consumers mind it is a great gift. It says that we still care but it still allows the recipient to choose what they want.

If you decide to sell them they should be positioned as an easy but thoughtful gift. This can reap great benefits if done right. A bad example is Wal-Mart who tried to position some of their gift cards as an in store debit card that you could put a given amount on each month to help control spending. The idea has had limited success because it requires a complete change in the attitude of the consumer towards gift card.

Gift givers often have a difficult time finding the perfect gift for their friends and families. This causes one of two unfortunate scenarios. First, the gift giver on not knowing what to buy gets frustrated and looks elsewhere, or second the gift is returned after it is given. Either scenario results in lost sales. Gift card software will allow you to lessen the occurrences of either scenario. Gift cards take the burden of deciding off of the gift giver and reduces the number of returns significantly. Gift card software increases your revenue.

A personal example might help to illustrate my point. For my wedding my wife and I received a lot of duplicate gifts. Most of which were promptly returned for in store credit. However, we did get a number of gift cards which we are still using to this day. We have not returned one item that we bought with a gift card. Gift card software can eliminate many costly returns and reduce the customer service resources needed to deal with those returns.

Gift card software will open your stores up to more buyers. When someone buys a normal gift at your store they buy their gift and maybe a few other things and then go home. When someone buys a gift card they usually will purchase other things while they are there. In addition, the receiver of the gift card will also come into your store and make a purchase with their gift card and buy a few other things. Many times the receiver of the gift card is not a customer of your store. Gift cards software can help you increase your customer base and product exposure.

Again a personal illustration might help. Of the several gift cards that we got for our wedding a few were to Bed Bath and Beyond, a store that I was perfectly happy without. My wife and I had little reason to go there and frankly did not like it much. However, after returning there numerous times, to spend our gift cards, we began to find things we liked and purchased or want to purchase someday. Though Bed Bath and Beyond has not found a loyal customer they have increased their exposure and cultivated an interest in both my wife and I.

Gift card software also cashes in on the brand equity that you already have. REI is a great example of this. People shop at REI more for the image than for the price. Getting a gift card at REI is a cool thing because it has considerable brand equity. When a person gives a gift card they are saying "You like this image and I am giving it to you". This is a tremendous way to cash in on your brand image without hurting it.

Gift card software can help your business increase its revenue. It can broaden your customer base and it can help build your brand equity. However, it is not a cure all. It is merely one piece in a large puzzle of you marketing strategy. It should be used wisely and judiciously.

Justin Grover is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing – More Visitors – More Buyers – More Revenue. For more information about Gift card Software check out ComCash.com.
By Justin Grover

Article source:http://www.buzzle.com

Want To Compete With Starbucks? Using A Gift And Loyalty Card Program Will Help You Bring In And Keep The Customers That They Are Getting!

By: Gerald Kadish

Have you ever wondered how Starbucks is so successful? Is it the atmosphere? Perhaps the quality drinks? Or is it just a habit? No matter what the answer is - if you own a coffee shop or small restaurant you need to keep Starbucks business model in mind if you want to succeed!

Obviously at this point Starbucks has been around long enough that customers continue to purchase their coffee and breakfast there out of sheer habit. Your job is to break that habit. So...how can you do this and bring in all of the customers that you have been missing?

First of all make sure that you are offering a high quality product and an atmosphere that people will find aesthetically pleasing. If your place of business is not at least clean and comfortable then you will not entice any customers to return. Now that you know your customers will be comfortable shopping with you - lets find some new clients....

The most difficult part of owning a small business is to bring in new customers. Instead of wasting your time advertising in the yellow pages or on the radio use a gift card program and a trageted mailing list to bring people in the door! Set up a plastic gift card program. (You do know that Starbucks has one....) Put together a targeted mailing list of potential clients based on the demographics that would fit into your business. Then send each one of these clients a gift card with a pre-set value to bring them in the door.

For example: The typical Starbucks drinker has an income over $50,000. So, use a list broker (you can find one on the internet fairly cheap) to generate a list of all households within a 10 mile radius of your business with a certain income level. Load $5 onto 250 gift cards as a test run and mail them to these potential clients. I can guarantee that you will receive at least 40% of these cards back in your shop! (Very few people can resist getting something for nothing!)So - you just brought 100 new customers in the door.

How much has this cost you so far? $102.50 in postage, The price of the plastic cards - about $100 worth of plastic, plus $5 loaded onto the card for a total cost $7.03 per client. Now ask yourself: how much would it have cost me to bring in 100 new clients throught yellow pages or a radio commercial? Ten times this amount? Maybe twenty.

So now that these clients are in your store, how do you keep them coming back? The simplest way is to offer a discount on reloads of the gift card. Think about it - Starbucks sells gift cards and people pay full price, then they keep coming back every day to spend some of the money on their cards. If you offer a 10% discount on gift card reloads of at least $50 - then you are guaranteeing that these people will continue to come back in to your business. Even if they don't you will make an extra profit on the money that they have not spent!

Want to take this program a step further? Implement a rewards program on your gift cards. Every time the client spends any money in your store they get a reward. For example: for every dollar spent they earn 5% back on their card, when they hit $50 in sales they now have a $2.50 credit on the gift card! You are giving them more incentive to continue to see you every morning!

There are certainly more ways to use a plastic card program to help you compete with other businesses: Give away gift cards to charities, send a card to your best customers every quarter, and dozens more. Your gift and loyalty card provider will help you brainstrom some ideas that may work for your business!

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

Monogrammed Business Card Holder - A Perfect Executive Gift

By: Janet R.

o find a gift that is useful and unique for a business minded person, business card holders are one of the most popular, useful and efficient items to give for any business men or women. Though it is very clear that their purpose is very useful to them, giving it in a special way like making it more personalized is indeed even much better. Business card holders can be a great companion during networking and and meeting various business contacts, where their role is absolutely vital. They complete the overall look of your impressive business cards with their sleek and refined place to hold a card.

However, sad to say that some of the item's important features are often forgotten; not only are they commonly used by business people, they make perfect gifts also. However, regular use of card holders can cause a loss of their luster and elegance, that's why a rampant demand of these items are quickly asked by most people especially people in the business field. And when special events are coming, a better and special way of showing your love to your executive is by means of this business card holder.

Surprisingly, this card holder doesn't just hold business cards. Impressing as it may sound, this sleek metal piece can also be used for carrying other items, many of which are very significant to those people who are very busy traveling around for some business appointments. Thes items are often used to hold credit cards, or mini-invitations. So if you're planning for special events where you will likely be needing invitation cards, business card holders can ease your constant struggle. These items make great tools in keeping all your plans in a secure and organized manner.

For other individuals, for students in particular, card holders have been part of their student life. They would love receiving allowances from their parents and then securely keep them inside the holder. Other than that they also have small important academic information where it can be safely kept in the card holder. This idea of most students are quite intriguing yet very useful in some ways.

Another great way to hand this to your special executive is by making it more special. A personalized card holder is one of the most amazing aspect this sleek metal can give. There is no other special gift you can give to someone who's been very special to your heart than a personalized gift. Business card holder can make a heartfelt and personal gift with engraved or monogrammed initials or some thoughtful engraved message. This can be given on special events such as anniversaries, birthdays, father and mother's day, it can be a means to show appreciation for a job well done to your sales people too. Or perhaps, just your simple way of saying "thank you" to your beloved executive.

These are just a few wonderful ideas for those who are planning to give gifts for men and women who have dedicatedly worked for the goodness of their company. Engravable gifts like business card holders are fantastic to make your gift worth your while.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

Don't Buy A Gift Card Until You Read This

By: D Ruplinger

I enjoy giving gift cards, especially to those hard to shop for people on my list. I, like nearly everyone else, have at least one person on my shopping list that I either don’t know what to buy or I can’t find what I think they would like. When that happens I consider their likes and then purchase a gift card I think they will enjoy using.

For example, I give my restaurant loving friends gift cards to their favorite restaurants; gas station gift cards to my teenage nieces and nephews who drive; shopping mall gift cards to my daughter; and massage gift certificates to my sister-in-law because I know she loves getting massages.

Although gift cards are great and I buy them frequently, there are a few things to be aware of. The main thing is to make sure the recipient knows the gift card is like carrying cash and needs to be safeguarded in the same way cash is. For the most part, lost or stolen gift cards cannot be replaced.

Another thing to be aware of is hidden fees, well not really hidden fees, but fees detailed in very small print – that size “one” font that’s nearly impossible to read!

One charge that will be apparent right away is a possible upfront processing fee to defray the cost of producing and distributing the gift cards. Most companies try to avoid charging an upfront fee. But some, like my local mall charges a small fee to purchase a gift card. It’s nominal, $1.50 per card.

Some companies and stores charge a non-use or dormancy fee on their gift cards. If a card is not used for a specified period of time, a small amount is deducted from the value of the card every month. For example, $1 or $2 may be deducted from the balance of a gift card every month if that gift card is not used within six months of purchase.

Another type of charge some gift cards have is a balance fee. If a gift card has a balance on it after a certain amount of time, typically six months after purchase, a small fee is deducted each month. The fee is small, not usually more than $1.50 or $2. This is similar to a dormancy fee, but the difference with a balance fee is that even if the card was used within the first 6 months (or whatever time frame is specified) a fee will be assessed each month for still having a balance on it. This is to encourage people to use their gift cards in a reasonable amount of time and not leave them sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust.

If you purchase a gift card that has a balance or dormancy fee, try to purchase it as close to the time you are going to be giving it away as possible.

Also be aware that the gift card could have an expiration date. Most of the gift cards from large companies don’t have an expiration date or allow a lengthy amount of time before the card expires, such as five years. Shorter time periods to use gift cards and gift certificates, usually not less than 12 months but occasionally as little as 6 months, are more likely to be found with smaller companies and independent business owners.

I think it’s perfectly fine to give gift cards and gift certificates with an expiration date. Just make sure the recipient is aware of the expiration date. An expiration date shouldn’t cause you to not buy a gift card. After all, you don’t want people to hang on to the gift card and not use it.

And, remember that although gift cards may carry some fees, the majority of them will never be a problem if the card is used within six months, which most gift cards are. So feel free to give gift cards whenever you think it is an appropriate gift.

One interesting note: even though some gift cards have started adding fees to their gift cards such as dormancy fees, balance fees, or maintenance fees, some states are starting to pass legislation banning those fees as well as banning expiration dates. This is good news for consumers.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

Visa Gift Card – The Smart Credit Card Alternative

By: Tyson J Stevenson

A visa gift card is similar to a debit card and represents money deposited with the issuer (Visa). This card can be used for purchases up to the limit on the card at all outlets where visa card is accepted. The difference between debit card and visa gift card is that debit card is usually issued in an individual’s name where as visa gift card is issued without any name. Further there is a PIN in debit cards where as for visa gift cards there is no PIN. The amount varies from $25 to $2,500. There are two types of visa gift cards, domestic and international. Domestic can be used only within the US while international visa gift cards can be used internationally.

The visa gift card looks just like any debit card. It has a magnetic strip embedded in it on which the number is encoded. The remaining value in the card can be assessed by radio frequency identification. There are other ways, like entering the printed number on the card into a telephone or other numeric keypad. The simplest way to know the balance on your visa gift card is to call the toll free number on the card and give the card number.

The visa gift card can be given as a reward or gift on various occasions. Some visa cards are automatically activated whereas some have to be activated. The instructions for activation are written on the card. It is important to sign on the back of the card to prevent unauthorized people using your card. The purchase receipt has to be signed on every purchase.

The usage of the card is very simple and similar to using a credit card. The card has to be swiped through the keypad and the credit button has to be pressed. The amount spent on purchases is automatically deducted from the account. However unlike credit card the amount of purchase is limited to the amount in the card and no overdrawing is possible. If the amount of purchase is more than the amount in the card, the card is declined. Therefore it is necessary to know the balance amount in the visa gift card before hand. In case one wants to purchase an article of value more than the amount in the card, the difference amount can be paid by cash, check or credit card.

If a card is lost or stolen, dial the toll free number given on the card or the number in the back of the card materials. To issue a fresh card the card provider will need the visa gift card number. Hence it is better to note the card number and the toll free number in a separate paper and keep it in safe place. When gifting the visa gift card the gift card materials should also be given with the visa gift card.

Visa gift cards are available quite easily and at many locations. To purchase a visa gift card online, or to know the locations where it is available, visit http://usa.visa.com.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

Gift Card Question - Using Visa Or American Express Gift Cards On Paypal

By: Kwame Kuadey

One of the most popular gift card questions online is whether one can link prepaid gift cards like the Visa gift card to a PayPal account. The short answer is Yes and No.

Now, the long answer: Yes, it is possible to link a prepaid gift card like the Visa or American Express gift card to a PayPal account but for this to happen, you need to pray and hope that PayPal does not require you to go through their Expanded Use verification process. To better understand why, you first need to be familiar with the process for linking a credit card to a PayPal account. When you link your credit card to a PayPal account, PayPal will attempt to confirm your address with your credit card company. If the credit card company is not able to confirm your address, then you may be asked by PayPal to complete their Expanded Use enrollment process in order to activate your credit card.

Expanded Use verification means PayPal will charge your credit card a small about. Next to the charge will be a unique, randomly generated 4-digit Expanded Use code. If you have online access to your credit card activity, the charge and code will appear on your card activity in approximately 2-4 business days. If you do not have online access, you must wait until you receive your statement in the mail to get the 4-digit code. If you are adding a debit card to your PayPal account, your 4-digit Expanded Use code will be printed on your bank statement next to the charge.

Once you get the 4-digit code, you have to return to your PayPal account to enter the code per instructions from PayPal. Once completed, and PayPal confirms that you entered the correct code, you will now be able to use the card for PayPal transactions. The Expanded Use verification process is designed to protect you against fraud by verifying that the person attempting to use the credit card actually owns the card. PayPal will later credit the amount charged to your card to your PayPal account.

Now, here lies the problem with using prepaid or bank issued gift cards. If PayPal is unable to verify your address with the gift card issuer, then you may be asked to go through the Expanded Use process. Since most prepaid gift cards do not issue monthly statements or provide online access to gift card transactions, it will be impossible to complete the Expanded Use process. Also, it is not a good idea to call the credit card or gift card issuer to get the 4-digit Expanded Use code. If PayPal receives a complaint from your card issuer that you called them to get the 4-digit code, PayPal will close your account permanently.

So, the first step to attempting to use a prepaid gift card on PayPal is to make sure the name and address (billing address) on your PayPal account matches the name and address on file with the gift card issuer. If you just purchased your prepaid gift card, call the card issuer and add your name and address to the card. If your information (name and address) has changed since you registered your card, call the card issuer or go online and update your information before you use the card on PayPal.

Once this is done, you just have to hope that PayPal is able to successfully verify your address with the gift card issuer. If they are able to verify your address, then you are all set. If they cannot verify your address with the card issuer, then you probably will not be able to use that gift card on PayPal.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

Understand the Risks Before Buying a Bank Issued Gift Card

By Stefan Hyross

You almost certainly have seen gift cards being sold at many of the major stores. They can be purchased in values as small as ten dollars all the way up to hundreds of dollars. A lot of people use them because they can be put towards anything that that store or chain sells. They are a fantastic way to give someone a present that you know they will love since they will be the ones choosing it. That's fine if you know what place that person likes or often goes to, but what if you don't? That is where banks have come in to offer their own brand of gift card.

There are gift cards that are valid for virtually any item and may be used at almost any store but are issued by the banks. However before you go out to get one of these cards there are a few downsides you should be mindful of.

When a store issues you a gift card they receive money without having to provide you any product at that time which is why most stores sell them. This amounts to an interest free loan. From all of the gift cards that are purchased a certain percentage will never be cashed-in and that amounts to free money for the store. For the majority of cards that are used consumers often spend substantially more than the card's denomination which helps to boost sales. All of this has aided to give rise to an industry that doesn't just create the plastic cards but also adornments like gift card holders and a wide variety of clever gift card packaging to give it the feeling of a more substantial present.

It's no wonder that banks decided to get some of the action. While these cards look and act like ordinary gift cards there are a few key differences. Unlike a retail card, bank authorized cards usually have an additional purchase fee tacked on. So if you wish to buy a $50 gift card it may cost you $55.

Many bank issued cards also come with an expiry date. Many areas of the country ban expiry dates of ordinary retail gift cards. However you could run into other fees that can eat away at your card's value. Many banks charge a monthly maintenance fee which gets deducted from the remaining value of the card monthly. Although they most likely have a grace period of several months. And be careful if your card is lost or stolen since there could be a hefty replace cost.

There is some concern recently that if a store goes out of business any remaining gift cards would be worthless. The same is true for bank authorized cards. Many people see a major credit card company's name on the gift card but it is the issuing bank that is responsible for its value and if that financial institution collapses so to does the gift card's value.

Despite all of the negatives a bank authorized gift card are still be the best and most flexible way to send someone a present. As long as you and the person you are giving it to are informed about all of the fine print.

Stefan Hyross writes on behalf of Gift Card Occasions which provides gift card holders for both corporate and retail companies. Feel free to visit the website to view the full line of unique gift card packaging for every occasion.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stefan_Hyross

Free Gift Cards - But Are They?

By Eric Dacron

The internet is filled with many free gift card offers, so with a little focus you can find a promotion that you really want. They can go from around $100 for an easy to enter card, to a fairly substantial gift card of $1,000. To get your free gift card you will need to fill out an assorted of offers which will go anywhere from being simple to a pain in the butt. You'll find that they are grouped by different types of requirements and you'll have to try harder in winning the ones with higher payouts. You'll find that they are normally grouped into three subsets - gold, silver & platinum.

Before making the plunge and signing up for these programs, you should read the cards requirements very carefully. Another good idea is to line up a bunch of offers that you're interested in and determine what is the correct one for you. A lot of documentation will be required by the free gift card promoter which they will want to see to prove that you've done their requirements. It's a good idea to directly contact a promoter and find out what the conditions and terms are so you aren't left out in the cold when it comes to claiming your card. Getting a free card isn't something that's fast or easy to do, you may find yourself waiting for up to sixty days before you can confirm a part of the offer. A bunch of gift card promotions will require some of your documents be notarized and submitted to them within the time limit.

Some of these offers can be kind of shady and you should consider some protection for yourself. One thing you can do is set up a special email account just for pursuing offers like these. Begin with a basic e-mail account like barry.freegiftcards@gmail.com, this will be the place for all the initial offers which will come your way. Once you discover a free gift card that you'll want to get, enter the offer with an email tailored to that card like barry.bestbuycard@gmail.com. This way if the free gift card you've entered ends up as a torrent of spam, you never will have to deal with all that junk in your normal account.

You can find gift cards GALORE at: Free Gift Cards - A directory of gift card offers online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Dacron

The Best Gift Cards to Give During a Recession

By Elliot Klier

Gift cards are an ideal gift for any occasion. They allow the recipient to get exactly what they want or need - when they want or need it the most. During a recession especially, they can literally be lifesavers. Following are some ideas on which ones to give during a recession.

Gas Gift Cards: Gas for the car, like heat and lights, are a constant necessity. Eventually, the taking is going to have to be refilled. And it can be a budget buster if you're just scraping by, even if your car gets great gas mileage.

Gas cards are one gift that most every recipient can use. And, they come in handy when times are tight. If you know someone who is struggling to pay the bills, give them a gas gift card. They'll thank you for it when they pull up to the pump.

Restaurant Gift Cards: When money is tight, the first thing that usually gets cut out of the budget is extras like eating out. Restaurant gift cards can bring a little joy back into a struggling family's daily life at just the time it'll be most appreciated. How?

Consider this: Dad is working as much overtime as he can get. Mom has taken on a part-time job in addition to her full-time job. But, it barely makes it worthwhile once childcare expenses are paid. There's never enough for extras.

Allowing a family a meal out at a nice restaurant is an ideal gift for families struggling to make ends meet. It gives everyone a much-needed night of fun out.

Home Improvement Gift Cards: The kitchen faucet is leaking, the bathroom toilet is broken and the front windows need to be winterized. But, it's just not in the budget.

Home improvement gift cards are ideal gifts during a recession because they allow strapped homeowners to purchase the little things that can make a big difference - not only in the quality of life immediately, but save in long-term costs as well.

Protect Your Gift: Beware of Gift Card Fraud

Remember to always purchase cards from a reputable discount gift card seller who is not simply a third-party listing agent. If you're unsure, check their status with the Better Business Bureau.

Article courtesy of Elliot Klier, Director of Marketing, ABCGiftCards.com: Want to buy, sell or trade your gift cards? At ABC Gift Cards you can buy cheap gift cards, sell your unused gift cards, or trade your unwanted gift cards for other merchant cards. We are the largest, online secondary discounted gift cards marketplace accredited by the Better Business Bureau for outstanding customer service.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elliot_Klier

Retail Gift Card Association Aims at Bad Gift Card Publicity

By Kwame Kuadey

Following the generally bad press that gift cards received during the holiday season of 2008, a number of retailers have come together to form the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA), with the aim of building a positive image of closed-loop gift cards. Members of the Association include Best Buy, Subway, Wal-Mart Stores, Home Depot, Kohl's, Limited Brands, Nike, Applebee's and Marriott International. This is a good development and consumers will be the ultimate beneficiaries.

However, for this to work, the association must address the reasons underlying the bad publicity they got from the media, legislators and consumer groups. One of the main issues has to do with bankruptcy. As the economy gets worse, more retailers are going bankrupt and there is no uniform standard regarding what happens to outstanding gift cards when a retailer goes bankrupt (whether it is Chapter 7 or 11 bankruptcy).

For example, when the Sharper image went bankrupt in 2008, they initially refused to honor gift cards. After pressure from consumer groups and some state Attorney Generals, the company relented, but only allowed customers to redeem part of their gift cards. Similarly, when the Bombay Company went bankrupt in late 2007, they refused to honor gift cards. Gift card holders had to file a claim with the bankruptcy court and were only able to get 25 cents on the dollar.

Furthermore, when electronics retailer Tweeter went bankrupt in late 2008, the company announced they were only going to redeem outstanding gift cards for only 5 days. It was only after Attorney Generals from a few states, including Maryland and Connecticut stepped in did the company extend the gift card redemption period to run until their liquidation sale was complete.

It is true that many of the major retailers that have gone bankrupt recently have redeemed gift cards, like Circuit City, Linens 'N Things and Mervyn's. But without uniform guidelines or standards, examples like the Sharper Image and Tweeter will continue to reflect badly on gift cards in general, thereby hurting all retailers. While consumers have the option of filing a claim with the bankruptcy court should a bankrupt retailer refuse to honor gift cards, that option is not viable since gift card holders are unsecured creditors and would therefore be at the bottom of the pecking order.

Therefore the best thing the association can do is to encourage their members to offer some kind of bankruptcy guarantee where consumers will be assured that they will be able to redeem their gift cards should the card issuer go bankrupt. That will not only generate good publicity but will also boast gift card sales, thereby benefiting the retail industry as a whole.

Kwame Kuadey is a gift card expert and runs a popular gift card blog. He has written many articles on topics like Gift Card Ideas, Bankruptcy and Gift Cards, Gift Card Exchange, and How to Check Gift Card Balance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kwame_Kuadey

Buy E Gift Cards Online For Convenience and Pleasure

By Craig Thornburrow

When it comes to purchasing e gift cards online, or for that matter asking for an e gift card online, the first online site that comes to mind is amazon.com. There is nothing more satisfying than to receive or buy e gift cards online from this company. Their process is user-friendly, and affords everyone who receives this e gift the opportunity to purchase anything from their incredibly large inventory of products; ranging literally from soup to nuts.

How does one buy e gift cards online? In the case of amazon.com, simply go to their website and click on gift certificates. You can buy an e gift card anywhere from $5.00 to $5000.00. Furthermore, you can customize the e card with a message, and either sends it via email or with an e-card using regular mail service. Amazon.com gift certificates can be used to purchase almost anything in their store, including most items sold by Marketplace sellers and Amazon Merchants. Here is a little background on how the process works.

When you enter the certificate's claim code for the first time, the certificate is automatically redeemed onto your account, and this information is logged into our database, even if you don't place an order at that time. After you have entered the claim code once, you do not need to enter it again--even if you back up and change other information in the course of placing your order. If you receive an error message that the gift certificate has been redeemed, and the funds are not being applied to your order, it could be that you have more than one Amazon.com account, and that the funds are redeemed to one of your other accounts.

Gift certificates and unused portions of gift certificates should be spent within 18 months from the date of issuance, which is the listed as the spend by date included on the gift certificate. Gift certificate holders will be given an additional 6-month grace period to spend their gift certificates, and gift certificates and unused portions of gift certificates will expire two years from the date of issuance, which is the expires date included on the gift certificate.

It is also important to note once you buy e gift cards online through amazon.com, they are not redeemable for cash and cannot be returned for a cash refund, except to the extent required by law. Any unused balance will be placed in the recipient's gift certificate account, and is not transferable. The original expiration date will apply to any unused balance. Be assured, once you buy e gift cards online, you may not choose any other method.

Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on gift cards at http://www.whereyoucanbuy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Thornburrow

How to Buy Gift Cards on the Internet

Author: Roman Onishchenko

A gift card is a lot like cash cards. The difference between the gift cards is that they have a logo and design to match the business where you got it from.

The cards value can be preset or flexible and they are much more convenient than a paper gift certificate. With a preset card you throw it away after it runs out of money.

If you buy gift cards with a flexible spending limit you will be ableto re-load it with more money. You just need to decide which one will be the best of the cards before you buy gift cards for anyone.

When you buy gift cards you can be assured that you won't have to worry about fraud because there are special account numbers that are displayed when it is used. The merchants will be the ones to activate the gift cards when they are sold and then the person that owns it can use it until the balance is gone. The magnetic strip that is on the back of the gift cards will always have the updated balance.

The nice thing when you buy gift cards is it is a win win situation for both the seller and buy. While the shoppers are protected from fraud the business owners will get their customers loyalty because the gift cards have been specially designed for their particular business.

The other great thing about gift cards is that when you don't know what to buy someone as a gift you can always just buy gift cards and then let them choose a gift for themselves. You can find gift cards for all kind of places.

There are cards for department stores, supermarkets, flower shops, toy stores and so many more. There are also many different types of cards you can choose to get when you want to buy gift cards. These could include but are not limited to, prepaid cash cards, gas cards, mail cards, donation cards, promotion cards and so on.

So when you buy gift cards you want to make sure that you look at all of the options that are available before you buy. You also want to think about the person that you are getting it for so that you can get something they will like.

That way you can be assured that you will get them the right gift cards for the right places. You can't go wrong with a gift card when you don't know what else to buy.

About the Author:

Roman Onishchenko invites you to visit his online gift shop website for all of your shopping gift needs. They offer unique gift ideas for all occasions and ages. Find the right gift for everyone on your list by shopping here now: ---> http://www.buycoolgift.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - How to Buy Gift Cards on the Internet

A Look at Some of the Benefits of Best Buy Gift Card

Author: Muna wa Wanjiru

Best buy is the largest retailer of consumer electronic in North America and it is also known as the big blue box. It has very many subsidiaries including in Europe, Asia and South America. The headquarters of the company are in Richfield Minnesota. The company has huge plans to operate around 1,800 stores worldwide and 1,400 best buy stores in the United States. In 2000 the company received a lawsuit against them for misrepresenting warranties in an aim to sell more. The company settled with the 2 Florida consumers and never admitted to any fault. The business has been in existence since 1966 and, they have come a long way. They engage in many marketing tools and one of them is the use of best buy gift card.

Some of the benefits of best buy gift cards are that you will get to choose from a variety of different styles and therefore there is no monotony. The second benefit is that the cards can be redeemed in U.S stores or online. Your card can be reloaded at the stores in the U.S. Checking the balance of your gift card is easy and convenient because you can check this information online. When you buy online you can enjoy free shipping of your purchases and this is very helpful to a consumer who has a best buy gift card. You do not have to worry about safety because your product is protected from theft. Another thing you do not have to worry about is the expiry date or the maintenance fee making the best buy gift card is very convenient to have.

There are various categories of best buy gift cards and they include dad's day and any occasion, grads and congratulations, thank you, birthdays and many more. You will view every gift card on the best buy site and make a decision on what card is suitable for you. You will also see the new cards and get an opportunity to check your balance as well as redeem your gift card. You will enjoy great products from best buy and at an affordable and convenient way. Some people have expressed their dissatisfaction accusing the retail for giving in one hand and taking in the other. You can find the products they offer on their site and choose which deal is best for you.

you do not have to worry about a card not suiting your specific occasion because the cards will make it simple for you to choose for any occasion. For example, if you have a birthday, the cards are there to meet your need. Best buy gift cars have a similarity with gift certificates and they perform the same role. There are many cards and certificates to choose from on their website and you therefore need to know what you want in a best buy card then purchase it. Making online purchases will help you save the cost of shipping and you need to consider such offers. However, make sure you have information on the product you are about to purchase because you might be tempted to purchase in so much haste. The certificates will go a long way to make your shopping experience easy and convenient.

About the Author:

Peter Gitundu Is A Web Administrator And Has Been Researching And Reporting On Gifts For Years. You Can Post Your Views On this Article On My Blog Here

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - A Look at Some of the Benefits of Best Buy Gift Card

Gift Card

While online and retail holiday shopping sales have met or exceeded expectations for most retailers in 2005, there is another "rush" for all retailers to prepare for: gift card redemption.

According to Hitwise, an online intelligence service, the market share of U.S. Internet searches containing the words "gift card" was up 32% for the week ending December 10, 2005 as compared to the previous week. In fact, the National Retail Federation expects gift card sales to increase 6.6% this holiday season to 18.48 billion dollars, with consumers spending an average of $88 dollars on gift cards or 15.6% of their holiday shopping budget.

Gift certificates have always been a popular gift choice for the hard to please recipient or even for the lazy shopper. For the gift giver, it allows a quick purchase at whatever store or online merchant they select, with a dollar amount that fits their budget. For the recipient, they can select what they want from a particular merchant and for the most part use the card at their convenience.

But for some, giving a gift card is a cop-out, reasoning it is too impersonal and opting to hand pick a gift and selecting something special and unique for a loved one or friend. However, for some, the gift card is the ideal gift choice, with family or friends even suggesting the store or online merchant they prefer.

For the merchants, it has extended the holiday shopping season because they cannot record the sale until the recipient uses the gift card to make a purchase. This holds down sales figures in November and December, but provides a boost in January when most cards are redeemed. An additional boost is provided by the fact that most of the shoppers who redeem their gift cards typically spend 15% to 50% more than the face value of the card when they select their holiday gift.

There are some downsides to gift cards. Some retailers clear unused gift cards off the books by subtracting off of the face value of the card, an inactivity fee (usually $2.50 per month) after a certain amount of time. Some gift cards have an expiration date and others come with special conditions or restrictions. However, consumer outrage has prompted many states across the country to introduce legislation limiting or banning the fees. Additionally, there is no federal law on gift cards but, two Republican congressmen, Joe Barton of Texas and Charlie Bass of New Hampshire, have requested that the Federal Trade Commission investigate the way retailers conduct their gift card programs.

Is giving a gift card too impersonal? Is it the best gift choice? That question is up for debate and is a personal preference. But with annual gift card sales projected to reach 90 billion dollars by 2007 (Ernst & Young 2005), the gift card is here to stay.

Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Robert Benson