Gift Certificates have been a staple in the retail world for the last sixty years. It is a little known fact
that gift
certificates were first created right after the end of world war two. In an effort to allow soldiers returning from war to get the gifts
that they most certainly wanted, Macy's in New York came up with the brilliant idea of the gift certificate. This allowed all the fathers,
mothers and relatives to provide the returning heroes with a sure fire hit of a gift. Gift certificates and the giftcertificate were born!
Following in the tradition of Macy's, many of today's top retailers are now offering gift certificates. These merchants include
Nordstrom.com, Towerrecords or tower records.com, sephora.com, eddiebauer.com, thegap.com, bluenile.com and many more!
The history of giving gift certificates is certainly interesting but the present and future of gift certificates is where the real
interesting things are occurring. In the past, giftcertificates were always made of paper and could easily be lost or stolen. This is no
longer a risk. Most merchants including Nordstrom.com, golfballs.com, sephora.com and many more are now focusing on the internet as a
means of distributing gift certificates. This has provided a number of positive things.
The internet has rendered gift certificates as virtual. They are coded and identified with a particular purchaser and recipient and can
not be taken from these individuals. This has spurred a massive spike in the use of gift certificates. Gift certificates accounted for
over 25 billion dollars of gift giving over the latest 2004 holiday season. This is just the beginning of the growth for giftcertificates.
Giftcertificateguide.com is here to help you reach the merchants you want to buy gifts for. We are also here to educate you about gift
certificates. If you are able or interested in asking us questions about the merchants we work with please email us. We want to talk
shopping with you. We want to talk about gift certificates with you. Please view giftcertificateguide.com as your friend in the Internet
world of giftcertificates. Happy shopping and good giving!
As for the future of gift certificates....Let's all keep our eyes on the space and hold our breath! |
