Giftcards.com and its parent company Blackhawk Network are consistently engaged in market research, consumer insights, trend analysis and case studies to deliver the most up-to-date statistics and learnings concerning the gift card industry. Bookmark this page to get the latest information and data on everything gifting and gift card related as we post our most recent research.
Below is a selection of key learnings from the most recent report:
(1) Market Size and Growth Projections
- US gift card market projected to grow 7.1% annually to $246.91 billion in 2026 (per ResearchAndMarkets), following 7.5% CAGR from 2021–2025
- Forecast to reach $320.81 billion by 2030
- Figures vary across research firms due to differing scope (closed-loop only vs. open-loop/prepaid included)
(2) Physical vs. Digital Split
- 36% of consumers bought physical-only gift cards in 2025, 27% bought both formats, 13% digital-only
- Nearly 75% of Christmas Eve/Day purchases were digital; 80% of last-minute gifting was digital overall
- Physical card load values rose $11 year-over-year (2024–2025); digital rose $15
(3) Top-Performing Categoies
- Gift cards are the most-wanted gift overall at 50% (per NRF), ahead of clothing/accessories (46%), books/media (27%), personal care/beauty (23%), electronics (22%)
- Top employee-redeemed categories (per Giftogram): coffee/treats, food delivery, everyday retail, home improvement, beauty/wellness, active lifestyle, universal prepaid
(4) Consumer Purchasing Trends
- 5% of consumers would try a new business because of a gift card (up from 49% two years ago)
- Average total gift card value received hit $236 in 2025, up from $209 in 2024; average cards received per person held steady at 3
- 90% of holiday shoppers leveraged some type of promotion in 2025
- Recipients overspend by an average of $108 beyond card value during the holidays (a separate, non-holiday BHN figure puts general 2026 upspend at $73)
- Median gift card value given to others: $47.91; for oneself: $51.93
(5) AI-Influenced Gifting Behavior
- Nearly 75% of Gen Z/Millennials used AI tools for holiday shopping in 2025, vs. 31% of Gen X/Boomers
- Younger-generation AI usage grew 8% year-over-year vs. 1% for older generations
- Common AI use cases: finding promotions/best prices, comparing products, generating gift ideas
- Broadly, 73% of consumers use AI somewhere in their shopping journey, but only 13% complete a purchase following an AI referral
(6) Loyalty Programs and Redemption
- 75% of younger consumers exchanged loyalty points for gifts vs. 57% of older consumers
- Almost half of all loyalty point redemptions were for gift cards specifically (vs. ~40% physical gifts, ~10% experienes)
(7) Marketing Channel Evolution
- Older generations rely on email, word of mouth, and print flyers (nearly two-thirds cite these)
- Younger consumers favor Cash App, discount channels, price comparison tools, deal forums (Slickdeals, Reddit), and social commerce
- TikTok Shop is becoming a primary purchase source for Gen Z
(8) Seasonal Demand Patterns
- NRF projected $29 billion in total holiday gift card spending; 43% of shoppers planned to buy at least one
- Demand skews older: 53% of shoppers 65+ planned to buy a gift card, vs. 38% of those 35–44
- Black Friday was the top promotional period for purchases (31%), ahead of Cyber Monday
- Share of consumers buying gift cards for their own budgeting use nearly doubled: from 31% (2025) to 56% (2026)
(9) Corporate and B2B Gift Cards
- Employer gift-giving receipt rates vary widely by source: 65% (BHN/PaymentsJournal) vs. 41% (TSG/Bank of America)
- 81% of consumers say they'd like to receive a gift card from their employer
(10) Fraud and Security
- Total US consumer fraud losses hit a record $15.9 billion in 2025, up from $12.5 billion in 2024
- Imposter scams (often gift-card-based) were the top-reported fraud category for the 9th straight year, at $3.5 billion (up ~20% YoY)
- Most recent gift-card-specific fraud breakout is from 2021: ~40,000 consumers lost $148 million combined
Past Research
View past research from Blackhawk Network and its partners:
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