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CALGARY, March 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Giftbit, a leading digital incentives platform and API, recently released its 2026 Incentives Trend Report based on proprietary data from 2024-2025. A few key shifts have emerged in how businesses are strategizing their reward programs. Many are moving away from a one-size-fits-all model toward a two-pronged approach that aligns their goals with audience behavior.
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By analyzing transactions from the past two years, Giftbit has identified the specific benchmarks that are redefining the gold standard for incentive program design.
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Key findings
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- Full choice of gift card options for recipients is now the leading preference
at 41% of all sends. Offering the full catalog of choice (rather than a single, or curated list of brands) is up a whopping 38%. - Incentives with no claim-by dates (non-expiring) continue to increase in popularity, trending up 10%. They now account for 58% of all sends.
- Promotional rewards (with claim-by dates) are being used strategically for time-sensitive sales and marketing campaigns, with the added financial benefit of claiming back breakage to repurpose funds into future programs.
- Recipient claim times are becoming more differentiated based on use case. Employees and disbursement recipients are taking more time, while consumers are claiming faster.
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Shifting expectations and behavior
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The incentive industry is growing and behavior continues to evolve on both the sender and recipient sides.
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“Our data shows that off-the-shelf incentive programs no longer exist,” said Matthew Brossard, Head of Sales of Giftbit. “The most successful programs in 2026 will be those that match reward structure to program goals with the psychological expectations of their specific audiences in mind.”
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The report highlights an emerging divide in claim times: consumers are seeking quicker reward loops, while employees and disbursement recipients are taking more time to be strategic and deliberate with their choices—treating their rewards more like an online shopping experience.
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Price point psychology: the $100 threshold
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The report also highlights preferences relative to gift card price points, exposing a distinct $100 “utility shift.” For rewards below $100, recipients tend to choose daily ritual treats like coffee and food services. Above that, appetite moves toward essentials like groceries and household goods. Once the price point exceeds $500, the selections shift again, from utility to luxury categories like travel and high-end retail.
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2026 program guidance
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The report concludes with actionable playbooks for incentive program managers. Giftbit recommends pivoting from curation to autonomy by utilizing the Full Catalog of gift card options while reserving a single, pre-selected gift card option (such as coffee or food delivery gift cards) for high-velocity, tactical marketing engagement.
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