York Business Improvement District (Bid) unveil new digital technology to make supporting local this Christmas easier than ever.
The new technology allows organisations to distribute digital e-card York Gift Cards to their staff, clients, and customers online.
Previously, organisations were only able to issue physical York Gift Cards as rewards.
The York Gift Card is a prepaid Mastercard that can be used in person like a debit or credit card in over 350 businesses in the city centre, including shopping, food and drink, and entertainment.
York Bid launched the not-for-profit scheme in October 2019 to support businesses by encouraging footfall to York and locking money into the city centre.
The improvements to the digital York Gift Card make supporting local this Christmas easier than ever. Organisations can now send digital York Gift Cards to multiple people at once, and can choose whether to send gift cards immediately or at a future date.
With the new technology, recipients will receive an email with an activation code and instructions to download the Love Local app and add the gift card to their digital wallet, and can ‘tap to pay’ with the 350 businesses who are part of the York Gift Card.
Carl Alsop, operations manager at York Bid, said: “We know that at this time of year, organisations are beginning to think about how to reward their staff for Christmas. Our aim with the digital enhancements is to make it easy for organisations to support local this Christmas by choosing a reward option that ensures their investment is locked into the local community.
“For organisations already using physical York Gift Cards for their team, the digital option presents a new opportunity to reward their team with an e-card that can be delivered on a date and time of their choosing, taking the headache out of choosing a gift.”
And York Gift Cards aren’t just for organisations – they also make the ideal present for those hard-to-buy-for people in your life.
Find out more about the York Gift Card and the full list of the 350 businesses here.