Study: Holiday gift card sales increase

PORTLAND, Ore. — Fifty-seven percent of consumers purchased digital gift cards in December 2013, and 43% purchased physical cards. Data from prepaid product and transaction services company InComm also shows that 80% of consumers purchased digital cards in the six days leading up to Christmas, and 20% of consumers purchased physical cards in the six days leading up to Christmas.

Sales of physical cards peaked on Dec. 17, with sales decreasing every day after that, while sales of digital cards began a marked upward trend beginning on Dec. 17, with sales increasing after that and peaking on Dec. 24.

In addition, Shopkick leverages the InComm Digital Solutions platform to instantly connect Shopkick users with their digital gift card of choice to be scanned at the retailer's point of sale. During Black Friday alone, Shopkick employed the InComm platform to deliver nearly seven times its usual daily volume of digital gift cards.

"We're thrilled to be Shopkick's partner and to have helped them successfully address such high demands on Black Friday," said Mike Fletcher, senior VP of sales and marketing for InComm Digital Solutions. "In a recent consumer survey conducted by InComm, nearly 70% of consumers stated they are more interested in purchasing digital gift cards now than they were two to three years ago. Further, our own internal holiday data reveals the increased sales opportunities created by offering digital in addition to physical cards. These numbers demonstrate how brands benefit when they open up gift card sales through all channels."