Now You See It: A Burgeoning Gift Card Program

Over the past year, the number of bookstores participating in the Book Sense Gift Card Program has more than doubled and that number continues to grow as booksellers heed reports from their fellow booksellers and from the media about significant increases in sales when stores begin selling gift cards. Now, Book Sense is making available to booksellers a downloadable PDF listing all the bookstores participating in the gift card program.

Not only is the list, which will be updated on a regular basis, a testament to the ever-burgeoning consumer demand for gift cards, it is a handy way let consumers know that their Book Sense Gift Card can be readily redeemed in independent bookstores across the nation or online with a click of the mouse.

The current list shows 266 participating bookstores in 45 states that have signed up for the Book Sense Gift Card program as of October 18, 2004. Some stores on the list may be in the process of establishing the program in their stores or on their Web sites. To access the store list, click here.

For those booksellers who have not yet joined the gift card program, it's not too late to sign up and receive gift cards by early December -- in time for the holiday rush. Book Sense gift cards with store logos require 15 working days once all paperwork (including a signed agreement, ACH information, and completed card orders -- with logos or type treatments meeting art specs) is received. Generic cards ship in 7 - 10 working days. (To review a PDF of art specs before submitting a logo or type treatment, click here.)

A downloadable gift card order form is available at www.bookweb.org/read/6372, and for the latest information about the Book Sense Gift Card program, go to www.bookweb.org/read/6303.

Participating booksellers can order additional cards at booksenseorders.givex.com. A user name and password are necessary to reorder.

To read about booksellers' gift card success stories, click here.

Questions about the Book Sense Gift Certificate and Gift Card programs should be addressed to ABA Marketing Director Jill Perlstein at [email protected] or (800) 637-0037, ext. 1283.