Buying gift cards from local businesses is one way to keep more holiday spending in the St. Louis economy. It puts money toward independent restaurants and shops while giving friends and family a reason to check them out. But choosing a gift card can be tricky when you don’t know someone’s favorite spot. GiftBetter, a St. Louis-based gifting platform, lets you give a local gift card without having to guess where the recipient would most like to spend it.
“People and businesses spend a lot of money on gift cards every year,” says founder Mark Sawyier, a St. Louis transplant and entrepreneur. “And less than 10% of that spend is currently going to local, small businesses.”
Sawyier estimates that $2 billion in gift cards is purchased annually in the St. Louis region, with the majority of that spending going to national and global brands. GiftBetter aims to keep more of those dollars in the local economy.
The idea grew out of Sawyier’s previous business, Bonfyre, an employee-engagement software company that offers gift cards from hundreds of national and international brands. When customers expressed interest in local options, Sawyier began exploring how to bring those businesses into the mix.
Through GiftBetter, shoppers choose a gift amount between $10 and $500, select a local business and personalize their gift with a message, photo or video. Recipients can keep the original selection or exchange it for gift cards from other participating businesses. They can even split the value among multiple spots.
The catalog includes restaurants, coffee shops and retailers around St. Louis, including Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co., Extra Wavy, Hi-Pointe Drive-In, Niche Food Group, O + O Hospitality Group, Bengelina Hospitality Group, AO&Co. and Parker’s Table.
Digital gifts can be delivered by email and scheduled for a future date, making them useful for planned celebrations or last-minute gifting. Those who prefer something tangible can order custom physical cards featuring their own photos or designs. For December gifting, orders must be placed by Nov. 30. The cards arrive blank, so givers can load the gift amount when they’re ready to pass them along.
For participating businesses, GiftBetter serves as another sales channel for their existing gift card programs. Merchants can sign up for free and connect compatible existing gift card systems, including Toast, Square and Shopify. They pay a fee only when gift cards sell through the platform, with no subscription costs.
Gift card sales can provide local businesses with cash flow during the holiday season, helping carry them through slower months at the start of the year. “The best gift is one people actually use,” Sawyier said. “Letting them choose means the card doesn’t sit in a drawer. It turns into a dinner out, or an afternoon somewhere they’ve been meaning to try.”
With the holiday shopping season approaching, GiftBetter hopes to keep more gift card spending in St. Louis by making it easier for shoppers to choose local businesses over national chains. For recipients, it means getting to pick their own favorite spots; for local restaurants and shops, it’s another opportunity to bring customers through the door. Learn more at GiftBetter.com.