Coffee Chat with Eric #17: Loyalty + Gift Cards = Magic

May 30, 2025: ☕ I am celebrating my 33rd anniversary in my longest-standing loyalty program (I signed up for it my freshman year of college) and reflecting on how gift cards and loyalty are a match as good as peanut butter and jelly.

Some key takeaways:

• 72% of consumers prefer gift cards in loyalty programs (Capital One Shopping Report)

• Programs that offer gift cards see a 15–30% higher redemption rate

• GenZ and GenAlpha expect digital rewards—instant, mobile, seamless (most of us expect this now, actually!).

As someone who’s spent 25+ years in the loyalty, incentives, and digital rewards space, I can confidently say: Gift cards aren’t just a nice-to-have in loyalty programs… they’re essential.

🎥 Watch the chat for more on these three key takeaways.

BTW - this week’s video is a little longer than usual — a surprise guest (my pug!) makes a mid-chat appearance and throws off my filming flow. That’s life, right? 😀