Every business loves a sale. But there’s one revenue stream that many businesses consistently underestimate, underinvest in, and consequently underperform with — the gift voucher.
Done well, a printed gift voucher or gift card is one of the hardest-working pieces of print in your arsenal. It brings in money before a product is delivered or a service is rendered. It introduces your business to brand new customers. It sits in someone’s wallet or on their mantelpiece until they’re ready to use it — quietly advertising your business the entire time. And it almost always results in the recipient spending more than the voucher’s face value.
The catch? Most printed vouchers are terrible. And terrible vouchers don’t get bought, don’t get given, and don’t get redeemed with any sense of excitement.
Here’s how to make yours genuinely impossible to ignore.
Design It Like a Gift, Not a Receipt
This is where most businesses go wrong straight away. A voucher slapped together in a word processor, printed on ordinary paper, and stuffed into an envelope is not a gift. It’s an afterthought — and the person receiving it will feel that immediately.
Your voucher should look and feel like something worth giving. That starts with design. A clean, considered layout with your branding, a clear value or offer, and enough white space to breathe. It should be immediately obvious what it is, who it’s from, and why it’s desirable.
Then think about the physical qualities. A heavier card stock makes a voucher feel substantial in the hand. A gloss or soft-touch laminate cover elevates it from functional to premium. A spot UV finish on your logo catches the light in a way that makes people look twice. These finishing touches don’t cost a fortune — but they transform how a voucher feels to give and to receive.
Make the Offer Crystal Clear
A voucher that requires a customer to read the small print three times before they understand what they’re getting is a voucher that creates anxiety rather than excitement. Keep it simple.
State the value or offer prominently — whether that’s a monetary amount, a percentage discount, or a specific experience. Include any essential terms concisely and legibly — an expiry date, any exclusions, how to redeem. Everything else is clutter.
The person holding your voucher should feel a little spark of anticipation, not a creeping suspicion that there’s a catch.
Think About the Whole Package
A beautifully printed voucher deserves an equally considered home. A matching printed envelope, a simple gift wallet, or a small branded sleeve takes the whole thing to another level — and makes it genuinely giftable straight off the shelf without any additional wrapping required.
For businesses selling vouchers online or in person, point-of-sale display matters too. A small printed counter display or gift card holder positioned near your till or reception desk does the selling for you. Customers who had no intention of buying a voucher often pick one up because it caught their eye at the right moment.
Don’t Just Bring Them Out at Christmas
Here’s a missed opportunity many businesses fall into — treating gift vouchers as a seasonal product. In reality, vouchers sell year-round. Birthdays happen every month. Anniversaries, thank-yous, leaving presents, and treat-yourself moments don’t follow a calendar.
Keep your vouchers in stock, keep them visible, and make sure your team are comfortable suggesting them whenever the moment is right. A customer who’s happy with your service is often delighted to discover they can share that experience with someone else.
Ready to Create Something Worth Giving?
At Podds Print in Whyteleafe, we produce gift vouchers and gift cards that businesses across Surrey are genuinely proud to sell. From design and paper selection through to finishing and packaging, we’ll help you create something that reflects the quality of what you do.
Talk to our team today and let’s make your vouchers impossible to ignore.