The growth of gift cards as a popular gift continues unabated, with digital cards surging in popularity as well. According to data released by InComm®, a technology point-of-sale provider, 63% of consumers who bought gift cards online during December last year purchased digital cards—an increase from the 57% who bought digital versions during the same time period in 2013. Understandably, demand for digital cards was particularly heavy in the six days leading up to Christmas: 88% of online card sales were for digital cards, up from 80% in 2013.
The company also noted 50% of the consumers polled were interested in storing and using gift cards on their phones. “Retailers can significantly increase sales of gift cards by enabling consumers to easily purchase both physical and digital gift cards from their computers and mobile devices,” shares Mike Fletcher, digital solutions general manager for InComm. “The key is consumers want more gift card options, giving retailers incentive to provide an exceptional physical and digital gift card shopping experience across all channels.”
