Is the Gift Card the Most Underused Growth Lever for Brands?

Today, gift cards are offered by a large number of brands and retailers. Yet in most cases, they remain significantly underused as a growth lever.

Many brands believe they have a high-performing gift card programme. In reality, they often simply have a product available online — one that is rarely managed strategically, measured effectively, or fully integrated into their growth strategy.

Gift cards are often used on an occasional basis — particularly during key periods such as the holiday season — rather than being considered as a genuine performance driver.

The result: missed opportunities, unoptimised revenue and untapped growth potential.

Yet when used effectively, a gift card is much more than just a product.

It can support customer acquisition, loyalty and even cash flow.

The key is understanding how gift cards work, how they are used and, above all, how to activate them effectively across your organisation.

This is exactly why we created Gift Card Expert: a training programme designed to help brands move from a simple “product” mindset to a true “programme” approach and build a genuine gift card strategy.

A tool that is still too often used tactically

For manybrands, gift cards are still used opportunistically:

• To generate revenue during christmas.
• As a quick solution for key commercial periods.
• As an additional product with limited strategic management.

They are rarely integrated into a broader strategy.

Another common limitation is siloed management. Marketing sees gift cards as a promotional lever, Finance as a specific revenue stream and Digital as a product to integrate — but rarely as a cross-functional tool capable of creating value at several levels.

As a result, their potential remains fragmented, and this underutilisation has real consequences.

A poorly managed gift card programme means:

• Missed customer acquisition opportunities.
• Untapped potential to strengthen customer loyalty.
• An underoptimised cash flow lever.
• Performance that is difficult to measure.

By contrast, brands that structure their approach quickly see tangible benefits: higher average order values, improved customer return rates and new acquisition opportunities.

Why gift cards are still misunderstood

There is a reason why this lever remains underestimated.

Several recurring barriers prevent brands from unlocking its full potential:

• A mindset that sees gift cards as a “product” rather than a strategic growth lever.
• Limited knowledge of the ecosystem - its players, business models and distribution channels - often due to a lack of internal training.
• A lack of clear benchmarks and KPIs to manage performance.
• A lack of practical tools to activate the programme effectively.
• No clearly identified programme owner.
• Low prioritisation from IT teams.
• Limited integration with CRM systems.

In short, many brands offer gift cards without having a genuine, company-wide gift card strategy designed to maximise their potential.

They may have a product — and sometimes a sales channel — but rarely a structured, measurable gift card programme that is actively managed as a growth driver.

The issue is therefore not the gift card itself, but rather how it is understood and activated.

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A growth lever perfectly aligned with today’s business priorities

When used effectively, gift cards tick all the boxes of a modern growth lever.

They can help brands:

• Strengthen customer loyalty by encouraging repeat purchases and engagement.
• Acquire new customers by bringing new audiences into the brand ecosystem, particularly through B2B partners and third-party distribution channels.
• Support an omnichannel strategy by integrating gift cards into the broader customer journey.
• Increase average order value by encouraging discretionary and additional purchases.

In otherwords, a gift card programme is not simply a marketing initiative — it should be part of a broader performance strategy.

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A training programme to structure and activate your gift card strategy

This is precisely why Gift Card Expert was created: a training programme dedicated to the gift card ecosystem.

It is designed both for brands that already have a gift card programme and want to improve its performance, and for those considering launching one.

With a highly practical approach, the training helps you:

• Better understand the challenges, mechanisms and players within the gift card market.
• Identify the opportunities that are most relevant to your organisation.
• Quickly activate tangible performance levers.
• Structure your strategy around three key pillars: B2C gift cards, B2B gift cards and gift card distribution.

The objective is simple: to give you the tools and knowledge you need to manage your gift card programme more effectively and turn it into a genuine growth driver — rather than simply another product.

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Want to take it further?

Discover Module 1 of our Gift Card Expert training programme 👇

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