The Growth Of eGift Cards

Gift Card Granny surveyed users to determine their gift card purchasing habits. Data shows that there has been an increase in the use of digital gift cards. 

• 86.9 percent of respondents have purchased either an eGift card or digital gift card.
• The popularity of electronic gift cards increased by 37.8 percent year over year. 
• 44.0 percent of respondents have used an app to purchase a gift card.

Going Towards Digital
The digital gift card trend continues to grow. Purchasing habits of eGift cards have increased by 6.7 percent year over year. 86.9 percent of respondents have purchased a digital gift card compared to 81.4 percent in the previous year.

People favor digital gift cards over plastic. 37.9 percent of people prefer electronic gift cards while 26.9 percent would rather have the physical card. 

44.0 percent of survey respondents purchased a gift card by using a mobile app compared to the 36.1 percent in 2016. This resulted in a 22.0 percent change.

Survey Results

Full survey PDF results that are compared to our 2016 survey can be found by clicking here. 

Q1. Have you ever purchased a gift card using a mobile app?

• Yes - 44%
• No - 56%

Q2. Have you ever purchased an eGift card or digital card? (not plastic)

• Yes - 86.9%
• No - 13.1%

Q3. Do you prefer physical or electronic gift cards?

• Physical - 26.9%
• Electronic - 37.9%
• No Preference - 35.2%

Q4. What are the top stores or restaurants you typically purchase gift cards for either as a gift or for yourself?

Percentage are of users who placed these brands in there top 5 brands. 

• Amazon - 23.8%
• Walmart - 20.3%
• Target - 19.4%
• Starbucks - 19.0%
• Kohls - 9.4%

Q5. What is the number one retailer you plan on shopping at online this holiday season?

Percentage of users who placed retailer as their as their top brand to shop online at this holiday season.

• Amazon - 39.7%
• Walmart - 8.0%
• Target - 6.6%
• Kohl's - 5.1%
• eBay - 1.8%
• Best Buy - 1.6%
• Not Sure Yet - 1.5%
• Other - 35.7%

Q6. how many gift cards do you typically purchase for people other than yourself each month? (for example: birthdays, weddings, etc.)

• 0-1 - 59.6%
• 2 - 21.3%
• 3 - 8.1%
• 4 - 3.4%
• 5 or more - 7.6%

Q7. What is the typical value of each gift card you should purchase for people other than yourself? 

• $0-$24 - 18.5%
• $25-$49 - 53.2%
• $50-$74 - 18.8%
• $75-$99 - 3.5%
• $100-$249 - 5.2%
• $250-$499 - 0.3%
• $500 or more - 0.6%

Q8. how many gift cards do you typically purchase for yourself each month? 

• 0-1 - 50.2%
• 2 - 25.1%
• 3 - 10.1%
• 4 - 4.9%
• 5 or more - 9.8%

Q9. What is the typical value of each gift card you should purchase for yourself? 

• $0-$24 - 19.6%
• $25-$49 - 41.0%
• $50-$74 - 20.9%
• $75-$99 - 7.8%
• $100-$249 - 9.5%
• $250-$499 - 0.6%
• $500 or more - 0.7%

Q10. Which best describes your typical behavior when purchasing discount gift cards for yourself? I buy a discount gift card when ...

• I see a great offer for one of my favorite stores. I don’t have a particular item in mind - 47.8%
• I have a general idea of the item(s) I want to buy and see a great gift card deal that could be used towards purchasing the item - 28.1%
• I have a particular item I plan on buying and find a discount gift card close to the amount of the item I plan on purchasing - 24.1%

Q11. How much time passes from when you purchase a gift card to redeeming it at the store or restaurant?

• I typically buy the gift card the same day I use it - 22.0%
• I typically redeem the gift card a few days after I purchase it - 36.7%
• I typically redeem the gift card a week or more after I purchase it - 41.4%

Q12. How many gift cards do you currently own? 

• 0 - 11.0%
• 1-3 - 44.2%
• 4-6 - 23.2%
• 7-9 - 7.5%
• 10 or more - 14.1%

Q13. What is the total value of these gift cards that you currently own?

• $0-$49 - 29.0%
• $50-$99 - 20.2%
• $100-$199 - 19.5%
• $200-$299 - 12.1%
• $300-$399 - 7.7%
• $400-$499 - 3.0%
• More than $500 - 8.6%

Q14. Have you ever used a coupon when making a purchase with a discount gift card? 

• Yes - 69.5%
• No - 30.5%

Q15. Have you ever bought a gift card solely to earn extra reward points or cash (for example, Buy a $100 gift card today and get a free bonus $10 gift card)

• Yes - 63.6%
• No - 36.4%

Q16. What do you do when you receive a gift card you don't like? 

• I go to that store and purchase something just to use it - 48.7%
• I sell it online for cash - 17.9%
• I trade it online for a gift card I do like - 9.9%
• I sell or trade it in person at a kiosk or pawnshop - 2.5%
• I re-gift it - 42.7%
• I forget about it and don't end up using it - 8.7%
• Other - 5.1%

Q17. Have you ever lost a gift card? 

• Yes - 36.9%
• No - 63.1%

Q18. How old are you?

• Under 18 - 0.6%
• 18-24 - 5.5%
• 25-34 - 22.9%
• 35-44 - 20.1%
• 45-54 - 20.8%
• 55-64 - 17.2%
• 65 or older - 11.1%
• Prefer not to say - 2.0%

Q19. How often do you visit GiftCardGranny.com? 

• Daily - 16.9%
• Weekly - 48.1%
• Monthly - 21.9%
• Every few months or less - 13.0%

For press inquiries or more information about Gift Card Granny, visit the press and media page or email pr@giftcardgranny.com.