Shopping for blinds is something no man should suffer, a truly desperate fate, but my excuses — and there were many of them, believe me — had run out. So, there I was, on the last Sunday of September, being led around Peter Jones like a corpse on a skateboard, having to cope with alien terms like 'fine perforation' and 'twizzle'.
Anyway, imagine my dismay when, out of the corner of my eye, and on top of the already frightening vocabulary I was being exposed to, I saw (surely it can't be?) a Christmas tree being erected. Yes, a Christmas tree, and it was still only September. It nigh on triggered a panic attack.
So, Christmas 2007. Still 11 weeks to go but already companies are starting to gear up for the annual commercial orgy. In the retail sector, this involves a grotto, baubles, some tinsel, a tree and a handful of stoned students dressed up as elves. In the cards space, it means gift cards. And lo and behold, the first signs of Christmas are starting to emerge here, too.
The last week of September saw the announcement, by Atlanta-based prepaid provider, Incomm, that its prepaid
'Vanilla' Visa gift cards would now include images and artwork from professional baby photographer, Anne Geddes. Babies are soft and sentimental (on the outside, at least) so perfect for Christmas.
But Incomm may find itself in a bit of a dogfight. In the next few weeks a major new gift card provider is set to launch:
GiftCardLab. GiftCardLab is bringing fully customizable photo gift cards to the open market for the first time.
So, rather than have to choose a gift card for Aunty Peg with a picture of
a baby on it, you can now send her a card with a picture of
your baby on it. And I know which one she'll prefer. A gift card with a picture of a baby on it is good, but a gift card with your baby on it, a baby that's Peg's own flesh and blood, is better. To top it all off, you can even bolt two lines of embossed text onto the card at no extra cost.
You don't have to design your own card, though. You can choose from thousands of other images, including Visa-licensed pics of, say, the 2008 Olympics, NFL and Rugby World Cup. So, endless choice. What I like most though, is the fact that GiftCardLab is running a card design competition, too (see grab, below). 20 prizes of $250 are up for grabs and this will surely engage customers and drive traffic. Put together, the whole things brings gift card-giving to life and makes an otherwise impersonal Christmas prezzie personal again.
Gift card sales, if you believe certain research, could top $90 billion during 2007, and with this kind of offering, GiftCardLab might take a big slice of the pie — especially as they're not only offering the cards direct to consumers but also via third party organisations, including financial institutions, credit unions, online portals and retailers.
You can learn more about the turn-key program at the
site. It's zero-inventory for starters so no worries about huge card stock write-offs. GiftCardLab even provides a free online marketing kit, comprising a fully branded website and banners, etc. Oh, and GiftCardLab partners get commission for each card sold, too, which never hurts.
GiftCardLab, so you know, is the joint creation of Serverside Group, the company that sponsors this blog — you need to know that), and PAYjr, the prepaid provider with expertise in the youth market.