STUDY - Gift card trends during the summer sales

The summer sales have emerged as one of the key events of the year for gift card. From June 26 to July 23, 2024, the gift card once again demonstrated its ability to boost the activity of retailers.

Discover our in-depth analysis* of the gift card market results during the summer sales of 2024 in France. Find valuable insights that will help you anticipate upcoming key moments for gift cards and adapt your future strategies!

The gift card, the perfect gift to enjoy the summer sales!

The number of gift cards activated during the summer sales shows significant growth. In 2024, we observed a 24% increase in the purchase of gift cards in-store compared to 2023. The purchase of digital gift cards also increased by 25% during the same period.

The gift card stands out as the perfect solution for treating others or treating yourself during this month when nearly one in two French people planned to make purchases during the sales period (according to an étude d’Opinion Way study).

Restored purchasing power

While inflation has significantly decreased in recent months, the French are benefiting from a somewhat restored purchasing power to treat themselves again.

While this is not as evident in stores, it is much clearer online. The average value of gift cards activated online increased from €50.73 in 2023 to €59.56 this year, a rise of 17.42%!

In this post-inflation period, the gift card appears to be a good compromise. It allows you to give a gift that will surely be appreciated, and thus treat others without unnecessary spending!

Gift card study – summer sales

Top 3 sectors in 2023

Three sectors stood out in 2023 for the number of gift card activations, both in-store and online:

Top 3 sectors in 2024

The top 3 sector preferences remained unchanged in 2024, both in stores and online. However, the results have tightened online, with a significant increase in the fashion universe.

The stability of these two rankings between 2023 and 2024 illustrates the prominent position that the top three sectors hold in the gift card market.

Culture / Multimedia / Home Appliances and the Children’s universe continue to dominate consumer preferences, both in-store and online.

However, we can highlight a significant growth of the fashion universe online. This can be explained by a renewed desire among the French to treat themselves in the context of reduced inflation, but also by the growth of this sector in particular on the internet.

Gift card during the summer sales: a preferred payment method

Do the French use their gift cards to make purchases during the sales? The answer is yes!

Our study results reveal significant growth in gift cards used in-store (+15.91% compared to 2023). This growth even reaches exponential proportions on e-commerce sites (+34.48%).

In 2024, the distribution of used gift cards by sector is extremely similar to the 2023 summer sales. The top trio remains unchanged with almost identical proportions.

Top 3 categories in stores

1. “Culture / Multimedia / Home Appliances” retains first place with 74% (-1 point vs 2023).
2. “Sports & Leisure” remains second with a 10% share, identical to 2023.
3. The “Children’s universe” completes the podium with 9%, the same as in 2023.

Top 3 categories online

1. The “Children’s universe” leads with 52%, unchanged from last year.
2. “Culture / Multimedia / Home Appliances” sees a slight drop (35% vs 37% in 2023) but maintains second place.
3. “Fashion” stays in third place, but also sees a significant increase, gaining 3 points compared to 2023, moving from 6% to 9%!

Just like purchased gift cards, the gift cards used during the summer sales of 2024 show real stability. While sector preferences of the French evolve little, there is still a notable rise in the fashion universe, although less significant than for activated gift cards.

While the market share distribution remains mostly unchanged, the main evolution is in the number of gift cards used during the sales period, which shows strong growth. This significant increase illustrates the rising importance of the gift card market in the habits of the French, particularly during periods when people enjoy gifting and treating themselves.

The importance of B2C gift card during the summer sales

While B2B usually dominates the gift card market the rest of the year, B2C performs particularly well during the sales. This is evidenced by the significant increases in the number (+13.16%) and the average value (+8.78%) of gift cards activated during the period.

A balanced gift card market

While B2B usually stands out as the star of the gift card market, especially during the Christmas period, its dominance is completely challenged during the summer sales.

However, its growth remains significant (+41.39% in the number of activated gift cards), and its market share is increasing. It now represents 47% of activated gift cards (53% for B2C), compared to 41% (59% for B2C) last year. In total value of activated gift cards, B2B even surpasses B2C with 52% (vs 48%), compared to 49% (vs 51%) in 2023.

But these numbers are far from the 70 to 80% market share observed during the recent holiday season. This significant difference can be partly explained by the summer holiday period, which coincides with the summer sales. The resulting slowdown in economic activity may explain in part the decrease in B2B’s share in these results.

However, this balance still highlights the need for retailers not to underestimate the importance of the B2C market during the sales period, while still considering B2B, which still shows good growth. It seems sensible to adopt a gift card program that integrates both B2B and B2C.

The gift card is indeed an essential part of the summer sales. Our analysis highlights its steady and continuous growth, as well as the stability of its leading sectors. B2B is less dominant here, especially when considering its impressive results during the rest of the year. These insights and trends on the gift card market are valuable for retailers to anticipate market developments and adapt future marketing strategies.

_{The analysis presented in this article is based on data collected between June 26 and July 23, 2024, with a comparison made to the same period in 2023. This information is specifically extracted from retailers using the Easy2Play gift card solution by Global POS.}