Pleasanton, Calif., Sept. 13, 2016 -- Blackhawk Network, a pioneer of prepaid gift cards, payment tools and rewards delivered via a robust and convenient network, today announced findings from a new research study about consumers' usage, adoption of and sentiments toward egifts. The findings revealed that as the consumers surveyed rely on mobile devices or computers to store their personal data, the use of egifts—digital gift cards delivered to recipients via email, social media or text message and that are redeemable in-store, online or via mobile devices—is growing.
"The consumers we surveyed continue to have a strong desire to give and receive plastic gift cards, and even as this demand remains high, egifts are becoming equally desired," said Teri Llach, chief marketing officer at Blackhawk Network. "There are, however, some misconceptions that still exist about consumers' attitudes toward and perception of egifts and how they are being used and redeemed. Our new research finds that shoppers view and use digital gift cards in ways one might not expect."
The perception of egift is evolving beyond the initial view that egift is strictly for personal use and not appropriate to gift to others. The Blackhawk Network research* of more than 1,000 Americans surveyed in June 2016 revealed:
*For self-use: The majority (78 percent) of respondents reported they would purchase an egift for self-use if it were offered at a discount, a finding of particular interest for retailers wishing to grow egift adoption.
*For gift-giving: Thirty percent of consumers surveyed have purchased an egift specifically with the recipient in mind because they knew the recipient would like it, however speed and ease of delivery were the most important factors influencing their purchase. In fact, the majority of respondents (91 percent) agreed that egifts are "quick and easy" to buy. The top features that make the consumers surveyed more likely to gift egifts according to the research, include: Delivery in minutes (45 percent) Delivery notification (39 percent) Ability to include a digital greeting card (28 percent)
The top reasons why they felt it was personal, according to the survey, include:
Ninety percent of respondents who have received egifts also thought they were easy to redeem because:
*Over half of respondents surveyed (62 percent) would be satisfied with receiving a gift card from an exchange site as a gift.
*And, 64 percent feel it is acceptable to give a gift card purchased through a gift card exchange because the egifts look the same as other gift cards (84 percent) and because they were purchased at a discount (78 percent) making the gift-giver look like a good bargain shopper.
Blackhawk Network built its business on pioneering new branded payments products and solutions such as merchant-specific cards, prepaid debit cards and egifts. This success is rooted in Blackhawk's expertise in shopper marketing and dedication to research on shopper behaviors and emerging trends.
*About Blackhawk's eGift Misconceptions Survey Blackhawk's eGift Misconceptions Survey is an Internet-based survey conducted by Blackhawk Network in June 2016. The sample size included 1,144 American respondents.
About Blackhawk Network Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a leading prepaid and payments global company, which supports the program management and distribution of gift cards, prepaid telecom products and financial service products in retail, digital and incentive channels. Blackhawk's digital platform supports prepaid across a network of digital distribution partners including retailers, financial service providers, and mobile wallets. For more information, please visit www.blackhawknetwork.com or product websites Cardpool, Gift Card Lab, Gift Card Mall, GiftCards.com and OmniCard.
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Source: Company press release.
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