New physical and digital gift card for Kilkenny aims to simplify shopping local, enhance tourism

A new Kilkenny Gift Card is on the way to replace the paper vouchers that have generated over €1.3 million since they were first launched.

Kilkenny Chamber and Kilkenny County Council are partnering on the new physical and digital gift card for the city and the county. The hope is that the new gift card will simplify shopping local, enhance tourism, and lock more spend into the county. 

Set to launch pre-Christmas, the Kilkenny Gift Card is an upgrade to the paper Kilkenny Gift Vouchers introduced in 2014 by Kilkenny Chamber. The vouchers currently generate around €200,000 in sales each year.

Every customer-facing business in the county is eligible to accept the forthcoming Kilkenny Gift Card, across a range of sectors including retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure and services. Once registered, Kilkenny businesses will be able to accept the card with no additional equipment required. An online balance checker will enable recipients to check their gift card balance at any time.

Chief executive at Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce John Hurley says the new gift card will allow Kilkenny to take their shop local initiative to the next level of growth.

“Our voucher has been very successful but being paper, it’s a clunky system," he says. "When it launches, the cutting-edge technology of the Kilkenny Gift Card will allow us to simplify shop local for customers and merchants alike with a physical gift card that can be swiped at the till or an e-card that can be added to digital wallets enabling ‘tap to pay’.

“Kilkenny is renowned for being a great place to live, work and visit. The unique shopping, world class attractions draw locals and visitors alike. With the Kilkenny Gift Card in place, we can take our shop local initiative to the next level, and really unlock its potential across the county. Not only will we lock more spend into Kilkenny, we will also drive tourism and enable local organisations to reward their people with a digital or physical gift card that is easy to use, offers staff choice, and
benefits the local economy.”

Aileen McGrath, Head of Enterprise, Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office, said Kilkenny County Council’s Local Enterprise Office is supporting the development of the Kilkenny Gift Card as part of its #ShopKilkenny campaign for 2024.

“We are very fortunate to have incredible retailers in Kilkenny, the ShopKilkenny campaign, collectively promotes Kilkenny’s impressive range of quality and varied retailers. We are delighted to support this move towards the Kilkenny Gift Card, this will make it easier to give the gift of a shopping experience in Kilkenny and support all our local retailers," she said.

The Kilkenny Gift Card will be part of the multi-award winning Town & City Gift Card concept active across Ireland in Ballinrobe, Carndonagh, Drogheda, Letterkenny, Sligo and Waterford. Over €7 million Town & City Gift Cards were sold in Ireland in 2023, with around 80% of sales to organisations for staff rewards and incentives.

Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex and said: “Kilkenny Chamber should be commended for the success they have achieved with their gift vouchers. Ultimately, the objective with the new gift card is to make it easier for people and organisations to support local businesses with a user-friendly gift card that is accessible, convenient and appealing, enabling shop local in Kilkenny to attain the next level of growth and development.”

Kilkenny businesses can find out more by emailing: admin@kilkennychamber.ie