PayPal offers digital gift cards on storefront

PayPal has announced a new online storefront – the Digital Gift Store – allowing environmentally conscious customers to purchase digital gift cards in place of plastic.

Offering 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, the storefront enables customers to purchase, store and send gift cards online or from their mobiles.

“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.”

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 embracing eco-conscious business decisions in an effort to reduce plastic waste.

With Coles and Woolworths’ having led the charge with the plastic bag ban by phasing out single-use plastic bags at their checkouts, and as the Australian public becomes more environmentally conscious, the Australian retail scene is starting to see the value in making ethical and sustainable changes to their businesses.

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