There's a product you should always have active that many artisans forget: the gift card. It solves the world's most common gifting problem — "I don't know what to give" — and for you it has a huge financial advantage: you get paid now and work later. During the holidays, a well-communicated gift card can be worth as much as the seats themselves.
Why the gift card is a deal for you
- Cash upfront: you receive payment at purchase, before even delivering the workshop.
- New audience: whoever receives the gift card often didn't know you. It's a new customer gifted by another.
- Less seasonality: you sell in December an experience lived in February or March, spreading the work.
- No discounts: unlike promotions, the gift card sells at full price. It's added value, not margin cut.
When to push them
- Christmas: the absolute peak. Communicate them from early November, see the Christmas workshop calendar.
- Valentine's Day: couple gift cards for the two-person experience, see Valentine's in the studio.
- Mother's/Father's Day, birthdays, graduations: occasions where an experience beats an object.
- Always last minute: the gift card is the perfect gift for the last-minute crowd, because it's instant.
How to communicate them well
Having them isn't enough: they must be shown. Highlight them in your profile and communications at the right times, with a simple message: "Give an experience, not an object that ends up in a drawer". Tell what the recipient will live. A good workshop photo is worth a thousand words — use the ones you already have from your events (and obtain thanks to reviews and verified photos).
On Handsome the gift card feature is built in: the buyer purchases, receives the code, and whoever redeems it books the workshop like a normal booking. You see everything in the dashboard and get paid, always at 0% commission.
Domande frequenti
- Why should I sell gift cards for my workshops?
- Because you get paid at purchase and work later, reach new audiences (recipients often didn't know you), spread seasonality and sell at full price without discounts. It's added value, not margin cut.
- When should I push gift cards?
- Especially at Christmas (from early November), Valentine's Day, Mother's and Father's Day, birthdays and graduations, and generally as a last-minute gift, because it's instant and solves the classic "I don't know what to give".
- How does the gift card work on Handsome?
- It covers the entire workshop, is single-use, has a 12-month expiry and zero commission. The buyer purchases and receives a code; whoever redeems it books like a normal booking. You manage everything from the dashboard and the value stays yours.
Get paid first, work later. 0% commission, 12-month expiry, value always yours.
Activate gift cards for your workshops
