Gift Cards

Book Sense wants to remind booksellers participating in the gift card program that they can direct consumers to the BookSense.com hub site to easily locate a redeeming store anywhere in the U.S.

This holiday season, the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts gift card sales to total $18.48 billion, a 6.6 percent increase over last year. To meet the growing demand, Book Sense is advising stores participating in the gift card program to check stock now and reorder as necessary. All Book Sense gift card designs, except two, are now in stock, and an e-mail advisory was recently sent to booksellers regarding backordered cards and presenters.

The demand for gift cards is exploding according to CNN/Money, and retailers of all sorts -- gas stations, restaurants, hair salons, and many more -- are looking to cash in on the $45 billion gift card business. This demand is fueled in part by busy holiday shoppers, who value the one-stop-shopping convenience of gift cards.

Booksellers participating in the Book Sense Gift Card Program can now order four limited edition Dungeons & Dragons gift cards, sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. Featuring art from the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game that has defined the genre and set the standard for fantasy role-playing for more than 30 years, the cards will make perfect holiday gifts for teens.

Responding to input from booksellers participating in the Book Sense Gift Card Program, this month ABA and Givex announced several cost-cutting, efficiency-enhancing improvements to the program. Changes include a reduction in shipping costs and a consolidation of ACH transfers. In addition, Book Sense has announced that Wizards of the Coast's Dungeons & Dragons-themed gift cards and coordinating presenters will be available this holiday season, and that ABA will be expediting gift card swapping at the fall regional booksellers association shows.

Those booksellers who are Book Sense Gift Card Program participants, or are thinking about joining the popular program, should note that four POS vendors currently offer an interface to support full access to the Book Sense Gift Card Program.

The vendors that are fully certified to process Book Sense Gift Cards are:

Limited edition Harry Potter Book Sense gift cards are still available and are ready to ship immediately. All cards can be ordered with or without store imprints. But booksellers interested in offering their customers special, limited edition Harry Potter Book Sense gift cards should order now, as supplies are limited. Orders must be placed through the booksenseorders.givex.com web page.