Tattoo gift cards: how shops can sell them without the hassle
A tattoo gift card lets someone give a tattoo without choosing the design. The buyer pays an amount, the receiver books the session they want and the amount is deducted from the price. For shops, gift cards bring in sales around holidays and birthdays, and often a new client. This guide covers how to set them up: amounts, rules, redeeming and selling them online.
Why gift cards suit tattoo shops
A tattoo is personal. Most people would never choose a design for someone else, but many would happily pay towards one. A gift card solves that: the giver chooses an amount, the receiver chooses the artist, the design and the date.
For the shop, a gift card is a sale today and, often, a new client tomorrow. Many receivers have never been to your shop before. A good experience turns them into a returning client.
Decide what a gift card can be used for
Before you sell your first card, decide how it can be redeemed:
- For a tattoo session: deducted from the final price
- For a deposit: so the receiver can book without paying upfront
- In your webshop: for aftercare, prints or merch
- For flash: to claim a design from a sheet
The more ways a card can be used, the more attractive it is to give. Be clear about any exceptions, for example whether a card can be used for a deposit on a large multi-session project.
Fixed amounts or free amounts?
Fixed amounts are easy to choose and look good as a gift. A few steps work well, for example a small amount for a flash piece and larger amounts for custom work. Free amounts let buyers match a specific plan. Many shops offer both: a few suggested amounts plus a custom amount.
Avoid selling cards for "one tattoo" without an amount. Tattoo prices vary a lot by size and complexity, and a card without a value leads to awkward conversations later.
Validity and rules
Write the rules on the card and on your website:
- How long the card is valid
- Whether it can be used in parts, with the remaining balance kept
- Whether it can be exchanged for cash (usually not)
- What happens if it is lost
Rules on gift card validity differ by country. Check what applies to your business, and when in doubt ask your accountant or industry association. This article is not legal advice.
Keep track of balances
Paper vouchers in a drawer are easy to lose track of. You want to know which cards were sold, which have been used and what balance is still open, also for your bookkeeping at the end of the year. A unique code per card makes that possible: you look up the code when the client comes in and deduct the amount.
Selling gift cards online
Most gift cards are bought last minute, often in the evening. If buyers have to visit the shop during opening hours, many won't. Selling them online on your own website means:
- Buyers choose an amount and pay online, any time of day
- The card arrives by e-mail, ready to print or forward
- The payment goes straight to your account
Gift cards on OnlineTattoo.art: coming soon
Tattoo gift cards are in development as an add-on on OnlineTattoo.art. The plan: buyers choose a fixed or custom amount on your site and pay online; the card arrives by e-mail as a printable PDF in your shop's style, with a personal message and a unique code. The code can be used for a session, a deposit or in your webshop, with partial use possible and an overview of open balances. Payments go to your own Mollie or Stripe account, without commission.
You can follow the status on the pricing page under add-ons. Shops that tell us they need gift cards help us decide what to build first.
What you can do today
Until the add-on is live, some shops sell a gift voucher as a product in their tattoo webshop and send the receiver a code by hand. It takes more manual work, but it lets you sell online straight away.
Gift cards and deposits
Gift cards and deposits work well together. A receiver can use the card to pay the deposit, so the appointment is secured without extra cost. Make sure your deposit rules also apply to bookings paid with a gift card, so there are no surprises if the appointment is cancelled. We wrote about writing those rules in our article on setting a tattoo deposit policy.
Promote gift cards at the right moments
- Before the winter holidays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day
- In your newsletter: a short mail with a link to buy a card. A newsletter built into your website lets you send it to everyone who signed up on your site.
- At the counter, for clients who come in with a friend
- On your booking page: "Want to give a tattoo? Buy a gift card."
Make redeeming easy
When a receiver books, ask for the code in the booking request so you can check it before the session. On the day, deduct the amount from the final price and tell the client what balance is left, if any. A smooth first visit is what turns a gift into a regular client. A booking request form with a field for a gift card code keeps everything in one place.
Checklist
- Decide what the card can be used for: sessions, deposits, webshop, flash
- Offer a few fixed amounts plus a free amount
- Write clear rules on validity and partial use
- Use a unique code per card and track balances
- Sell online, with delivery by e-mail
- Promote before holidays and in your newsletter
Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
