Square announced it has added gift cards to its Australian offering in a bid to help small businesses across the country compete with larger retailers for revenue and new customers this holiday trading period.
Businesses using Square will now be able to run an integrated gift card program straight from their point of sale, allowing them to offer, redeem and track physical and eGift card sales easily in their account. Plastic cards come with basic off-the-shelf designs or can be customised to display business logos and branding.
With recent research commissioned by Square revealing that more than 80 per cent of Australian consumers now prefer to be cashless, gift cards are an easy and affordable way for small businesses to offer their customers more convenient ways to make purchases this holiday season.
Customers will also benefit from Square’s generous unlimited expiry policy, designed to be consumer-friendly so Australians will no longer have to worry about gifting cards with a limited shelf life. It comes on the back of news last month that new laws will come into effect next year to ensure every gift card sold in Australia has a minimum three-year expiry, in a bid to protect consumers against spending waste.
Square’s Australian Country Manager and Head of APAC, Ben Pfisterer, welcomed the new product offering as a great way for small businesses to drive new business this holiday season.
“Gift cards are among the most popular gifts given in Australia, with the majority of consumers having given or received one over the past 12 months,” said Pfisterer. “We are excited to be able to offer a simple and affordable gift card program to our sellers in time to help them generate more sales during the most important trading period of the year.”
Customers will be able to purchase and redeem gift cards either in person or online from businesses using Square. The funds from the sale are then automatically available to the business through its Square account, just like other sales.
Gift cards are the latest in a line of Australian product launches from Square designed to help owners start, run and grow their business. The hardware rollouts have also been enhanced by additional platform features like online payments, data analytics and employee management tools, as well as integrations with prominent partner apps.
For more information on how to get started with Square Gift Cards, head to www.square.com.
