IC&G’s first class promotions

Publisher continues belief in indie retailers with huge Christmas launch and incentives

 

International Cards & Gifts has hit the new year running with first-class promotions for its 2025 Christmas ranges.

Following the successful product launches just before the recent festive break – where a 20% increase in the size of the Christmas collection year on year with 90% new designs were unveiled – sales director Allen Taylor is also keeping retailers posted with some innovative incentives.

Above & top: Allen Taylor (second left) and the IC&G team celebrate the Christmas launch
Above & top: Allen Taylor (second left) and the IC&G team celebrate the Christmas launch

As well as a continuation of IC&G’s Believe campaign, there’s the chance for one retailer winner in England, Scotland and Wales, and one in Northern and Southern Ireland to land 150 first-class stamps – worth £247.50 – to give away to customers.

Allen explained: “Back in September while attending the GCA conference, I listened intently to a presentation by a Royal Mail exec who tried to justify the first-class stamp increase to £1.65 each. It hit me how much this could affect our loyal buying public and, in turn, hit our independent retailers, especially those with a customer base of traditional buyers who send Christmas cards and don’t have family close to home to deliver by hand.

“Bending our generous owners Simon and Ian Wagstaff’s arms to further support our trading partners, we’ve launched this incentive in partnership with Cardgains.”

Above: Raynbowed, Conway News and Cards For All Occasions all won IC&G Believe prizes in 2024
Above: Raynbowed, Conway News and Cards For All Occasions all won IC&G Believe prizes in 2024

All IC&G’s existing and new customers who place their orders through the buying group before the end of March 2025 will be entered into a prize draw, plus there’s a separate one for Ireland where Cardgains doesn’t operate.

One lucky winner in each draw will receive the stamps along with a point-of-sale poster to display explaining that the first 150 customers who buy an IC&G Christmas card will be given a first-class stamp free.

“Cardgains represents a high percentage of our trading partners and, on speaking to the buying group’s MD Penny Shaw, it made sense to partner up,” Allen added. “I believe this helps the cause in a small way with Royal Mail’s increase in 2024 of first-class post to £1.65!”

And IC&G’s retail customers are set to receive a second chance to show how much they believe in the publisher’s products with the launch of its Believe campaign for the second year.

Placing a Christmas order before the end of March will see the retailer’s name going in the hat for the draw to win a bespoke festive POS kit, which Cards For All Occasions in Hythe scooped in the 2024 initiative.

Above: Buying from the new catalogue before 31 March could earn a Believe Golden Ticket
Above: Buying from the new catalogue before 31 March could earn a Believe Golden Ticket

Allen said last year’s campaign had been very well received and “the winning customer was delighted with the result”. IC&G is also continuing its “believe in the greetings industry” incentive with its Golden Tickets that are randomly popped into reorders, with any customer who finds one can enjoy the order free of charge or with a large discount.

Last year’s winners included Balloons At Hallmark, Dunfermline; Celtic Company, Welshpool; Charlton Cards, Tenby; Card Heaven, Craigavon; Raynbowed, Stafford; Conway News, Sligo; and Card Gallery, Dublin.

Allen said: “When we presented our Christmas single card offering to our sales teams, this went down very well and, while it’s early in our sales campaign, our retail partners visited to date are loving what they see also. Why wouldn’t you, with 90% brand-new Christmas, full sale or return with no hidden returns fees – as a publisher we’re showing belief in our range and also in our customers.”

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