How Vrijthof 16 said goodbye to gift card hassles and switched to simplicity
Every business owner knows them: those processes where you think, “It works, but it could be so much easier.” For us at Vrijthof 16, that was the case with gift cards. In our cozy spot in Hilvarenbeek, customers would regularly buy gift vouchers. Fun, of course—but the process behind it was anything but festive.
We used Givacard for years, loading and redeeming the cards through a CCV payment terminal. It worked fine, until it just started taking too much time. Especially during busy moments at the register, it became inconvenient. And to be honest, sometimes it just went wrong.
On top of that, the gift cards themselves didn’t exactly make us proud. They felt like an afterthought, while a gift card is actually an extension of your brand. People give these to friends, family, or coworkers—it’s often their first impression of your business. So, it deserves to be well taken care of.
Time for something new
That was the moment we thought: Surely this can be done better?
We weren’t actively looking, but through our POS supplier Bork, we discovered Gifty—a gift card system that immediately made sense. We hadn’t heard of them before, but we quickly got a demo and some sample gift cards. And then it clicked.
“Yes,” we said to each other, “this might just be it.”
It looked professional, and it made immediate sense. No more manual hassle—just a system connected to our POS. And it works.
What we also really appreciated was that we didn’t feel pushed into anything. No sales pressure, no fine print. Just: this is the system, this is what it does, and here’s how it works. That honesty and transparency felt right. It matched how we run our business.
What changed with Gifty’s gift card system
Since switching to Gifty, we’ve been pleasantly surprised. The biggest difference? Time. We spend way less time topping up and redeeming gift cards, which is a huge relief during busy hours. We also make far fewer mistakes—the system is clear and intuitive.
Another bonus: we now have instant insight through the dashboard. How many vouchers are still in circulation? Which ones have been redeemed? It’s all so much clearer than before.
That clarity not only brings peace of mind—it also helps us make better decisions. For example, we can now see exactly when sales peak, like during the holidays or specific promotions. That allows us to plan accordingly. It’s no longer based on gut feeling—it’s based on data. And honestly, that’s pretty great.
The dashboard as our central hub
The dashboard is what we use most. It’s really the foundation. Everything runs through it—vouchers, management, stats. And the best part: it just works, without hassle.
What’s also nice is that we can manage everything ourselves. If we need to adjust something or check in on how things are going, we don’t need to call or wait. We just log in and see exactly what we need. That feels modern and professional.
Contact with Gifty? Hardly needed
The beauty is that since switching to Gifty, we barely need to contact their support. With our previous supplier, we’d often have to call when something went wrong. That’s a thing of the past now.
If we ever do need help, we just call—and to be fair, when someone actually answers quickly and knows what they’re talking about, it makes you feel like a valued customer. That’s exactly the case with Gifty.
That peace of mind—knowing any issue will be resolved quickly—is priceless. Especially when you already have your hands full with staff management, schedules, suppliers, and—oh yeah—making your guests happy.
Would we recommend Gifty’s gift card system to other businesses?
Would we recommend Gifty to fellow entrepreneurs? 100%. Just because we know how frustrating a clunky gift card system can be. And because we’ve experienced how smooth things can run when it does work well. Gifty is great at communication, offers tons of options, and simply works the way you’d expect it to.
Small wishes for the future
Of course, we’re also a bit critical. While Gifty offers standard A5-sized gift cards that are automatically restocked, we chose to have custom cards made in a more compact format. Ideally, we’d love to order those directly through the dashboard in the future. That way, everything would be in one place—and the convenience would be complete. Who knows what features might be added next? Either way, we’re already very happy we made the switch.
Conclusion: sometimes, you just need to make the switch
Sometimes it’s not that complicated. Sometimes it’s just a matter of saying, “This should be easier,” and finding the right solution. For us, that solution was Gifty’s gift card system. And it makes life just that little bit better—for us, and for the customer at the register.
We’re not saying Gifty changed everything—that would be an overstatement. But it did solve something that had been frustrating us for a long time. And that’s worth a lot. Because the more time and energy we can spend making our guests happy, the better. And that’s what it’s all about in the end.