It's back to basics for this week's Coffee Chat. Today, we'll cover the five types of gift card and prepaid card incentives — the building blocks behind nearly every loyalty, award, market research, and rewards & recognition program

January 21, 2026 There’s a magic that happens when  fun ,  connection , and  flow  come together in your workday. Let's call it Fun + Work — and that’s exactly what I wanted to explore in  Coffee Chat #41 . In it, I read from  The Power of Fun  by Catherine Price and share some of the albums that help me tap into a productive, joyful mindset at work (and get into that “flow state” where time seems to disappear).  What Is Flow and Why It Matters Flow is a psychological state w

As 2025 comes to a close, Eric Thiegs takes time to reflect on strategy before shifting into action. In Coffee Chat #39, Eric compares the Year of the Snake — thoughtful, intentional, and strategic — with the Year of the Horse, which represents momentum and forward movement. Reflection matters, but progress requires commitment. As we head into 2026, the question is simple: what plan from the past year is finally ready to move?

This week, I share how a business discussion seven months ago led me to a transformative retreat at an 800-year-old estate in Sintra, Portugal. This episode is a bit longer as I sit down with two special guests and industry colleagues, Shawna Nichol, MBA and Todd Tomlin (from Memorii Journeys), the visionaries who turned last week’s trip into reality. 

Eric Thiegs, a 25+ year veteran of the gift card and incentive industry, is named as one of three shortlisted nominees for the 2025 Honoured Industry Contributor Award for the GCVA Hall of Fame Awards

Incentive Gift Card Coalition (IGCC) elects Eric Thiegs to the Board of Directors for 2025 - 2026 term

I am excited to speak on Monday, July 14, 2025, at the Incentive Marketing Association Summit in Austin, TX, as the guest speaker at the Incentive Gift Card Coalition session. 

This week’s Coffee Chat is a little “inside baseball” for those of us in the incentive industry. As co-chair of the Incentive Gift Card Coalition Communications Committee, I’ve been in Incentive Marketing Association mode with the IMA Summit happening in Austin July 14–16. I wanted to give a personal sneak peek at this special industry event.

A few weeks ago, on June 2, the Incentive Marketing Association announced its nominees and shortlisted candidates for the 2025 IMA Awards. This is a quick thank you to the Incentive Marketing Association for naming me one of two finalists for the 2025 Incentive Industry Influencer of the Year Award.

This week’s Coffee Chat is a special one - I’ve got a guest...my daughter, home from college and proudly repping GenZ, joined me for a post-Father’s Day chat about gifts, dads, and what gifts feel the most meaningful from her 20-year-old point of view. As a GenX dad, I loved hearing how she thinks about showing love and appreciation. According to her, the best gifts check these four boxes: Make it personal. Keep it simple + heartfelt. Make it useful, e.g. gift cards. Prioriti

Many of us have had them…Jobs that never made it to the résumé. Roles that don’t quite “fit” our career narrative. Positions that got left off LinkedIn—not because they weren’t meaningful, but because they didn’t align with our so-called professional brand. This week, I’m sharing one of those stories. In my late 20s, I took a six-month job that had absolutely nothing to do with incentives, gift cards, loyalty, or payments. I worked at Bredenbecks - a Bavarian bakery.

Want to Change a Habit? Start Small and Reward Yourself. I'm live from the Mall of America / Minneapolis this week. We all have habits we’d love to break—or build. But change is hard… unless there’s perhaps a little incentive involved. This week, while I’m on the road as a speaker at the Gift Card Education Forum, I will share how I’m using a personal reward to kick a nagging habit—and you’re welcome to join me...

I'm excited to speak at the Gift Card Education Forum hosted by Best Buy and sponsored by IGCC and RGCA. I'll join Elizabeth Forsberg from Best Buy's Financial Services team to co-present "B2B Innovation Pitches: Understanding Risks and Benefits of New Programs and Use Cases."

I'm live from St. Louis this week at the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) conference. With market research on the mind, this week I ask the question: What makes a great research incentive? Hint: It’s not toasted ravioli. The Answer: An incentive that includes the "3 M's"...

For those of us in the US, we will spend an estimated $2.5+ billion on gift cards for Mother’s Day...but do moms really want a gift card? The short answer: YES—and I’m not just saying that as an incentive/gift card junkie. My Coffee Chat this week shares why, with some fun insights into what moms prefer, how shoppers choose gift cards for that special Mom in their life, and the growing role of local merchants in the Mother’s Day equation

This week’s chat is inspired by my daughter (in college), who hadn’t returned a recent message. I know finals week is coming up, and she’s busy. I thought, hey, I'll keep dropping her little touchpoints to let her know I’m thinking about her. It got me thinking—this isn’t so far removed from my experience in B2B sales and partnerships over my career. In sales (and adult parenting), we often extend ourselves without immediate response from the receiving party.

IMA Global released their massive Incentive & Recognition Provider Research Report, based on input from 650 industry leaders. The report explores key trends and insights across five core incentive categories: 1. Gift Cards 2. Travel 3. Merchandise 4. Peer-to-Peer Rewards 5. Points-Based Programs

This week I'm sharing the biggest takeaway from being on location with a client in Mumbai, India. Last week Geoff Miller from NeoCurrency and I had the opportunity to visit clients and partners in Mumbai (for a loyalty conference) and Dubai. It reminded me just how valuable it is to connect with business partners in person. There’s something irreplaceable about getting out from behind the screen to meet face-to-face. Real conversations, shared meals, learning best practices..

I have a confession to share. I just got back from the beach, and I turned down an awesome incentive on my Spring Break trip. 😳 Now, you might be thinking, "Eric, you LIVE for incentives!" And you’re right—I do. I’m a 25+ year veteran of the loyalty/incentive space. Why did I walk away from this one? Answer: You’ll hear the story in my Coffee Chat video. But here’s what’s interesting: I’m not alone. Research from loyalty firms back up what I felt at that moment.

On this first day of Spring, I was a bit surprised, weather-wise. I woke up ready to embrace the first day of Spring, only to find a winter wonderland outside. My first thought? I'm going to grab my coffee, get cozy in my office, and dig into work. Guess what…I found that this instinct aligns with science. The Journal of Applied Psychology published a study from the American Psychological Association (APA) that found bad weather can boost productivity. Because fewer distracti