Turn Holiday Gifting into Revenue: Why Gift Cards Are Your Secret Weapon
Inka, Canberra - Gift Cards
How to Turn Gift Cards into a Restaurant Revenue Powerhouse
When it comes to driving end-of-year revenue, few tools are as under-utilised - or as powerful - as gift cards.
They’re not just an easy upsell for guests at the counter or a thoughtful last-minute present for diners who “didn’t know what to get.” Gift cards are a strategic revenue engine that can generate immediate cash flow, attract new customers, and keep them coming back long after the festive season ends.
And the numbers prove it.
Globally, almost half of all annual gift card sales happen between November and December. For hotels, 43% of all voucher sales occur between Black Friday and Christmas. In other words, peak season gifting isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a major opportunity that hospitality operators can’t afford to miss.
But here’s the catch: simply offering gift cards isn’t enough. To truly drive revenue, your gift card program needs to nail three things—awareness, visibility, and presentation.
1. Awareness: If they don’t know, they won’t buy
Research shows 89% of consumers expect businesses to sell gift cards, yet many restaurants and cafés still fail to actively promote them.
Awareness is the first and most critical step in conversion. Guests need to see and hear about your gift cards long before they’re ready to buy. That means:
Featuring “Gift Cards” in your website’s main menu and homepage banners
Including them in your seasonal emails and social media campaigns
Training your staff to mention them at the end of a meal or transaction
Using clear in-venue signage like “The perfect gift—available here.”
In the lead-up to key occasions like Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, people are actively looking for gift card options. You just need to make sure they find yours first.
2. Visibility: Make them impossible to miss
Even with awareness in place, placement is everything.
Gift cards are an impulse purchase—and 87% of shoppers admit to making impulse buys at the counter. By placing your cards in high-traffic zones like your host stand, bar top, or checkout counter, you transform passive awareness into real-time action.
Think of your gift card display like any other piece of merchandising: clean, eye-catching, and on-brand. Acrylic holders, festive signage, or a small tabletop stand can help spark that “oh perfect!” moment for a customer rushing out the door.
Online visibility matters too. Add a “Buy a Gift Card” button to your website navigation and checkout process to capture digital traffic and last-minute shoppers scrolling from their couch.
3. Presentation: Design that sells itself
A gift card isn’t just a transaction, it’s a representation of your brand.
Nearly 70% of consumers consider design before purchasing a gift card, and 40% have bought one purely because they liked how it looked.
That’s why it pays (literally) to invest in professional design and print quality. Premium card stock, matte finishes, foil accents, or even themed seasonal designs elevate your gift card from an afterthought to a desirable gift.
Presentation doesn’t stop at the card itself - think envelopes, sleeves, or small gift boxes that make the card feel special. For hospitality brands, this tactile experience reinforces brand value and can even turn your card into a mini piece of marketing—shared, gifted, and remembered.
4. Beyond the sale: Why gift cards outperform their face value
The beauty of a strong gift card program is that its value doesn’t end at purchase.
Here’s what the data shows:
65% of consumers spend more than the card’s value when redeeming it.
On average, recipients spend 40% more than the face value.
Around 10–19% of all gift card balances go unused, representing additional profit.
That means your $100 gift card can easily turn into $140 in sales—or more.
Even better, every card brings new guests through your doors. The purchaser is often a loyal customer introducing your venue to someone else, effectively turning your gift card into a referral tool. Once that new guest experiences your venue, you’ve likely gained a repeat customer.
And because gift cards provide instant cash flow, they’re a smart way to balance revenue across busy and quieter periods.
5. The takeaway: Gift cards are more than a seasonal upsell
Done well, gift cards can be one of the highest ROI marketing tools in your hospitality mix.
They create immediate revenue during peak commercial periods, build brand awareness, drive guest acquisition, and strengthen loyalty.
The key is to treat them like any other campaign-worthy product:
Market them with intention.
Display them with purpose.
Design them to reflect your brand’s value.
With the right strategy, your next holiday season could see more than just full tables—it could see a steady flow of pre-paid revenue and new guests primed to become regulars.
Need help designing or promoting your venue’s gift card program?
We help hospitality brands transform simple ideas into measurable revenue strategies, from design and display through to digital promotion.
Drop us a line to see how we can help your venue.
