Making A Personal Gift Even More Special (NAPSA)—If you're looking for a great and personal gift, the answer might be in the cards. Today’s gift cards offer a variety of backgrounds and creative designs that make them more like a thoughtful greeting card than just a piece ofplastic. Some retailers even offer scratch-and-sniff ink or allow consumers to upload personal photos and messages to the card—and these options have been well received. The 2007 U.S. Gift Card Consumer Insights Survey, conducted by First Data, revealed that last holiday season, more than half of Americans (61 percent) gave a gift card as a present. Making a gift card more personal can go beyond just the new physical features available to consumers. With countless different types of gift cards available, consumers now have a convenient gifting solution to give a very personalized gift that caters to each recipient’s personality and preferences in an ideal way for most any occasion. With options ranging from clothing stores to electronic retailers, and popular restaurants Someretailers offer scratch-andsniff ink or allow consumers to upload personal photos and mes- sagesto gift cards. @ to airlines, consumers can be assured that a gift card is a great gift. First Data, a leader in electronic commerce, is sharing tips with consumers to help personalize their gift card present. Birthday Present Get a gift card from your friend’s favorite store and offer your time for a shopping spree with him or her to help make the occasion even more special and fun. Celebrating a significant milestone birthday like a sweet 16? Pick up a gas card as a present and join the new driver as he or she heads out on the open road. For Parents Treat your parents to a gift card from their favorite restaurant or indulge mom in a day of massage at a spa. Pick up a gift card from your Dad’s favorite team or the hardware store and include a promise to help him on his next project. For Students For college students, a gift card to Wal-Mart for dorm room gearor a Starbuckscardfor all those lattes needed during late-night studying will be greatly appreciated. Grocery store gift cards for necessities like Hot Pockets will be a hit, but be sure to include some of your favorite recipes to personalize the gift with your signatureflavor. As the holiday season approaches, consumers are encouraged to create their own personalized touches to make gift card presents even more special. To learn more about gift cards, visit www.FirstData.com.
