Throughout the year we are all faced with the never ending problem of what to buy our friends and loved ones on those special occasions, and with so many times to celebrate and mark with presents, ranging from birthdays, Christmas, weddings and anniversaries many of us will struggle to find that perfect gift. The answer for many is often the good ol’ faithful gift voucher. So what’s the history behind this present saviour?
The first voucher to be issued was The Book Token in 1932. In 1936, Boots Gift Tokens were launched, which were later re-named Boots Gift Vouchers.
It was in the early 1960s that consumer incentive schemes began with the introduction of Green Shield Stamps and many collectors faithfully collected the familiar stamps to stick in their books and then “spend” their value in the Green Shield Stamp catalogue shops. These shops were later to be re-branded as
In 1972 the Bonus Bond gift voucher was the first ‘multi retailer’ gift voucher and a couple of years later, Bemrose Booth produced Littlewoods Vouchers and were later to issue Luncheon Vouchers in the early ‘80s which became a popular employee benefit and were redeemed at a rate of 200 million per year at the height of their use.
By then the majority of high street retailers had a gift voucher scheme and High Street Vouchers were launched: multi-redemption vouchers targeted towards Christmas savings. Customers could redeem these at Woolworths, Dixons, John Collier, Dewhurst and Cordon Blue. The scheme continues today and has been rebranded as Love2Shop and involves over 75 retailers and 19,000 stores nationwide. The brand also expands to Love2Play and Love2Travel covering the experience and travel markets. The latter are excellent examples of how the humble gift voucher has entered the B2B market too.
Beginning as the giving of a piece of paper or card in lieu of a present, modern day vouchers now come either as plastic cards the recipient can spend or top up, or e-vouchers, where the recipient is sent an email advising them of their spend power in the outlet(s) concerned.
This blogger remembers receiving her - paper of course – Boots Vouchers as a child and being delighted that I could “spend” them on anything and then struggling to spend the exact amount, as it was in the days before change was given against cards and the “top-up” option was unheard of! Armed with my Charley perfume, I left a happy girl! Now my own children appear to receive nothing but vouchers on special occasions and they love them!
Vouchers and loyalty card have revolutionised the way we buys presents today – some would say they have taken all the thought out of present buy – but it is one way to ensure the recipient gets exactly what they want.
Our experience shows, that people want thoughtful gifts that are meaningful to them and for many busy folk, time is a precious commodity. We can help you give the gift of some time back to your busy loved ones with an Iron Maids voucher – who wouldn’t want their washing and ironing done for them! This has also proven to be a popular gift for new mums.
Contact us on 01622 870111, 01233 779009 or via iron-maids.co.uk
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