How Gift Cards Help You Lock in Revenue Before the New Year Starts!

You’ve probably already started to feel it—the Christmas bells, the holiday cheer, the smell of pine and roasted turkey, the winter mist, and that quiet realization that another year has flown by in a blink. While a few others are getting ready to cozy up by the fireplace, curl up with a book, or escape to the snowy woods, you, as a recreation business owner, are gearing up to welcome the rest and spread holiday cheer in full swing.

This year, instead of just relying on the usual holiday rush, why not take ‘spreading joy’ to a whole new level? This season is a golden opportunity for businesses like yours to finish the year strong; and one of the smartest ways to do that is by gifting experiences. Yes, we’re talking gift cards. There’s no better time of year to promote them, and if you’re not leveraging gift cards yet, you’re leaving a lot on the table.

Let me show you why gift cards are actually pretty futuristic. You’re able to lock in revenue before your services are even used—sometimes at the very start of the year. According to a recent business report, during the 2024 holiday season, over 56% of consumers bought a gift card, an increase of 8% from the previous year. 

Similarly, another survey of a service-based business found that 44% of holiday shoppers chose gift cards as their go-to present. In other words, there’s a huge opportunity for service businesses to tap into the same model for stronger sales and more predictable revenue. 

This trend has only been growing in recent years. One report suggests that while the global gift card market reached around $474 billion in 2024, it’s projected to hit $510 billion by the end of 2025. This upward surge clearly signals a huge window for business owners to tap into gift cards as a powerful driver of revenue, loyalty, and repeat bookings.

So, what exactly can gift cards do for your business during holidays, special occasions, and beyond, and how can you make the most of them? Let’s find out.

How Businesses Can Benefit from Gift Cards in the Holiday Season- 

1. Earn Revenue Instantly
2. Attract New Customers through Referrals
3. Keep Sales Steady through Slow Months
4. Works as a Low-cost Tool for Marketing 
5. Strengthens Brand Visibility

Yes, gift cards actually move the needle for your business. As already mentioned above, in more ways than you think. Let’s dig in.

1. Earn Revenue Instantly

Think of gift cards as pre-paid bookings. When someone buys a $100 gift card for your classes, camps, or memberships, you get that $100 right now—even if the recipient doesn’t use it for weeks or months. That’s instant year-end cash flow you can use to cover expenses or invest back into your business before the New Year.

The best part? Gift cards don’t just bring in money upfront—they often lead to bigger checkouts later when customers add extra services, upgrades, or add-ons at redemption. You’re locking in a future booking and a potential upsell, all from a single gift card.

2.Attract New Customers through Referrals

Gift cards don’t just boost revenue—they quietly power your referral engine. Every time a loyal customer buys a gift card for a friend or family member, they’re paying to introduce someone new to your business. In fact, over half of all gift cards are bought for someone else, which means your existing clients are literally putting you in front of new people.

For the recipient, it’s a risk-free way to try something they might never have booked on their own—a yoga class, kids’ camp, swim lessons, or a membership. They come in to redeem the gift and, if you deliver a great experience, there’s a strong chance they’ll stick around. Research shows that many consumers report higher brand loyalty after receiving a gift card from a business.

In simple terms, gift cards turn gift givers into promoters and gift receivers into future regulars. A mom who loves your dance studio gifts a card to a friend; that friend’s child tries a class, loves it, and signs up. One thoughtful gift becomes a new, paying, long-term customer.

3.Keep Sales Steady Through Slow Months

Let’s be honest, every business has a downtime, a slow month. But that doesn’t mean your sales have to slow down with them. With gift cards, you can keep revenue coming in even during months that are usually quiet for you.

Gift cards allow you to generate revenue even when customers aren’t actively purchasing or booking, giving your business a financial buffer during quieter seasons.

When customers buy gift cards during the holidays, special occasions, or promotional periods, you’re securing cash flow upfront—long before the services are redeemed. This means a January slump, a mid-year slowdown, or a post-summer dip can still bring in steady income from gift card purchases made earlier in the year.

Plus, recipients often spend more than the card’s value when they redeem it, creating additional revenue during months when you need it most. By incorporating gift cards into your strategy, you’re not just filling gaps—you’re smoothing out your entire revenue curve year-round.

4. Works as a Low-cost Tool for Marketing-

One of the most underrated benefits of gift cards is that they act as a completely free marketing channel. Unlike paid ads, discounts, or promotions that cost time and money, gift cards rely on something far more powerful: your existing customers.

When someone buys a gift card, they’re not just making a purchase—they’re making a recommendation. They’re choosing to introduce your business to someone in their circle: a friend, a family member, a coworker, or another parent. It’s a personal endorsement, wrapped in a gift.

For the recipient, the experience feels special. They get to try a class, program, camp, or membership without spending anything up front. There's no friction, no risk—just a friendly nudge to give your business a shot. That warm introduction often converts into a first visit, and with a positive experience, it can lead to ongoing participation, memberships, or long-term loyalty.

What’s even better is that this type of marketing compounds. Gift-givers feel good about sharing something they love. Recipients enjoy the experience and often become customers themselves. And you? You gain new clients and stronger brand awareness without spending a single dollar on advertising.

5. Strengthens Brand Visibility-

Gift cards aren’t just a revenue driver—they’re a powerful tool for boosting brand visibility. Every time a customer purchases and gifts one, your brand travels with it. Whether it’s a physical card handed over during the holidays or a digital card forwarded by email, your logo, your name, and your services land directly in front of a new potential customer.

This kind of exposure is more impactful than traditional advertising because it comes with built-in trust. People are far more likely to try a business when someone they know personally recommends it. A gift card does exactly that—it acts as a personalized endorsement wrapped in your branding.

What’s more, gift cards circulate at the perfect moments: birthdays, holidays, milestones, and celebrations. These high-emotion contexts create positive associations with your brand long before the recipient steps through your doors. The result? Increased brand awareness, stronger recognition, and a higher likelihood of converting new customers who already feel connected to your business.

Omnify has everything you need to sell Gift Cards- all in one place

By now, you might be thinking: This sounds great, but how do I actually set up and manage gift cards for my business? The good news is, Omnify makes it incredibly easy. Omnify’s all-in-one platform is built for service businesses like yours, and gift cards are seamlessly integrated into our system. 

✔️Gift cards in Omnify are built to be both friendly and powerful. You can set them up in under a minute by simply creating a Gift Card product in your Service Store—no custom code, no plugins, no complex rules. 

✔️Define the amount (or multiple denominations), choose where it can be redeemed (classes, camps, memberships, parties, etc.), set validity, and you’re live. 

✔️From there, customers can pre-pay for experiences, so revenue hits your account before the service is booked, giving you healthier cash flow and more predictable future bookings.

✔️On the backend, Omnify handles the heavy lifting: each gift card gets a unique code, you can track purchases, remaining balances, and redemptions in real time, and you don’t need external spreadsheets or manual tracking. 

✔️Your Data & Reporting dashboard gives you clear visibility into what’s been sold, what’s been used, and how your gift card program is performing, so you can measure impact and optimize future campaigns.

✔️You can also run seasonal promos (like discounted gift cards during holidays) to boost sales during slow periods and keep demand steady.

If you’d like to see exactly how to configure and use the Gift Cards feature step by step, you can check out our Product Update on using Gift Cards in Omnify.

Conclusion

In a season where people are actively looking for meaningful gifts, experiences beat clutter every time. A well-thought-out gift card program doesn’t just boost year-end revenue—it helps you attract new clients, deepen loyalty with existing ones, and keep bookings flowing even after the holidays are over. You’re not only selling a card; you’re giving families an easy way to share something they love about your business.

This is where technology can quietly do the heavy lifting for you. With Omnify, you can create and sell gift cards for your classes, camps, memberships, or parties in just a few clicks—track every purchase and redemption, run seasonal promos, and keep everything organized on the backend.

Talk to Us and turn holiday generosity into long-term growth- one gift card at a time!