Increased Consumer Demands for Gift Cards this Christmas brings Canadian Plastic Cards to the forefront for Retailers

Whether you are a business trying to figure out what to give your preferred customers this festive season, or a retailer wanting to give your customers the options they need for gift giving this Christmas, Canadian Plastic Cards has the perfect solution! With smaller quantities available, small to medium sized retailers and businesses alike can personalize the ever popular gift of giving this Festive Season.

Seth Asare, owner and operator of Canadian Plastic Cards understands that his business of providing personalized plastic gift and membership cards ultimately boils down to customer service. His customized services allow merchants the ability to offer special incentives in the form of redeemable discounts based on specific purchasing or spending patterns.

He applauds the new consumer protection regulation ensuring businesses in Ontario will have to eliminate expiry dates on gift cards — plastic cards loaded with cash value — as of October 1, 2007. “What could be better than giving the perfect gift to your clients or customers? And designing it to suit your specific business needs…”
Seth agrees that "Cash equivalent gift cards will never expire," as Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips explained in May. Ontario is the first province in Canada to regulate gift cards. Under the new regulations, businesses will only be permitted to charge additional fees for the customization of a gift card or to replace a lost or stolen card. Businesses must also clearly disclose all terms and conditions associated with redeeming the card. The law will not apply to loyalty cards or prepaid phone cards.

The legislation further protects consumers by giving the government the authority to eliminate expiry dates on gift cards. Other research by First Data has shown that demand for gift cards is strong, with 55 per cent of adult Canadians either purchasing or receiving a gift card in 2005. Ontario is the first jurisdiction in Canada to move to regulate expiry dates on these cards. Manitoba is considering implementing the same legislation.

Not all plastic cards are for services or products – they may be created to monitor membership, usage or ensure safety and security. Canadian Plastic Cards prints them all – particularly for the business or organization that doesn’t need thousands of cards created and printed. In fact, Canadian Plastic cards will produce quality plastic cards for quantities of as few as 500 at reasonable prices too! Card production services include encoding and bar coding, sequential numbering, embossing, pinning, scratch off panels, signature panels, 4 colour process, spot color Complete Graphic Design and Digital Prepress, High quality UV Offset printing, Magnetic Stripe Encoding, Thermal Printing, Smart Card Printing,I.D. Cards.
Canadian Plastic Cards provides the tools to deliver gift & loyalty programs independent retailers, merchants, and small business owners need to increase sales, improve customer retention, reduce transactional cost and create new customers. Using the latest Internet technologies and successful marketing know-how Canadian Plastic Cards has served independent retailers, merchants, and small business owners and satisfied customers around the world.

Seth’s Gift Card Trivia Corner: The number of retailers offering gift cards has been increasing. In 2005, 79 per cent of clothing stores offered gift cards, up from 36 per cent in 2003, according to Statistics Canada. Similarly, supermarkets experienced an increase from 57 per cent in 2003 to 70 per cent in 2005. A recent study by Statistics Canada shows that eight in 10 large retailers were offering gift cards in 2005, up by 29 per cent from two years earlier.

Contact: Seth Asare
Phone: 905-905-827-5243 or toll free 888-226-4213
Email: sales@canadianplasticards.com