One Customer to Many: Using Gift Cards to Tap Into Your Clients’ Networks

You don’t always need more ads or another “20% off” promo to grow your kids' activity business. Sometimes, the easiest way to grow your business is a happy parent who’s walking out of the door saying, “We loved today’s class!” Such happy clients are your best advertisers, and gift cards are how you turn those feel-good moments into multiple bookings. 

Think about how families make bookings in real life. A mom at a birthday party hears another parent say, “My kids are obsessed with that dance class”, and suddenly she’s curious about your service. A parent trying to survive the winter break sends their friend a digital gift card saying “Here - this camp will save your sanity. That’s your clients doing marketing work for you. 

Gift cards are not just holiday things anymore. In fact, the digital gift card market is projected to grow by 17.1% annually through 2028, which implies people are increasingly interested in gift cards more than ever.

Your happiest customers don’t just come back—they talk. They recommend. They share. And gift cards are one of the simplest ways to turn that word-of-mouth into measurable growth. When used intentionally, they help you go from one loyal family to many new ones by tapping directly into the networks your clients already have.

This article breaks down how it works and why gift cards quietly outperform a lot of traditional marketing tactics.

Why Gift Cards Work So Well as a Growth Tool?

Gift cards sit right at the sweet spot between revenue, referrals, and trust, which is exactly why they work so well for service-based businesses—especially kids' activity centers. Here’s what makes them so powerful:

1. They turn happy customers into natural promoters
2. They Bring in Warm, Low-Risk First-Time Customers
3. Gift Card Redemptions Often Lead to Bigger Bookings
4. They Reach New Audiences You’d Never Target With Ads
5. Gift Cards Work Year-Round

1. They Turn Happy Customers into Natural Promoters

When someone buys a gift card from your business, it means they’re already impressed by your services, and they feel that someone they know might like your offerings. They’re sharing something that they already enjoy and believe in.

As a result, your brand enters new social circles already pre-approved. By the time the gift card is redeemed, the new customer isn’t wondering if they should trust you; they’re simply excited to try it.

2. They Bring in Warm, Low-Risk First-Time Customers

One of the hardest parts of growing a kids' activity business is getting families to try you for the first time. Parents are cautious. They’re busy. And they don’t want to spend money on something unless they’re sure it’ll be worth it. Gift cards help you remove that hesitation almost completely.

When someone walks in with a gift card, they’re not skeptical or on the fence—they’re genuinely curious and excited. They already know three important things:

• The experience is already paid for
• Someone they trust personally recommended it
• There’s no pressure to commit beyond this first visit

That changes the entire dynamic of the first interaction. A child who may never have signed up for gymnastics, art, robotics, or swim lessons on their own now gets to try it in a relaxed, no-risk way. Parents aren’t thinking, “Will this be worth the money?” They’re thinking, “Let’s see how my child enjoys this.”

And once a child has fun, builds confidence, or connects with an instructor, that first visit turns into a program. A trial turns into a term. A gift becomes the beginning of a long-term relationship. Gift cards don’t just bring people through the door—they bring them in with the right mindset, which makes all the difference for your business.

3. Gift Card Redemptions Often Lead to Bigger Bookings

Here’s something many business owners only realize after selling gift cards for a while: families rarely stop at the exact gift card value. For example, if a gift card is worth $100 and the class or service costs $95, many customers won’t leave that balance unused. Instead, they’ll often add a small extra, like a $10 add-on or product, spending a few dollars more just to get the full value.

And naturally, when they experience your service and feel that it’s a right fit for their children, they start thinking what will work best for them and give them the most value. When parents redeem a gift card, they’re already engaged. They’ve seen their child enjoy the class, connect with the instructor, or come home excited. At that point, the conversation often shifts from “Let’s try this” to “What’s the best next step?”

That’s when you hear things like:

• “Can we add one more class while we’re at it?"
• “This is fun—should we just get the full 8-week program?"
• “My child loved it… What’s the next level?"
• “We’re already here—should we sign up for the camp too?"

For example, a parent might use a gift card for a single gymnastics class and quickly realize their child is hooked. Instead of stopping there, they upgrade to a full-term program. Or a family redeems a dance class gift card and chooses a membership because it’s more cost-effective.

So that gift card doesn’t end with a single visit. It often opens the door to a larger booking, reducing the price sensitivity and sometimes leading to a long-term commitment. In short, gift cards don’t just attract new customers; they naturally increase how much families invest over time.

4. They Reach New Audiences You’d Never Target With Ads

Your customers can reach people you can’t or would never think to target. Even the best targeting ads can only guess and deliver ads. But your clients have real relationships, real community, real trust where they build real conversations every day.

A single happy family can introduce you to:

• Their kids’ entire class parent group. One mom shares your camp link in the WhatsApp group, and suddenly, 8 parents are asking for details.
• Their neighbourhood community, where families are always swapping recommendations for “good places that are worth it."
• Their extended family, who they think will love your classes.
• Their workplace friends.

And the best part? These referrals don’t feel like “marketing.” They feel like someone helping someone. When a parent gifts your classes, camp, or program, they’re basically saying: “I trust this place. You’ll love it.” Ads try to find the right people. Gift cards deliver the right people and help you tap into their community. This makes you the first choice whenever they require after-school classes or any recreational activities for their kids.

5. Gift Cards Work Year-Round

Seasons change, and so do parent mindsets. The smartest kids' activity centers pay attention to how families feel at different times of the year and lean into that. By understanding what parents are dealing with each season—planning, stress, excitement, or the need for structure—you can position gift cards as the simple, stress-free solution they’re already looking for.

When gift cards are aligned with the moment, parents don’t experience it as a sales pitch. It feels supportive, timely, and genuinely helpful. This is called “situational relevance”.

Here’s how it plays out through the year:

• Birthday season vibes: Parents are tired of buying toys kids lose interest in after a week. This is your moment to position gift cards as “a gift they’ll actually use.” When one parent gifts your classes, camps, or lessons, they’re naturally introducing you to another family inside their closest circle.
• “No more toys” vibes: Grandparents want meaningful gifts but don’t want clutter. Promote gift cards as experiences that build skills and confidence. These often travel far, extended family, cousins, relatives, bringing your center into new networks.
• Back-to-school vibes: Parents are in planning mode. They’re talking to other parents about routines, after-school activities, and what worked last year. Gift cards become an easy recommendation: “This is what worked for us.” That’s your business getting shared inside school and neighbourhood groups.
• Winter break/spring break vibes: This is peak “help me survive this break” energy. Parents are actively sharing ideas with friends. When one family gifts a camp or workshop gift card, it often gets passed along with a message like, “This will save you"
• Showcase and recital vibes: End-of-season pride is powerful. Families are already emotional, supportive, and ready to invest in what their child loves. Gift cards for the next level or upcoming program feel natural—and relatives gifting them introduce your center to entirely new circles.
• New Year “fresh start” vibes: January is full of conversations about trying new things. Parents talk to other parents about goals, activities, and routines. A gift card shared during this phase feels like an invitation: “Try this—we loved it."

When kids' activity centers tune into these seasonal parent mindsets and keep gift cards visible and easy to buy, selling them doesn’t feel like marketing just feels like good timing.

How to Set Up Gift Cards to Maximize Referrals?

If you want gift cards to do more than “bring in a little extra holiday revenue,” you need to set them up in a way that makes people excited to share them. Because it’s not just about getting first-time purchases, you need to wow new customers with experiences that keep them coming back.

1. Make Gift Cards Feel Like a Bundle

$25, $50, and $100 gift cards are fine, but they don’t tell parents what they’re actually gifting. So instead of only selling gift cards in amounts, package them like experiences:

• Try-It Gift Card (covers 1–2 classes for “let’s test it out” families)
• Holiday Camp Gift Card (a set amount parents can put toward any camp week)
• Birthday Party Deposit Gift Card (For families planning ahead)
• New Kid Welcome Gift Card (a starter credit parents can apply to any beginner program)It works because it makes the gift card feel specific, thoughtful, and easy to choose. And it makes it easier for your customers to recommend you because they can say: “This includes two classes, try it!”

See how you can Add Gift Cards with Omnify!

2. Treat Gift Card Redemptions Like a VIP First Visit

The first visit matters a lot! A gift card recipient is basically a “warm lead”—they’ve arrived through trust. So the experience should match that energy. Make the redemption moment feel smooth and welcoming. The goal is simple: Make the first visit feel easy, guided, and welcoming. Don’t make it feel confusing or transactional

For example,  when a parent comes in to redeem a gift card for a single class. Their child tries a few movements, has fun, and the instructor notices they’re ready for Beginner Level 1.

At the end, the instructor says something simple and reassuring: “They did great today—Beginner Level 1 would be perfect.”

Then the front desk makes it easy: "Level 1 starts next week. Here are the two time options. Want to reserve a spot now or take it home and decide?”

No awkwardness. No confusion. Just a first visit that feels organized, friendly, and professional.

3. Add a Soft Nudge That Turns One Visit Into the Next Booking

This is where many kids' activity centers lose perfectly good momentum. The class ends, the child is smiling, the parent is pleased… and then everyone just leaves. No direction. No clarity. And by the time the parent remembers to follow up, the excitement has slowly slipped away.

Parents actually want to know what comes next. They just don’t want to feel pressured. So instead of waiting for them to ask, you lead the conversation in a helpful way.

Here are a few simple nudges that work especially well in person:

• "If they enjoyed today, the next step most families take is Level 1. Enrollment opens Monday."
• "This class is part of an 8-week progression—would you like me to show you how it works?”
• "If you continue this month, we include a bonus session to help them settle in."
• "Based on what we saw today, this next-level group would be a great fit."

Instead of wondering “Are we supposed to sign up again? Is this the right level? Do we wait?”, your clients want someone to confidently say, “Here’s the path—and here’s how we help you take the next step."

That sense of direction is what turns a single gift card visit into a second booking.

4. Track What Gift Cards Are Actually Doing

Gift cards can quietly become one of your most reliable growth drivers if you treat them like your real strategy. 

Along with selling gift cards, you should understand the real value they bring in. Even a high-level tracking can give you powerful clarity. At a minimum, it helps to know:

• How many gift cards are selling?
• How many are actually getting redeemed (your redemption rate)?
• How much do families spend when they redeem?
• How many gift card visitors turn into regular enrollments, programs, or memberships?

These numbers answer important questions you have, like:

• Are gift cards bringing us new families or mostly existing ones?
• Which gift card bundles convert best?
• Do gift card customers stick around?

Once you notice these patterns, you can have an idea of the best and worst performing strategies and refine the ones that don’t bring in conversions. This is how gift cards can become a predictable, repeatable growth engine you can plan your programs, staffing, and revenue around with confidence.

Read also: How Gift Cards Unlock Revenue Before the New Year Starts 

Conclusion

When gift cards are thoughtfully packaged, easy to redeem, and supported by a clear next step, they stop being a one-time transaction and start becoming a powerful growth tool. One child’s great experience leads to another family walking through your doors, and often, to many more after that. That’s how growth feels natural instead of forced.

With Omnify, selling and managing gift cards doesn’t have to be scattered. You can create gift cards, sell from our service store, track redemptions and conversions, guide families toward the right programs, and see exactly how gift cards contribute to long-term revenue all from one platform. It’s a simpler way to turn trust into traction, without extra admin work.

Curious to see how gift cards can help you grow through your clients’ networks? Talk to us and explore Omnify with a 14-day free trial. Set up gift cards, test the experience, and start turning one happy customer into many - one gift at a time!