Sales of the Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card continue to go from strength to strength with 82 local businesses now accepting it as payment in store.
The Ilkley Gift Card, an initiative by the Ilkley Business Improvement District with technology provided by FinTech Miconex, launched in Ilkley in June 2022 to encourage local shopping and provide support for local businesses. Since then, £11,000 worth of cards have been purchased to be redeemed in any of the participating businesses which include shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, hair and beauty salons, services and leisure attractions.
The Ilkley BID team is now encouraging consumers to ‘support local this Christmas’ as well as reduce waste and avoid the risk of buying unwanted gifts by treating a loved one to an Ilkley gift card as a Christmas present this year.
In data from Miconex, based on research with 1500 organisations, employees and consumers in August 2022, consumers stated that they would buy gift cards as a means of reducing the waste of unwanted gifts with 33% saying that they have chosen gift cards as presents because they’re easier to buy and send. It reduces the costs of packaging and delivering gifts and can often reduce the cost of overall spending on Christmas presents. 24% also said that buying gift cards saves time in searching for gifts.
Furthermore, in a recent poll of 2,000 adults as part of research conducted by Smart Energy GB, more than a third of Brits (36 per cent) say they are prepared to spend more on their Christmas shopping, if necessary, in order to support local retailers over the festive season. More than half (51 per cent) see their local businesses as an important part of the community, with 56 per cent wanting to put money back into the local economy.
And as many as two-thirds (67 per cent) consider a local business owner a friend – and 46 per cent would be sorry to see a local retailer forced to close, with six in ten feeling concerned about their independent retailers.
Despite the rising cost-of-living and tough economic outlook this winter, nearly four in five adults (78 per cent) still feel it is important to shop locally over the Christmas period.
Lisa Drake, Project Coordinator for Ilkley BID says: “The desire to ‘love where you live’ is as strong as ever and the research shows that people really value their local retailers and are keen so support them this Christmas. Our Ilkley Gift Card is fantastic for keeping money in the town, and it’s a perfect gift to give and receive due to the wide selection of retailers and businesses for the recipient to choose from, ranging from unique boutiques and shops, jewellers, places to eat and drink, independent bakeries, bars and delis, as well as places to visit such as Ilkley Manor House and Clip ‘n Climb.
“Giving an Ilkley Gift Card is a way to give a loved one ultimate choice in how they spend and enjoy their present and avoid wasteful gifting, whilst locking in spend into our local area. It’s a win/win.”
Consumers can buy the card pre-loaded with any value from £5 to £500 at the Visitor Information Centre or they can pick up a card at selected retailers to load at home as well as buying online at www.ilkleygiftcard.co.uk.
All the details can be found on the Discover Ilkley website: www.discoverilkley.co.uk
