PORTLAND, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CashStar, the digital gifting and incentives company, today shared eGift Card sales trends across more than 100 leading retail brands from the 2011 Mother’s Day holiday period (May 2-8). Based on aggregated data from consumers making purchases across the CashStar platform, personalized eGift Cards once again proved to drive major sales spikes during holiday shopping seasons.
Key Sales Statistics for the 2011 Mother’s Day Season
- eGift Card sales increased 123% between Monday, May 2 and Mother’s Day, May 8 (as compared to the week prior)
- Saturday, May 7 was the biggest selling day in terms of monetary value, representing an increase of 434% (as compared to the day before Mother’s Day in 2010)
- Mother’s Day sales figures were up 453% year-over-year, and the number of individual cards sold that day was up 434%
- 59% of all eGift Cards delivered on Mother’s Day were purchased on that day, proving that eGift Cards continue to be an effective last minute sales tool for retailers
Mother’s Day 2011 Promotions
A number of CashStar clients took advantage of the platform’s multiple offer solutions to incentivize shoppers and increase lift during the holiday. Among the successful promotions were:
Discount Offers:
- Chili’s Grill & Bar –10% off eGift Cards of $100 or more
- On the Border – 10% off eGift Cards of $100 or more
GOGO (Give One, Get One) Offers:
- Dell – Buy a $300 eGift Card and receive a $50 one for yourself
- CVS – Buy a $25 eGift Card and receive a $5 one for yourself
- Not Your Average Joe’s – Buy a $25 eGift Card and get a $5 one for yourself
- Uno Chicago Grill – Buy a $25 eGift Card and get a $5 one for yourself
GODO (Give One, Donate One) Offer:
- P.F. Chang’s – 10% of all gift card sales to CARE®
“The Mother’s Day offer that we ran on the CashStar platform performed exceptionally well, with a huge spike in eGift Card sales during our GOGO promotional period,” commented Brenda Almaraz, gift card program manager at Dell. “These promotions are great for attracting new customers while substantially increasing the average face value of the cards compared to non-promotional periods.”
Other Notable Statistics from the 2011 Mother’s Day Holiday
- Homepage and Email Marketing: The benefits of utilizing homepage placement to promote eGift Cards was evident during the Mother’s Day period. One retailer that promoted eGift Cards on its website homepage realized a 400% lift in gross sales from 5/6 – 5/8 compared to the prior two weeks. In addition, email campaigns directly marketing eGift Cards were successful in driving incremental sales during Mother’s Day. A retailer that sent out an email promoting its eGift Cards realized a 340% lift in gross sales compared to the prior two weeks.
- Face Value: For the week leading up to Mother’s Day, the average face value of CashStar eGift Cards was 15% higher than the industry average for specialty retail gift cards and 74% higher for general gift cards (compared to most recent sales data provide by First Data for first half of 2010).
- Personalization: CashStar offers the highest levels of eGift Card personalization including personal messages, and the ability to upload a photo or video greeting. For the Mother’s Day holiday, 95%of all CashStar-powered eGift Cards delivered carried a personalized message.
- Restaurants: Sales of restaurant eGift Cards increased 91% during the week of Mother’s Day when compared to the previous week.
- Print On Demand: CashStar-powered eGift Cards can be purchased, printed instantly and given as a gift. This Mother’s Day, 11% of consumers printed their own eGift Cards, demonstrating the convenience of this last-minute gifting option.
“CashStar had a record-setting Mother’s Day, as retailers and consumers alike increasingly realize the benefits eGift Cards offer. I am confident that we are well on our way to making digital gifting an every day occurrence,” commented CashStar co-founder and CEO David Stone.
About CashStar, Inc.
CashStar is the preferred digital gifting and incentives partner for retailers nationwide. Its powerful platform delivers retailers high-margin sales, promotes online and in-store traffic and encourages customer loyalty by providing consumers with the most personal, compelling and convenient gifting experiences available. CashStar is the only company to successfully combine an on-demand digital gifting and incentives platform with innovative multichannel marketing strategies. More than 100 brands are successfully partnering with CashStar to drive incremental sales, increase retention and boost profitability including Gap, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, west elm, Chili’s Bar and Grill, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Old Navy, Hot Topic, The Container Store, CVS/pharmacy, The Home Depot, Landry’s Restaurants, Pizza Hut, Regal Cinema, Staples, Starbucks, Coach, and Travelocity. To learn more about how CashStar is constantly innovating the way businesses deliver personalized gifting and incentive experiences to consumers and partners in the digital world, please visit www.cashstar.com or e-mail sales@cashstar.com.