GiftCard Partners Blog

We've spent some time over the last few weeks talking about gift card purchasing and gifting as the holiday shopping season heats up. However, it's important to keep a secondary focus on trends going forward. Based on
First Data's latest Consumer Insights Survey, the future of gift cards is virtual. Here are a few key stats from the survey.

This year holiday gift card spending on both plastic and digital gift cards will top all previous records with sales expecting to reach over $31 billion!  Gift cards have shed their reputation of being impersonal and have emerged as the perfect practical gift item for millions of holiday shoppers and are the most requested holiday gift for the 8th year in a row. Shoppers are expected to spend an average of $47.87 a card, up 6% over last year.  Since the
National Retail Federation began tracking customers holiday purchasing intentions in 2003, the total spend on gift cards has increased 83%. “Consumers young and old want to find the best way possible to create a happy holiday experience for their loved ones, and gift cards are a great option every time.”  Gift cards are a go-to gift for consumers of all ages; adults 65+ will spend the most on gift cards, while young adults will spend the least.  In addition, men will spend almost 10% more than women on gift card purchases. The following charts provide more insight into the 2014 NRF survey results, check out more
here.


About the Survey The NRF 2014 Gift Card Spending Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. The survey polled 6,593 consumers and was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics, November 3-10, 2014. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.
Download complete survey results here!

Employee rewards should be differentiated by the employers goal in giving the reward. If you're giving a reward for a job well done in an "everyday instance", the reward should be different than exhibiting exemplary community behavior, which should be different than a reward given for long term growth. Here are three situations and how to differentiate employee rewards for each.

Innovating employee rewards programs are an important part of any HR strategy. However, monetary bonuses can get a bit stale and employees will look for new ways to be rewarded for a job well done. The more innovative your employee rewards program is, the more effective it can be. Here are three ways to reward employees in new and innovative ways.

GiftCard Partners has been honored with the 2014 When Work Works Award for its use of effective workplace strategies to increase business, employee success and work-life balance.