Based in the city centre, Canterbury Christ Church University is in the top 5 universities in the South East, outside of London. Cath Bartlett is the Assistant Director: School and College Engagement and and explained why they are using the Canterbury Gift Card (delivered by Canterbury BID) as part of their strategic plan to engage with students creatively.
“Choosing the Gift Card is a way that we can make a tangible impact on our city, encouraging local exploration, and helping create a vibrant local economy for the benefit of all.”
What incentives do you offer for your students?
“Canterbury Christ Church University is right in the heart of the city, a 2 minute walk from the
shops. In the past, we’ve used a variety of vouchers and Gift Cards in our student incentives for
prospective, new and existing students, including Amazon vouchers and VEX online vouchers
which cover high street stores.”
How did you use Town & City Gift Cards?
“As with many universities, encouraging students to actually visit campus in person to register is a
challenge, so we initially used the Canterbury Gift Card as a way to encourage new students to attend the registration event so we could properly introduce them to the city and the campus. It was a hugely positive experience for all. The teams registering the students enjoyed giving out the cards and there was a sense of delight from the students in receiving the cards. It’s something for free obviously but much more than that, it helped to build the sense of community and belonging from the outset. As new classmates, many of the students said they would use their cards together to have lunch and drinks, which we loved.”
Why did you choose Town & City Gift Cards?
“Canterbury is a lovely city, a student city with 3 universities, so giving students the Canterbury Gift
Card provided them with the opportunity to have a really nice experience in the city. There are
many different personas of students, from young students to mature students to international
students, and they have a diverse range of interests. The Canterbury Gift Card is unique because
unlike many other national Gift Cards that are purely for high street brands, the Canterbury Gift
Card includes lots of smaller businesses including cinemas, bars and restaurants, which
encourages students to experience Canterbury fully. We also liked the fact that supermarkets like
Sainsbury’s accept the card. A student being able to spend their Gift Card on their first food shop
is a real plus. The Gift Card is a really versatile option for us that meets a variety of needs and
reflects the diversity of our students.
“As a university, we’ve done lots of research into the ‘delight factor’, and its importance for student
engagement and satisfaction. There is a certain prestige in using the Canterbury Gift Card for
students, because it feels bespoke to the city and different from other Gift Cards and this is
something we were able to communicate in our messaging about the cards. We think of
Canterbury as ‘our city’ as do our students who are both loyal and invested in the city. Students
study in the city but they also live and work here. Choosing the Gift Card is a way that we can
make a tangible impact on our city, encouraging local exploration, and helping create a vibrant
local economy for the benefit of all.”
What was your experience of using Town & City Gift Cards?
“Initially, we’d only planned to use the Canterbury Gift Card for our September new student
registration events but it was so well received that we integrated the card into our annual strategy
for student engagement, and will use it as a reward for surveys and focus groups. We’re also using
the cards for prospective students as prizes for games to encourage interaction and engagement;
it brings the fun to our events. We opted for physical versions of the Canterbury Gift Card because
we wanted to hand out the cards to students in person but I like the idea of the digital version of
the card that can be sent to multiple recipients at once, that would be incredibly easy to
administer.”
What feedback have you received?
“The feedback we had from students was really positive. One student said they would use their
card to take their nan for afternoon tea. Another said they’d use it to get their hair done. We had
one mature student who said they’d give the card to their wife as a thank you for their support
during their time at university. And of course, we had students using the cards to meet up and get
to know one another better, there were so many positives.”
Any advice for other organisations?
“For other organisations or universities thinking of using their local Town & City Gift Card I think
evaluation is obviously key, and seeing if the card will meet the needs of your students or
recipients. Secondly, I think it’s worthwhile looking at the benefits of the card over alternatives. For
us, the choice and support for local was key and being really clear about the benefits of the card
helped communicate its value both as an incentive but also to the wider community.”
To find out more and to place a Town & City Gift Cards business order, please visit:
corporate.townandcitygiftcards.com
