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Gift cards are the easiest way to resolve employee gifting or shopping dilemmas. Besides the greater convenience on your end, they work just as well for employees who can buy something they genuinely want. But if there’s anything better than gift cards, it’s bulk gift cards.
All employees are equal, and buying the best virtual bulk gift cards allows you to put this into practice. You can show your appreciation for your employees without worrying about making someone feel less special than their coworker while enjoying amazing deals.
The only catch? As you’ll be buying in bulk, you have to be careful. One mistake, and you’ll be stuck with way too many useless virtual cards — or end up overrunning your budget because of hidden fees.
Don’t worry, though. This Hoppier guide will cover helpful tips and gifting theme ideas to help you pick virtual gift cards in bulk for your team.
When buying virtual gift cards in bulk, you’ll be working with bulk gifting vendors and platforms. Be sure to choose vendors who offer the whole package, including procuring/producing, customizing, and delivering the cards to employees.
Do this right, and you’ll improve your relationship with employees. Do this wrong, and you find yourself dealing with a demotivated task force that doesn’t feel appreciated for their efforts.
You’re probably wondering why you should purchase virtual gift cards in bulk. We’ll tell you exactly why.
While gift cards themselves are an inexpensive gift option, purchasing in bulk makes it even more cost-effective, especially for corporate gift card programs. For starters, you eliminate any packaging and postal costs when sending employees virtual gift cards. You also don’t have to worry about volatile shipping fees, which is a common issue with plastic cards.
Another significant advantage as the employer or manager is you have a lot of control. You:
This is a significant advantage if you want employee gifts to serve a specific purpose. Don’t forget to factor in your employees‘ perspectives and needs while you're making decisions. After all, it’s them you’re trying to impress and appreciate.
When choosing gifts for employees, it can be difficult to find something that pleases everyone, especially when you're on a budget. Gift cards are as close as you can get without giving anyone cold hard cash.
The only thing to keep in mind is to ensure the gift cards come with a level of flexibility that lets employees buy what they want instead of limiting them to a select few options. For instance, vendors like Uber Eats, Spotify, Deliveroo, or Drizly give employees a lot of options to choose from.
If your vendor offers gift card customization, you can give your employees practical gift cards adorned with company branding.
Why is this a benefit? Customization elevates otherwise boring gift cards. You can select the color, add a brand logo, and send a personalized message, among other things, to make your employees feel special.
The fact that your gift cards will look super cool is another advantage.
Bulk gifting can get tricky. To help you avoid any missteps, here are a few handy tips to help you buy virtual gift cards in bulk correctly:
Avoid buying gift cards from shady vendors. Scratch that — don’t buy gift cards from shady vendors.
Only buy from renowned companies, with professional and reliable-looking websites. Online auction sites, sketchy third parties, and other similar sources may sell you counterfeit or fraudulently obtained cards, ending in wasted funds.
Also, stick to employee favorites. Pay attention to where your employees like to shop, dine, or be entertained, and buy virtual gift cards accordingly. Hoppier allows you to do this easily!
Another important thing to note here is to avoid imposing your choices on your employees. Just because you like seafood doesn’t mean everyone on your team would appreciate fish burger takeouts. Respect their choices.
When giving virtual bulk gift cards, make sure your employees can redeem them without having to pitch in on the purchase. But this doesn't mean you should overspend your budget.
Pick a gift card that is within your dollar limit while still being usable for the recipient. For instance, if you want to buy employee gifts below $20, Hoppier has partnerships with Starbucks and Dunkin’ for fresh morning coffee and snacks, as well as IKEA and Amazon for their WFH setups. Easily send Starbucks gift cards in bulk or Walmart bulk gift cards using Hoppier.
Virtual gift cards should be redeemable locally or online. If you're unsure about where your chosen card can be redeemed, check the locations on the store's website or call the helpline number. Be sure you do your research before purchasing.
If you’re unsure how far the recipient will be willing to travel or the exact location is unknown, select Visa gift cards that can be used anywhere. Opting for an online service or a family of stores or other viable options.
Companies today are very flexible when it comes to delivering gift cards virtually. Email, Facebook, and text message are a few of the most convenient delivery methods, but it’s possible your employee may not agree.
The easiest solution would be to directly ask employees how they want to receive their gift cards. Hold a vote, and go with the most preferred delivery method.
Ensure the virtual bulk gift cards have clearly disclosed fees and expiration dates. This will provide your employees with access to all available funds for as long as possible. If you do give gift cards with restrictions, don’t make them unusable, and always add a note to ensure employees understand the limitations.
Want an even better option? Use Hoppier’s digital smart digital Visa cards that don’t have expiration dates and work in 60+ countries. Choose the allowance for each employee, and if there’s any unspent money, it’ll be refunded back to you.
Bulk gifting doesn’t have to be boring. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are the ten best (and easiest) virtual gift card themes you can consider giving your employees.
Let’s get started!
Welcome your new employees with an office supplies gift card that gives them the funds to buy their favorite office essentials. This can include stationery or digital devices like a tablet — or something else they like keeping at the desk like potted plants or digital photo frames.
Your current employees will also enjoy refreshing their office essentials or buying something from their wish list.
Show your employees you care about their wellbeing. Give them gift cards to virtual health and wellness classes that will help them unwind and relax.
You can opt for tried-and-tested options like yoga or online exercise sessions — or you can get creative and have them sign up for a healthy eating class that teaches them healthy recipes and prescribes them the right diet.
Before you see the dollar signs flashing in front of your eyes, hear us out: when we say gadgets, we don’t mean the latest MacBook or Galaxy tab. Not at all.
Instead, you can go for inexpensive, functional gadgets like Bluetooth keyboards or earphones, power banks, fitness trackers, and blue light filter glasses. This can be particularly useful for remote teams who would certainly appreciate handy gadgets that’ll make their WFH life easier.
Employees have a love-hate relationship with swag bags, and rightly so. What is a person supposed to do with another key chain?
The best swag bags are customizable and DIY. Give your employees a swag bag gift card that lets them choose gifts and goodies they like. Not only will this help promote your brand, but also give your team members something they can use and cherish as a souvenir of their time with you.
Hoodies or pullovers, water bottles, socks, laptop decals, and coffee mugs are some of the best swag items that your employees will appreciate.
If there’s one virtual bulk gift card you can never go wrong with, it’s online subscriptions.
Offer free subscriptions to employees for gym memberships, personal care, or wellness apps. You can also consider subscriptions to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime for some after-work entertainment.
Again, since you’ll be buying in bulk, make sure you have buy-in from all your employees so that everyone can enjoy their gift.
If you’re buying gift cards in bulk, it’s probably to celebrate work anniversaries, birthdays, or the holiday season. But who says they have to be boring?
Help your employees let loose with a happy hour virtual gift card. In addition to gift cards to renowned pubs and bars, consider giving them DIYs. Items can include a cocktail kit, customized glasses, garnishes, and bartending recipes.
If you have employees who travel frequently for official work, consider giving them a travel gift card. This can also be an excellent idea if you have a work from anywhere policy.
Set an allowance redeemable for travel-related items like luggage, portable chargers, bags, screen cleaners, and neck pillows. You can also speak to employees to understand if they would appreciate something specific on their gift card.
LinkedIn‘s 2018 workplace learning report found that 94% of employees would stay with the company for longer if it invested in their career. So why not take this desire and give it in the form of a gift card?
Help your employees improve their skills and thrive professionally by giving them e-learning gift cards. You could either gift them one course at a time or simply hand over a lump sum amount and let them set their own learning goals.
Hoppier has partnerships with world-class professional learning platforms like Udacity and Udemy. Or give them a virtual gift card to Skillshare to upskill them at a pace they are comfortable with.
If you’re looking to buy virtual bulk gift cards as a part of your employee recognition program, we recommend segmenting your workforce based on their interests.
Team up with the virtual card vendor to put together customized gift cards to cater to a specific test. For instance, for baking enthusiasts, you can select vendors that sell baked goodness, offer a baking masterclass, and baking goodies.
This bulk gift card idea would be more suitable for larger teams. You’ll also need to confirm with the gift card vendor if they would be on board with customizing virtual credit cards in small bulk amounts.
Experimental gift cards focus on in-the-moment activities that you can plan for individual employees or team members.
These can be virtual cards for relaxing spa sessions, meditation retreats, fun concerts, or recreational activities. Even if you have a remote or hybrid team, you can consider virtual equivalents like a live stand-up show or an online physical development class.
Before finalizing the items for bulk experimental gift cards, talk to your employees to get their opinion. This will help you ensure everyone is on board with the chosen idea.
We’ve already discussed why giving virtual gift cards in bulk is an excellent idea. But if you want to make your experience even better, choose Hoppier.
Customize gift cards exactly to your liking — from setting the allowance limit to selecting the vendors to customize how they look. With Hoppier, you can integrate virtual Visa smart cards as a part of your bulk gifting program and manage your budget effectively while defining the gifting experience. Sign up for a free demo today to see it in action.
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
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