Representatives of companies selling gift vouchers say that one-day visits to hotels or wellness centers are becoming more popular during the quarantine period, physical gifts and relaxation in nature are preferred. Nevertheless, they note that the company's sales have fallen significantly.
Rūta Domeikaitė Eltai, the marketing manager of the hotel and service platform NoriuNoriuNoriu.lt, said that the number of people who want to use the services provided by the platform is increasing every day.
"We can't compare the numbers we had before the pandemic started, but we can see that our customer activity is increasing day by day. And although people's activities are restricted and hotel activities are limited, we notice that compatriots are willing to plan their vacations in advance. We also offer long-validity offers, as well as free travel card extensions, so visitors are not afraid to purchase travel cards now, but use them as soon as circumstances allow," she said.
R. Domeikaitė said that short-term stays in hotels and wellness services are currently popular.
"Those are extremely popular at the moment hotels, which provide not only accommodation, but also additional services - breakfast or dinner in the room. We notice that people willingly change their environment and try to take a break from their daily routine.
The demand for wellness offers has increased significantly. Compatriots willingly take care of their health and strengthening of immunity. Large spa hotels are not losing their popularity either. Another trend is that people have become even more fond of remote recreation in nature," she said.
According to the representative of "NoriuNoriuNoriu.lt", the quarantine period was quite busy for the company due to the project "Vacation for doctors".
"Although sales fell by more than half during the quarantine period, we had the opportunity to contribute to the project "Vacation for doctors", which was not only intended for the relaxation of medical workers, but also became a huge help to business. A little more than 1800 doctors used our services, and out of 523 companies that participated and absorbed the funds, we are even in 6th place. So the pandemic has become a real working year for us.
For his part, the CEO of Gera Dovana, a gift distribution company, Ernestas Vasiliauskas, said that customers continue to take advantage of the company's offers, but the popularity of instant entertainment has noticeably declined.
"Some customers buy and give entertainment or services as they were used to. (…) Of course, a large number of buyers still want to give such gifts that can be used immediately. Therefore, it is not surprising that the sales of entertainment, which currently cannot be provided by partners, have decreased significantly. This trend is particularly pronounced in the categories of water parks, cinema and theater, where the sales fall by more than 70 percent," he said, adding that "Gera dovana" also offers the option of extending the validity period of gift vouchers or exchanging them.
E. Vasiliauskas noted that during the quarantine period, customers more often choose the option of gifting online services or shopping in specific stores.
"Offers in the hotel, massage and spa, car-motorcycle, and flight categories still remain popular. However, customers, unlike before the quarantines, more often choose gift vouchers from stores that sell things, subscriptions to publications, and services available online. Sales of the "Geras dovanas" optional value gift voucher, which can be exchanged for selected entertainment, also increased," he told Elta.
"Expectations were exceeded by the novelty of our assortment - city gift cards, which provide an opportunity to choose services or goods in shops or service locations located in a specific city," added E. Vasiliauskas.
According to the CEO of Geras Dovanas, the company's sales fell by almost a third during the pandemic.
"Sales in our branded stores, which are currently still closed due to strict quarantine restrictions, were the most affected. Sales in the retail network and online are not able to compensate for the losses. In total, it can be said that sales have decreased by more than a third," he said.
Monika Grigutytė (ELTA)
