What Merchants Miss When They Ignore Bulk Gift Cards as a B2B Channel
Written by Osama Lialy, CEO & Co-Founder at Giftek
When speaking with merchants across different industries in Egypt, one assumption comes up repeatedly: gift cards are seen as a consumer product, mainly sold in-store or during seasonal promotions. What many merchants miss is that the largest and most consistent demand for gift cards doesn’t come from individuals — it comes from companies. This blind spot costs merchants a powerful B2B revenue channel.
The demand merchants don’t see
Companies in Egypt are constantly looking for ways to:
- Reward employees
- Incentivize sales teams
- Run promotions and referral programs
As we discussed in our previous article on employee rewards in Egypt, many companies are moving away from cash and manual vouchers toward digital alternatives that are easier to manage and track.
That demand already exists.
The issue is that most merchants are not structured to capture it.
B2B gift cards are fundamentally different
Selling gift cards to individuals is unpredictable:
- Seasonal spikes
- Small basket sizes
- High marketing effort
B2B gift cards behave differently.
From what we’ve observed, corporate orders typically mean:
- Bulk volumes (hundreds or thousands of cards)
- Repeat demand throughout the year
- Prepaid revenue before redemption happens
Yet many merchants still treat gift cards as an afterthought instead of a growth channel.
Operational barriers stop merchants from scaling
When merchants attempt to sell gift cards to companies manually, problems appear quickly:
- No bulk issuance process
- Manual code generation
- Invoicing handled outside systems
- No tracking of redemptions
This creates friction on both sides.
Companies want speed and reliability.
Merchants end up declining opportunities not because demand is low, but because operations can’t keep up.
Why bulk gift cards change the equation
Bulk digital gift cards remove these barriers completely.
With the right setup, merchants can:
- Issue hundreds of gift cards instantly
- Brand them with their own identity
- Track redemption without manual work
- Receive funds upfront
More importantly, bulk gift cards allow merchants to plug directly into corporate reward flows.
Instead of chasing individual consumers, merchants become part of how companies reward and engage employees.
The long-term value merchants underestimate
There’s another layer many merchants overlook: customer behavior.
Employees redeeming gift cards are not random visitors.
They are:
- Introduced to the brand through trust
- More likely to return
- Often spending beyond the gift card value
This turns gift cards into both a revenue tool and a customer acquisition channel.
Where white-labeling makes the difference
For merchants serious about B2B growth, branding matters.
White-label bulk gift cards allow merchants to:
- Control how their brand is presented
- Align with corporate campaigns
- Maintain ownership of the customer experience
This is why bulk gift cards should be treated as a product, not a promotion.
(We’ll explore this further in our upcoming article on white-label gift cards for merchants.)
Why we built Giftek for merchants
These patterns are exactly why we built Giftek’s merchant solutions.
Giftek enables merchants to:
- Offer bulk digital gift cards
- Support corporate demand at scale
- Track usage without operational overhead
By connecting merchants directly to companies looking for rewards, bulk gift cards stop being an occasional sale and become a recurring B2B channel.
Final thought
Merchants who ignore bulk gift cards are not avoiding complexity — they’re avoiding growth.
In a market like Egypt, where companies are actively searching for digital reward options, merchants who prepare early will be the ones capturing long-term value.
Bulk gift cards are not a side feature.
They are a channel.