Gift Cards

To ensure delivery by Friday, December 17, Givex must receive orders for Book Sense gift cards by Monday, November 29, at 5:00 p.m. EST. This includes orders from booksellers who wish to join the program before the end of the year, reorders of cards and presenters from participating booksellers, and orders for optional equipment.

As early holiday shoppers begin hitting the stores, Book Sense reminds booksellers that there is still time to order gift cards for early December in-store arrival. (It takes three weeks for card delivery once all paperwork and a logo, which meets the spec requirements, are received.)

This week, Book Sense announced that booksellers can now process Book Sense Gift Cards through an enhanced and optional feature of IBID, Version 14. This new way to process gift cards is being offered to complement the other methods already available from Givex. (For more on the different ways to process Book Sense gift cards, click here.)

Over the past year, the number of bookstores participating in the Book Sense Gift Card Program has more than doubled and that number continues to grow as booksellers heed reports from their fellow booksellers and from the media about significant increases in sales when stores begin selling gift cards. Now, Book Sense is making available to booksellers a downloadable PDF listing all the bookstores participating in the gift card program.

Due to overall increased consumer demand for electronic gift cards and the continued growing popularity of Book Sense Gift Cards in particular, the American Booksellers Association is announcing the discontinuation of the Book Sense Paper Gift Certificate Program.

To ensure a smooth ending for the program, please note the following:

Current research indicates that electronic gift cards are replacing cash and gift certificates in retail businesses everywhere, and consumers who use gift cards spend more, on average. And now bookstores participating in the Book Sense Gift Card Program offer their own testimonials as to gift cards' advantages -- including increased sales and a high level of customer satisfaction everywhere gift cards are used.

Easy to Use ... in the Store and on the Web

After the November 2 elections, the most important colors will shift from red and blue to red and green, and another holiday season will begin. Uncertainty about the economic forecast is the only sure thing once again this year -- no one can accurately predict whether or not shoppers will be spending freely or cautiously. However, this year's market research does show a steady increase in the use of electronic gift cards.

The Book Sense Gift Card Program, just completing its first year of operation, has already helped more than 200 bookstores dramatically increase their sales.

A new terminal for processing Book Sense Gift Cards is now available for purchase. The Elite 710 Terminal costs $295 and is a dial-up. A bit smaller than the Elite 510, the 710 has a built-in printer (that uses thermal paper) and a magnetic swipe. For more information and a photo of the 710 Terminal, click here.

While the holiday season may still seem far off, the time for booksellers to begin preparing gift card orders for the biggest shopping time of the year is now. The Book Sense Gift Card Program, just completing its first year of operation, has already helped more than 200 bookstores dramatically increase their sales.

Preparations are in high gear for ABA's education sessions at this year's BookExpo America (BEA), which will be held from June 2 - 6 at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center. Among the many events planned are two very valuable users group meetings -- for BookSense.com and for Book Sense Gift Cards.

As Book Sense gift cards gain in usage, booksellers are looking for ways to maximize the benefits of the program that for many has resulted in increased sales. In addition to new gift card sales, booksellers are finding that some customers continually replenish their cards, and others bring their card accounts to zero and return the cards to the store. To take full advantage of the Book Sense Gift Card Program, booksellers can legitimately increment the used card for a new cardholder.

With the Book Sense Gift Card program in full swing for about seven months now, statistics compiled by ABA bear out the fact that gift cards are extremely popular with book buyers. Moreover, recently released research is projecting overall gift card sales to increase to over $90 billion by 2007.

Gift cards have come of age, according to "Holiday Retail Strategies 2004: How Christmas Shopping Trends Will Shape the 2004 Season," a study recently released by Packaged Facts, a publishing division of MarketResearch.com. According to the report, gift cards continue to increase in popularity: They accounted for 10 percent of the $226 billion in holiday sales for 2003, double the 2002 figure.