Brighton’s unique shopping, dining and leisure experience will soon be accessible through a gift card for the city – and businesses are being urged to sign up to accept the card free
Brilliant Brighton has unveiled plans for a new gift card for the city that can be spent like a debit card with shops, restaurants and leisure venues, in a first of its kind collaboration with Brighton based Tillo, whose innovative platform connects consumers to brands they love using the power of digital gift cards.
Working alongside Brilliant Brighton, Tillo is sponsoring the Brilliant Brighton Gift Card as a means to drive local spend in the city, give employers a local choice for employee rewards, and help independent businesses and national brands to collaborate through one gift card.
Set to launch in May, the Brighton Gift Card will work through the Mastercard system, with all types and sizes of businesses in The Lanes, North Laine, East Street, North Street, Preston Street and Western Road eligible to accept the card, and no additional equipment required.
Gavin Stewart is CEO at Brilliant Brighton and said the new gift card will drive footfall and spend for Brighton’s businesses:
“A gift card that represents Brighton is something we’ve wanted to introduce for some time. Brighton has an amazing array of national and independent businesses creating an experience that just isn’t available anywhere else. The Brilliant Brighton Gift Card will essentially be like our own currency and a celebration of all that is unique in our city.
“The gift card is a way that we can give back to our businesses in Brighton by encouraging local spend, it will also drive tourism and be a way that employers in the area can reward and incentivise their staff. What Brighton businesses need to do now is register to accept the card, free. It’s a route to new customers, increased footfall and repeat visits.”
Alex Preece, CEO and co-founder of Tillo said the card will allow Brighton to funnel some of the £5.6 billion annual B2B gift card spend to the city:
“I co-founded Tillo in Brighton 7 years ago to enable organisations to deliver rewards and incentives from the brands people love, using the power of digital gift cards. When it comes to gift card spending, people often gravitate to the same 20-30 brands. As a Brighton headquartered business, I’ve been thinking about how to drive money locally using gift cards, so when the opportunity came up for us to sponsor a gift card purely for Brighton that could be used with both national brands and independents, it was a no brainer.
“As well as being available for people to buy online, the Brighton Gift Card will sit within our gift card catalogue, so the buyers in our network will have the option to promote it within their corporate initiatives. Instead of buying a gift card for Amazon or a single retailer, employers can use the Brighton Gift Card, giving their employee the gift of choice and ensuring the benefit of their investment stays local. B2B gift card spending is worth £5.6 billion annually, growing at 12% per year, the Brighton Gift Card is a gateway for Brighton to capture some of that corporate spend.
“Usually, there is no way for small independent businesses to work with big brands but the Brighton Gift Card gives them a way to do just that. It will feature the most well-loved brands in Brighton with local favourites and, as we are sponsoring the card, it is free for businesses to be a part of the Brighton Gift Card. Brighton is a big city which offers a unique lifestyle and has had an influx of new residents and new investment. It’s time for us to have our own gift card so we can drive more revenue locally and make our city the best it can be.”
Once launched, both physical and digital versions of the Brighton Gift Card will be available. Accessibility of the digital version of the Brighton Gift Card is vital, says Alex:
“Digital payments are ubiquitous now and both consumers and organisations are looking for payments to be as clean and simple as they can be. The ability to buy a digital Brighton Gift Card, load it onto your phone, and pull out your phone to pay is what customers both want and expect and that’s what we help support.”
Fintech Miconex, founders of the award winning Town & City Gift Card concept is providing the technology for the Brighton Gift Card.
Managing director Colin Munro said the partnership between Brilliant Brighton and Tillo paves the way for future collaborations:
“The collaboration between Brilliant Brighton and Tillo is exciting. Tillo processes a billion pounds of gift card transactions each year, helping businesses to use digital gift cards as a way to distribute funds and reward staff, with a focus on keeping money in retail. And now they are putting that experience and knowledge into the Brighton Gift Card, working alongside Brilliant Brighton to make the city’s proposition more accessible for locals, visitors and employers.
“From its unique shopping areas to its cosmopolitan seafront, eclectic foodie scene to quirky attractions, Brighton has a pull that’s all its own, bringing in £370 million in tourism in 2020. A city this dynamic needs a platform to showcase its success and the Brighton Gift Card will do just that. It’s a local currency for the city that brings together all types and sizes of businesses together behind one gift card, creating the ultimate multi-store gift card.
“This is a game-changing collaboration between a business improvement district and an organisation that is taking an active role in supporting Brighton’s economy for the benefit of its businesses, and one that could be replicated in towns and cities around the UK and Ireland.”
Brilliant Brighton businesses can sign up free to accept the Brighton Gift Card here.
