GiftCard Partners Blog

As the days get longer and the temperatures rise, summer presents the perfect opportunity to show appreciation to partners, program members, employees, and colleagues. Gift cards are increasingly becoming the go-to gift, offering flexibility and the ability to choose the perfect present. In 2023, the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) reported that 70% of shoppers planned to buy gift cards for special occasions like Father’s Day, weddings, graduations, and birthdays. If you're considering giving a gift card this summer, here are some top ideas that will make your recipients' summer even brighter.

Employee wellness initiatives have taken many forms over the last 5-10 years. They have ranged from biometric screenings to company exercise groups to discounts on health insurance. Each company does it differently, depending on what is most effective for their specific organization. But according to this Washington Post article, employee wellness is taking a new turn and it's compelling for both employers and employees. Employee wellness is becoming part of company culture. With a growing millennial component to the American workforce, employers are focusing on enticing younger employees with perks and attractive cultural components in the work environment. Wellness programs are shifting to be a component of these types of company culture and positioning efforts. So what does it mean for employers? How can they measure ROI when they take tangible metrics and transition them into the "intangible benefits" so important to difficult-to-please millennial? Here are a few ways:

Small business incentive programs are growing rapidly. According to a recent article from Incentive Magazine, research conducted by the Incentive Federation revealed that a substantial amount of small businesses are now using rewards and recognition programs. The study asked businesses with at least $1 million in annual revenue about their goals, programs, awards they use, and how they measure whether or not their incentives are successful.  Most of the smaller firms that responded to the survey spend less than $50K annually on sales incentive programs, whereas firms with revenue of over $10 million spend significantly more annually on their incentive programs. When it comes to the type of reward, electronics came in as the most requested merchandise reward, followed by food and beverage and apparel. Other popular choices were sporting goods, luggage, watches, and home decor.  

According to a new survey from the Retail Gift Card Association, up to 70% of consumers will buy gift cards for friends and family by the end of the summer. This is an important finding for B2B gift card programs as well. Why's that? Because the survey also revealed that 95% of consumers are hoping to
receive gift cards this spring and summer. While this directly applies to celebrations like birthdays, graduations and weddings, the popularity of gift cards can also segue to employees recognition programs, health and wellness programs and employees rewards. Here are key findings from the study:

Loyalty program enrollment is at an all time high in the U.S. so it seems like the right time to go through some key statistics related to loyalty programs. We've broken the stats down into three key areas that consumers are most focused on in the loyalty space.