From Zero to +12,900 Gift Cards a Year: How Hays Travel Turned Gift Cards into a Powerful Revenue Stream

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Hays Travel transformed their outdated gift card system with LoyLap’s seamless integration into their existing POS. The new digital solution eliminated manual errors and streamlined operations across all locations. Staff can now process gift cards with ease, directly from their booking interface. Since launch, gift cards have become a strong, revenue-driving channel for UK's biggest travel agency.

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Overview

 Hays Travel is the UK’s largest independent travel agency, with over 500 branches across the country. Headquartered in Sunderland, the company operates nationwide, offering a wide range of travel services. 

Hays Travel already offers a wide range of services — from holiday packages and flights to cruises and travel insurance — but they wanted to take it a step further. Their goal was to give customers the freedom to gift any of these experiences, easily and on their own terms.

The Challenge

Hays Travel was relying on a pen-and-paper system to manage gift cards —  a process that was outdated, error-prone, and risky for such a large operation. Mistakes and miscalculations had the potential to seriously impact revenue.

On top of that, staff needed a way to process gift card transactions directly through the same system they used to book holidays, without juggling extra devices or platforms.

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The Outcome

Revolutionising the Holiday Package Experience

LoyLap stepped in with a smart, seamless solution. By integrating our web-based Merchant App directly into Hays Travel’s existing POS system, staff can now sell and redeem gift cards effortlessly — all from the same interface. 

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Results Speak For Themselves!

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Gift Cards Sales Since Launch:

Since going live in November 2023, Hays Travel has processed over 12,900 gift card transactions, with an average load of £331.72. By integrating digital gift cards into their existing booking system, the process became simple for both staff and customers — no extra tools, no friction, just a smoother way to manage sales and redemptions.

These results highlight more than just operational improvement. Gift cards have become a reliable revenue stream and a practical way to engage both new and returning customers. The strong average value per card shows that customers are willing to invest in travel experiences, whether for themselves or as gifts, all made easier through a flexible, digital-first approach.

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Nearly 3,000 Gift Cards Sold Over the Holidays:

During the holiday season (Nov 1 – Jan 31), Hays Travel sold over 2,800 digital gift cards — making up nearly 22% of all gift card sales.

This wasn’t by chance. By launching an easy-to-buy, easy-to-send digital gift card option, Hays positioned themselves as the perfect travel gift during the busiest shopping period of the year.

The results? Big impact. Not only did Hays boost holiday sales, but they turned gift cards into a smart customer growth strategy. Past customers returned to gift travel experiences, while recipients became new potential holiday bookers.

Even better, Hays attracted first-time gift card buyers who were actively searching online for meaningful holiday gifts,  bringing entirely new customers into their brand.

 

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OVERVIEW

Florence Coffee Co., Montana’s favourite drive-thru café, wanted to launch a 2-day campaign to increase cash flow through customer top-ups on their mobile app.

CHALLENGE

Launch a limited-time Leap Year Campaign, encouraging customers to load $100 into their app by offering 29% credit-back.

OUTCOME

92,115 push notifications sent⁣, 509 customers topped up⁣, and $59,922 funds loaded.

Join thousands of business who are already thriving with LoyLap technology

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EnhancedPayments

Enhanced Payments

Customers got more out of every transaction. Offers such as 13% credit on top ups greater than $50, incentivised their customers to switch over.

Management

Centralized Management

Every customer transaction and interaction was now managed using a centralized LoyLap dashboard.

POS

POS Integragtion

Our integration with your POS means all data is integrated into one system to make it easier for your team to manage

Reconciliation

Easy Reconciliation

Florence Coffee Co saved considerable man hours on end of day reconciliation as the system would automatically send reports.

EffectiveResults

Industry leading and effective results

At LoyLap we don’t just provide the technology, we make sure the technology is the right match for your business and its customers. Florence Coffee Co now has over 15k app downloads and over 700 five star reviews; it is clear that the impact has been overwhelmingly positive for both Florence Coffee Co and its customers.

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