GiftCard Partners Blog

A recent CashStar study discussing the popularity of gift cards showed a surprising number of consumers are looking for a smartphone solution to keep track of the gift cards they receive. Thestudy looked at a diverse group of gift card givers and receivers from different demographic groups and regions across the country. What they found was that most prefer to give or receive mobile gift cards for a variety of reasons, including convenience, balance tracking, and the personalization it gives the ‘gifter’. So as gift cards remain a top gift choice for 9 years running, it’s important for merchants to note the desire consumers have for managing and storing them digitally.

Premium reductions are becoming less effective when it comes to employee health and wellness programs. We recently wrote about how cash isn’t king when it comes to rewards and incentives, and the same can be said for rewarding and incenting employees for healthy behaviors.

Millennials play a major role in the way retailers and merchants now look at the loyalty game. With technology constantly evolving and Millennial consumers, aged 18-34, on the brink of every change, those same retailers and merchants have to be right there with them. A recent study from Excentus, The Road to Rewards: What Drives Millennial Loyalty? states,

A new study from the Reward & Employee Benefits Association indicates that employee engagement is considered a top strategic priority for 2016 (35.6% of respondents indicated this as number 1).

Recently PYMNTS.com put out its 2015 U.S Consumer Payment Choice Study which takes a look at the state of mobile purchases in the U.S. What Sarah Hartman, a Senior Director of Payment Solutions at TSYS, and Karen Webster, PYMNTS.com CEO MPD, found is very important to the rewards and loyalty industry.