Bristol-based communications agency Purplefish is promoting the work of gift card business Gift Up! in providing a lifeline to thousands of firms which have been forced to stop trading following government lockdowns around the world.

The online platform provider, based at UWE’s Future Space, is offering its innovative service free of charge in an initiative that will enable companies worldwide to continue to bring in revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tech concept, which allows businesses to create virtual gift cards for their products to be sold via any company website, in any native currency, is fully automated and operates in every country across the globe.

With the outbreak of coronavirus leaving business owners across the world with stunted revenue streams due to cancellations and closures, the Gift Up! model provides an optimum alternative method of generating income.

When a gift card is purchased via Gift Up!, merchants are credited with the money immediately, rather than having to wait until the product or service is redeemed by the recipient, providing financial support to relieve the cashflow crisis faced by firms worldwide.

This comes during a boom in gift card sales during recent weeks as consumers look to take advantage of deals and offers to be redeemed once closures are lifted.

Whilst Gift Up! usually takes a cut of each gift card sold, founders Lee Tracey and Alex Allen are offering up to $5000 in gift card revenue free of any fees whatsoever, to any business in any country, as a goodwill gesture during this period of global pandemic.

The software-building duo, who started the company in 2017 and now handle gift card sales for over 15,000 customers internationally, have partnered with Eventbrite and Stripe and count amongst their clients the likes of BrewDog and Nordic Choice Hotels as well as thousands of smaller local-based businesses all over the world.

The average Gift Up! business customer generates $10,000 annually in revenue, with its largest client reaping in $1m a year through its sales of online gift cards.

Commenting on the initiative, Gift Up! co-founder Lee Tracey, said: “We’ve found ourselves in an incredibly unique position amid the COVID-19 crisis to make a huge difference to the lives of business owners across the world through our platform.

“For the first time in our lifetime, we’ve crafted some software that can genuinely play a part in affecting the success or failure of companies that have nowhere else to turn right now, and that’s an amazing thing to be able to do.

“Gift Up! is perfect for any kind of business, from manicures to massages; jukebox tokens to ten-pin bowling; overnight stays to open-air gigs, we’ve seen it all. If you’re affected by the shutdown and can no longer service your customers, Gift Up! can help.

“We’ve had customers getting in touch to say that Gift Up! is literally going to save their business. We urge firms to take full advantage of our offer and to spread the word far and wide – we want to help as many people as possible.”

Business owner and Gift Up! customer Victoria Armstrong set up her massage company in 2011 and has felt the financial hit of the coronavirus since closing completely in compliance with social distancing regulations.

“It’s a crazy time for service-led businesses like Bristol Massage Therapy, having to shut up shop and essentially cutting off our income entirely as we physically cannot continue in the circumstances.

“Gift Up! has provided a safety net for us in enabling our customers to purchase massages to be redeemed in the future – as a gift for somebody else or banking it for themselves once this is all over.

“We have loyal customers who want to support us through this time and I’ve been able to provide them with a simple way to do that through Gift Up!.

“The ease is outstanding – it is truly a hands-off, stress-free process and I encourage other business owners to sign-up to continue to protect themselves for the future by generating much-needed income.”

To find out more about the Gift Up! COVID-19 initiative, visit www.giftupapp.com/covid19

About Purplefish

Purplefish is a creative communications agency