A gift voucher is a strange product. Somebody pays you today for a visit that happens next month, and then does your marketing for you by handing your venue to a friend. December is when this matters most: everyone has somebody who is impossible to shop for, and “an evening out” beats another pair of socks.
A dusty “gift cards available, ask at the desk” sign is not a December plan. Here's what works better.
Sell experiences, not amounts
A €75 voucher is money. “Escape Room for 4” is a plan. The second one is easier to give, easier to wrap a story around, and harder to compare with a supermarket gift card. Keep value vouchers for the undecided – €25, €50, €75 and €100 cover most budgets – but lead with two or three named experience vouchers at fixed prices.
Give buyers something to hold
Many December buyers want something to put under the tree, not just an email. Offer both:
- Plastic cards at the till, ready to sell in seconds.
- Gift boxes for the buyer who wants the present to look like a present.
- Wallet passes for Apple and Google Wallet, so the recipient can't lose the code.
Order cards and boxes in early November. Running out in the second week of December is an avoidable problem.
Put vouchers where the intent already is
- Your homepage, from mid-November: one clear banner linking to your voucher shop, not a popup.
- Your newsletter: one mailing in late November, a reminder in mid-December. Guests who have visited you know exactly who else would enjoy it.
- The front desk: cards and boxes visible next to the till, and staff who mention them at checkout.
Let buyers pick the delivery date. A voucher that arrives in the recipient's inbox on 24 December turns your venue into the last-minute gift that still feels planned.
Let January collect the reward
Voucher redemptions tend to arrive when you need them: the quiet weeks after the holidays. A guest with a voucher in hand can fill a Tuesday slot you rarely sell, may bring friends who pay, and may spend more once they're in the building.
Treat outstanding voucher balances as demand you can steer. A friendly reminder to voucher holders, pointing them to off-peak times, helps your slowest weeks.
Get the mechanics right
Vouchers only feel good if redeeming them is easy. Codes should work both online and at the till, a voucher should be usable in several visits with the remaining balance tracked, and guests should be able to check their balance themselves instead of calling you. Nothing should live in a shoebox behind the desk.
In Leisbase this is built in: value and experience vouchers, scheduled email delivery, plastic cards, gift boxes and wallet passes, partial redemption online and at the till, and a balance check page for your guests.
