What’s Best: Custom-Printed or Generic Gift Cards?

Last Updated: 

June 4, 2025

Gift cards are a critical part of any business’s offerings to customers. You can advertise your business to people who have never even shopped with you when you create gift cards that your current clients can share with friends and family. There are various ways to get access to gift cards, and you might not be sure which is the right option for your marketing needs.

Print customised gift cards if you want to ensure that you are making a great impression each time someone gets given a gift card from your company. While generic cards can do the trick, there are lots of reasons that printing customised cards is important. You can work toward branding your business with things like customised gift cards.

a stack of beautifully wrapped gifts
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Key Takeaways on Custom Printed Gift Cards

  1. Branding extends to every touchpoint: Customised gift cards allow your business to maintain consistent branding even in small details, making your brand instantly recognisable.
  2. First impressions matter: A branded gift card is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your business, so make it count with a well-designed, clear card.
  3. Generic cards can cause confusion: Without branding, recipients may not know which business the card belongs to, lowering the chance of redemption.
  4. Drive curiosity and visibility: Custom gift cards spark interest when seen by others, increasing the reach of your brand organically through visual exposure.
  5. Promotional versatility: Branded cards work well as inclusions in swag bags, giveaways, and events, functioning as both a gift and a marketing tool.
  6. Encourage actual usage: Clear labelling and appealing design increase the likelihood that the recipient will use the card, rather than forgetting or discarding it.
  7. Small details show professionalism: Investing in custom design reflects a thoughtful, established business, enhancing credibility in the eyes of potential customers.
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Reasons to Pick Customised Gift Cards Over Generic Ones

Generic gift cards can be helpful for many businesses, but they might not make the kind of impression that you are looking for. You want to make sure that every bit of your outreach is done with branding in mind. Branding is one of those things that you need to do whenever you can, and your gift cards should help you in this effort as well.

1. Branding For Your Business

Your business branding needs to be included in everything that you do for your company. Every ad, every piece of marketing merchandise, and every bit of outreach that you do needs to be branded so that existing customers and new clients can tell what your brand stands for. When you create customised gift cards, you make it easy to carry your branding over into this aspect of your business as well.

Remember that people who get gift cards for your business might never have heard of your company before. When you create custom-printed gift cards, the first impression of your business that a potential new customer will have is a branded one. The other benefit is that the gift card that they have in their hand will clearly indicate what it is for. There is nothing more annoying than a generic gift card that isn’t clearly linked to any company.

Making sure that potential new, loyal customers can tell what your brand is all about at a glance matters. Your gift card will be much more attractive to use if it is branded for your company, and you will make a much better first impression on these new consumers when you offer them a branded gift card.

brightly-coloured gift bags
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2. Helps Create Interest

When you send out marketing materials into the world, you show other people what your business is about. When your existing loyal customer base gets a gift card for someone or even for themselves, other people see it. The more people who see information about your brand and get interested in what it’s all about, the better. A gift card can help to create general interest for your brand, which is why it’s ideal to offer your gift cards as swag bag inclusions and so much more.

Anything that you can brand with your business information should be created this way. Gift cards are a critical aspect of your branding efforts, and they can help to drive interest and engagement with your company.

3. Recognition

Beyond brand recognition, you want to be sure that it’s clear that your gift cards are actually gift cards. Blank cards can be really hard to recognise as gift cards, especially if they are handed out as a thank-you present or in a gift bag with other items. You want to be sure that your gift cards are clearly labelled as what they are, so that they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Gift cards that state what your brand is about and are obviously gift cards will be much more likely to be used by customers and will be much less likely to be accidentally thrown out with gift wrap or other items in a bag because they are too generic.

Making customised gift cards can be a huge part of your promotional efforts for your business, and it can also help you to make a good impression on new people who might become clients. Your cards will stand out from the other items that are in swag bags or gift boxes and be clearly marked as what they are.

When you pay attention to detail like this, you make sure that your business makes a good impression. Custom-printed cards are easy to have made for your business and worth the investment in your company if you want it to thrive. Truly professional businesses think of these little details and ensure that they are in place to create a favourable impression and get the word out about the company.

a thank you card
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Customised Gift Cards Are Important For Any Business

When it comes to promoting a business, you need to make sure that you brand every aspect of your company whenever possible. Gift cards are an important part of your business outreach, and they can help you to market your company with ease. Gift cards are almost always given to people who are not yet customers. You want to make a good impression on them in every way so that they become loyal to your brand from that first purchase onward.

Gift cards that state what your business is all about are ideal when you use them to offer gifts in swag bags and as promotional items as well. No one should have to guess what kind of card they are holding when they get a gift card from your business. Generic cards can get lost in the shuffle, which is why ensuring that your gift cards demonstrate what your business is all about is so critical in most cases. There is no reason not to work hard to promote your business whenever you get the chance and gift cards can help to get the word out while also making a great impression on your existing clients and loyal customers.

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