Coffee Chat with Eric #17: Loyalty + Gift Cards = Magic
- Eric Thiegs
- May 30, 2025
- 1 min read
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? 😀
