February 6, 2008
Coverage Initiated on JetBlue Gift Cards
JetBlue Airways is a low cost airline servicing major US cities and destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico. They offer gift cards in any amount from $10 up to $1000 in either plastic or digital format. In addition, gift cards are available in denominations of $50, $100 and $200 from retail locations, such as grocery stores, throughout the country. 
Initial data on JetBlue gift card transactions on eBay indicates that 42 gift cards were sold over the past 150 days with a median resale value of 88% and an average resale value of 84%. The most common denomination of JetBlue gift cards sold was $25. Continue reading…
Readers' Comment (2) | Filed under: Travel & Lodging
November 19, 2007
World’s Most Expensive Holiday Gift Card
If you have a cool $5 million (yes, that a M with six zeroes) to spurge, then you might want to consider giving your loved ones, friends, or business associates the ultimate status symbol gift card, the Holiday DreamCard from Halcyon Jets. The Holiday DreamCard allows the recipient an unparalleled level of opulence and convenience in travel aboard private jets. In addition, a certified Private Aviation Specialist and personal concierge will also be provided to assist with the travel, dining and entertainment needs.
Comment now » | Filed under: Travel & Lodging
November 7, 2007
Review of Comdata 2007 Study on Gift Card Trends
Last week, Comdata, based in Brentwood, Tennessee and a wholly own subsidiary of Ceridian Corporation (NYSE:CEN), released their fifth annual survey on gift card trends for 2007 (PDF, ~1MB). The 145 page PDF document is chock-full of information about gift card trends in purchase behavior, usage habits, attributes & enhancements, and expected 2007 holiday season purchases. The document also summarizes findings, provides recommendations, lists survey respondents’ characteristics, and documents the questionnaire utilized. Anyone serious about gift card trends should comb through the PDF in greater detail.
Figure 1. Gift Cards Purchased for Others in 2007
Readers' Comment (2) | Filed under: Trends
November 3, 2007
Gift Cards Sold in October 2007
Overall, 12,264 gift cards were sold on eBay for the month of October. On average, 396 gift cards were sold per day. Mondays continue to have the highest number of transactions during the week. However, during the last week of October (dark purple, Week 5), Tuesday had higher volume than Monday. Traditionally, Fridays have lowest transactions per day averages, except for the Friday in Week 1 (light blue).
Comment now » | Filed under: Trends
October 30, 2007
GiftCardLab.com: New Twist on an Old Strategy
Back in September, we began to hear buzz around GiftCardLab.com through RSS feeds and blogs. We initially thought the buzz was part of a coordinated viral campaign to increase brand awareness. Today BusinessWeek, a major weekly business publication, picked up on the buzz and published an informative piece about them. The article is definitely worth reading as it provides insight into what GiftCardLab.com is about. It also reiterates a lot of the same things we’ve been warning about, pitfalls with prepaid bank gift cards. What GiftCardLab.com is offering is basically an old strategy with a new twist.
Readers' Comment (6) | Filed under: Analysis
October 29, 2007
Apple Gift Cards Not Allowed for iPhone Purchases
Over the weekend, Apple introduced a new policy of no longer accepting cash for iPhone purchases and limiting sales of iPhones to two per person. The main reason provided by Apple was to prevent people from reselling iPhones and unlocking the phone so it can be used on other networks besides AT&T. Furthermore, news and blog sites are also reporting that Apple gift cards cannot be used to purchase iPhones, because Apple considers Apple gift cards to be in the same category as cash. Continue reading…
Comment now » | Filed under: Tips
October 28, 2007
DirectSites, Inc Purchases Office Building
DirectSites Inc., owner of GiftCards.com LCC , has purchased the Carpenters Council office building at 495 Mansfield Ave. for $1.2 million, according to records filed with the Allegheny County property records. While the exact detail of the transaction is not available to us to analyze thoroughly, we can safely assume that DirectSites is experiencing strong organic growth in order to obtain financing for or to purchase a $1 million property out right. The 19,200 square foot office building is located in Green Tree, Pennsylvania and sold for roughly $63 per square foot, which is a substantial sum. Continue reading…
Comment now » | Filed under: Analysis
