Gift cards: an indispensable asset in the fashion and accessories sector

In an increasingly competitive environment, the apparel and accessories sector has entered a new phase. Demand is under sustained pressure, traffic is declining, and promotions are no longer enough to drive growth. Brands must now make more precise trade-offs between acquisition, profitability, inventory turnover, and commercial activation.

In this context, the gift card is no longer just a gifting service or an impulse product. It is becoming a true value management tool, capable of securing demand, increasing average basket size, activating customers at the right moment, and supporting performance in a market that has become highly opportunistic.

A fashion market in transition

The apparel sector has entered a new market dynamic. Demand is more volatile, consumers are making more trade-offs in their purchases, and competition has intensified.

Promotions alone are no longer sufficient to generate sustainable growth. Performance is no longer driven solely by sales volume, but by several key factors:

• value generated per customer
• inventory turnover
• ability to capture consumption moments
• control over distribution channels

In this environment, the gift card offers a specific advantage: it allows brands to activate demand without degrading the perceived value of their products.

Unlike a promotion, it does not immediately reduce the displayed price. Instead, it creates an entry point into the brand, attracts a customer, and often generates additional spend.

Fashion gift cards: an activation lever rather than a volume lever

A B2C gift card that triggers purchases

Recent data shows a clear repositioning of B2C gift cards in apparel and accessories:

• the average face value has decreased, from €80 to €64
• the share of cards generating a top-up has increased significantly, from 35% to 54%
• the average top-up amount has declined, from €49 to €32, reflecting more precise basket optimisation
• the expiry rate remains contained at 17%, with an average residual value of €24, indicating more residual balance than large-scale non-usage

This shift is essential to understand: the gift card is becoming less of a “fixed-value gift” and more of a purchase trigger.

Value is increasingly created at the moment of spending, not at issuance.

Gift cards still allow customers to choose their products, which improves satisfaction. But their performance is now more strongly measured by their ability to:

• generate additional payment
• bring customers back in-store or online
• increase the actual amount spent
• and activate purchases at the right moment.

Sales Highly Driven by Key Commercial Moments

Gift cards also remain an effective lever to generate additional traffic.

In fashion, this activation effect is particularly visible during key commercial moments. Seasonality remains very strong: 48% of B2C gift card sales take place during the Christmas period, with additional peaks during Black Friday, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.

This confirms a broader market shift: consumption is increasingly triggered by specific occasions, rather than extended commercial seasons.

Gift card recipients therefore visit stores or brand websites even when they had not initially planned to make a purchase, generating incremental traffic.

In this context, the gift card acts as an opportunistic activation lever, especially effective during peak periods in a market that has become more tactical and more constrained by budgets.

An Omnichannel Lever to Enhance Customer Experience

The digitalisation of gift cards has significantly increased their popularity in recent years. Digital cards offer greater flexibility and allow brands to better track purchasing behaviours.

However, in fashion, digital does not replace physical, it complements it.

The challenge is therefore not simply to offer an e-gift card, but to build a coherent omnichannel ecosystem, enabling customers to purchase, gift, receive, and redeem gift cards seamlessly, both online and in-store.

This omnichannel consistency is essential to:

• streamline the customer experience
• improve redemption rates
• better measure program performance

Mobile: A New Touchpoint with Gift Card Holders

The rise of mobile also creates new opportunities for gift card programs.

Mobile applications and digital wallets now make it easy to purchase, store, and use gift cards, especially in last-minute purchase journeys.

But the opportunity goes beyond technology.

Mobile is becoming a new communication channel with gift card holders, through:

• integration into digital wallets
• push notifications
• usage reminders

These features enable brands to maintain an ongoing relationship with their customers and encourage card usage and engagement.

Gift Cards as a Lever for the Second-Hand Market

The growth of the second-hand market is also reshaping the economics of the fashion industry.

In this context, gift cards can play a valuable role in supporting more circular consumption models.

When a customer resells a product, they can receive compensation in the form of a gift card that can be used within the brand. This mechanism allows brands to:

• encourage clothing recycling
• drive traffic back to the brand
• stimulate new purchases

The gift card therefore becomes a customer re-engagement tool, enabling brands to reinject value into their ecosystem while supporting more sustainable fashion initiatives.

B2B: A Premium, High-Quality Channel, but Not Mass Market

Selling gift cards to corporate clients is another lever for fashion brands.

In 2025, direct B2B appears as a premium niche market:

• high average face value: €179
• modest order sizes: around 13 cards and €1,200 on average
• often fewer than 10 cards per order, but with unit values above €100
• largely digital channel: 75% of sales
• strong seasonality: 46% of sales at Christmas
• limited discounting: only 15% of orders, with an average discount of around 7%

These indicators confirm that B2B in fashion should be managed as a brand image, relationship, and premium gifting lever, rather than a volume driver.

It is particularly relevant for brands with strong brand awareness, a desirable universe, and the ability to offer a gift aligned with their positioning.

B2B2C: The Core of Volume, but Under Economic Pressure

Gift cards also provide brands with a simple way to enter new markets through distributors: employee benefit platforms, incentive programs, loyalty programs, aggregators, or specialised marketplaces.

In fashion, B2B2C now represents the core of volume. However, this channel is also under pressure.

Data shows a dual dynamic:

• the average face value is declining, from €73 to €55, reflecting a more constrained and standardised market
• commission levels remain stable at around 12%, although some brands have started to reduce them

On the other hand, performance at redemption is improving significantly:

• 63% of cards generate a top-up
• with an average amount of €45

Usage is predominantly corporate and relationship-driven:

• 61% relates to employee benefits and rewards
• 23% to loyalty programs

Christmas accounts for only 21% of sales, confirming that B2B2C is a structural rather than seasonal channel.

In a fashion market characterised by promotional pressure and declining traffic, visibility becomes critical. Marketing campaigns on partner platforms, especially around key commercial moments, are essential to stand out in saturated catalogues and support volumes.

4 Strategic Priorities for 2025

In light of market developments, four key priorities emerge for fashion and accessories brands:

1. Manage gift cards based on actual spend at redemption, not just face value
2. Use B2C as an opportunistic activation lever during peak periods
3. Position B2B as a premium relationship channel, not a volume driver
4. Manage B2B2C as both a distribution and media channel, with strong focus on incrementality measurement

FAQ – Fashion & Accessories Gift Cards

Why are gift cards important in fashion in 2025?
Because the market is more constrained: gift cards help trigger purchases, secure demand, and generate value at the moment of spending.

Are gift cards still a volume driver?
Increasingly less in B2C. They mainly act as an activation and top-up lever, particularly effective during peak periods.

Which channel is the most structuring today?
B2B2C remains the core volume driver, with predominantly corporate and relationship-based usage.

What should be prioritised?
Actual spend at redemption, the share of cards generating a top-up, visibility on partner platforms, and the incremental contribution of the program.

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