If you’ve ever forgotten somebody’s birthday, had to buy a gift for the friend who has everything or waited in line to return an ugly shirt from Aunt Beryle, then you know the power of gift cards.

Gift cards make gift giving easy, and for most retailers, they add another dimension to the store — customers can shop without fear of buying the wrong gift and retailers can communicate with customers they didn’t know they had.
  This Retailer’s Guide offers some ideas to help you incorporate a gift card program into your store mix and market these neat little sales tools to customers new and old.