PayPal offers digital gift cards on storefront

Dean Blake

4th Sep 2018

PayPal has announced a new online storefront where customers can purchase digital gift cards from some of Australia’s largest retailers, such as Ebay, JB Hi-Fi, Rebel Sports, The Iconic, Catch, Myer, Netflix, Woolworths and Jetstar.

Customers can purchase, store and send gift cards through the digital storefront, which PayPal has been positioned as an environmentally-friendly offering.

“With gift cards being one of the most popular gifts given by Australians, they are an important part of our gift-giving culture, especially as we head towards the busy Christmas season,” PayPal Australia’s consumer marketing strategy and social media lead Emily Curlewis said.

“However, it is clear Australians are becoming more environmentally conscious, and this is now translating to their shopping and gift-giving experiences.”

Digital gift card provider Prezzee has offered a similar service since 2015, while Stocard has sought to do away with plastic loyalty cards.

According to PayPal, Australians waste 140 tonnes of plastic on gift cards each year, with over a quarter of Australians (27 per cent) having not redeemed a plastic gift card in the past year, either because they forgot about it (36 per cent), the card expired (32 per cent) or there was nothing they wanted to use the card on (28 per cent).

“It’s wonderful to see that mobile and ecommerce trends are also working to create a more sustainable future,” Curlewis continued.

“The outmoding of plastic gift cards is just one small step of many towards achieving a future that embraces both technology and sustainability.”

PayPal is the latest in a slew of retailers taking steps to reduce their use of plastic as position themselves as environmentally-friendly organisations, as consumers place greater emphasis on sustainability.