Why Grocery Cards Make Great Digital Gift Card Rewards

Practical rewards and incentives, like gas and grocery gift cards, have always been popular digital gift card rewards.

Now that inflation is impacting virtually every segment of the economy, these types of rewards even more effective. It’s hard to overstate the impact of being able to knock $50 off your (growing) bill the next time you stock up.

In this article, we’ll explore why and how to create those feel good moments using the right types of digital gift card rewards. 

The rising benefit of offering gas and grocery store gift cards

With all this tension and penny-pinching, the benefit of high-impact incentive and reward options for your programs is greater than ever. 

Consider these figures:

⚡ The Incentive Research Foundation 2024 Trends Report reveals that employees prefer gift cards over cash, especially for essentials like groceries.

⚡ The Fiserv Q2-2024 Gift Card Gauge highlights that grocery gift cards are surging in popularity, with nearly 3 out of 5 consumers naming them as their top choice.

Based on these stats, many companies have been reconsidering what incentive rewards they’re using, and whether their recipients might appreciate a fresh (and budget-boosting!) approach. 

Digital rewards to gas and grocery stores make life easier for your recipients while still allowing for flexible spending. They directly address inflation impacts, relieving the sticker shock that comes when spending money on these inflated products. 

For example, gifting your someone a $50 digital gas gift card might cover an entire fill-up. Even a $20 gift card would cut their costs in half. 

 "You're very thankful for the company that gave you that reward," says Nat.

Bulk gift card brands people actually want

Specifically, Kroger, Publix, and/or Safeway egift cards for American recipients can help them relax a bit the next time they’re stocking up.🍎🍞🧀

Or offer your Canadian recipients gift cards to retailers like Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, and Thrifty Foods.

Meanwhile, Australian audiences might prefer Coles gift cards, while those in Brazil want Carrefour.

You might also consider offering digital gift cards to Instacart, SkiptheDishes, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, or Walmart to take care of some other essentials. 

And we’ve all felt the pinch at the gas pump, right? Delight your recipients with a gas card to Esso and Mobil, Petro-Canada, or Chevron and Texaco! ⛽ 🚗

Pro-tip: With a free Giftbit account, you can give your recipients access to a robust global rewards catalog that includes all these brands and more, including Amazon and Starbucks.

‘Inflation-proof’ rewards and incentives

Inflation-proof rewards and incentives are those practical rewards that cover the biggest "budget busters" plaguing the average consumer. They work well for everything from employee rewards to customer loyalty, corporate gifts to global payouts and disbursements.

Ultimately, whether you're brainstorming rewards to help with employee recognition orretention, or you want to attract a bigger audience for your marketing incentive programs, choosing inflation-proof rewards can be highly effective. 

Like we’ve covered, inflation has taken its toll on virtually every price tag. But some product categories—namely gas and groceries—have experienced an even more significant spike. So sending rewards that cover the costs of these consumer essentials provides meaningful value.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices have jumped 20.8% percent since February 2020. The same report shows that the cost of unleaded, regular gasoline increased by a whopping 38.6% between February 2020 and April 2024. 

Note that because shutdowns from COVID-19 did not begin until March 2020, this jump doesn't even reflect the plummet in gas prices during the early months of the pandemic. 

Inflation has also taken a toll on the cost of groceries. Consider the steep incline in specific grocery prices between February 2020 and April 2024:

• Margarine: Increased by 56.2%

• Baby food and formula: Increased by 30.7%

• Canned vegetables: Increased by 35.7%

• Crackers, bread, and cracker products: Increased by 39.9%

• Juices and nonalcoholic drinks: Increased by 30.8%

For reference, if you bought a box of crackers for $3 in February 2020, that same box today would cost around $4.20. And if your entire grocery bill increased by an average of 30%, you'd pay $130 today for the same groceries that cost $100 in 2020.😳

Regular folks continue to name inflation as the most important financial problem their families face. So when it comes to choosing to send rewards that people want the most, keep inflation-proof rewards at the top of your list.

An easy way to use gift cards in incentive programs

Yes—grocery and gas gift cards make great incentives. But how to get them into the hands of your recipients?

The easiest way to distribute gift cards is through a gift card API and/platform. Using a gift card distributor can streamline the entire process, making it simple to send practical gift cards and prepaid cards to your recipients—whether you're sending just a few or thousands at once. This way, you can automate your incentive programs, integrate them seamlessly into your existing systems, and deliver rewards in real time.

One of the standout benefits of using this type of approach is its flexibility. You can send digital gift cards for your recipients’ favorite brands, such as Target or Dunkin’, directly via email, text, or even by generating a unique link.

These links can be shared however you like—via your app, website, or CRM—without requiring complicated integrations. If you use Giftibit, you’ll have the option to use Zapier, allowing you to trigger rewards based on specific events, like completing a survey or attending a demo.

When looking for a gift card company to work with, look for one with transparent pricing, and no added fees or subscriptions. For example, you never have to worry about hitting high minimums with Giftbit. Purchase only what you need, and then easily track redemption data with built-in reporting functionality. This means you’ll have full visibility into which rewards were sent, claimed, or left unused, ensuring your program runs efficiently.

Using Giftbit also gives your recipients the gift of choice. You can offer them the option to pick their preferred reward from a curated list or from the entire gift card catalog, so they get something they truly want—whether that’s a practical gift like groceries, a prepaid card, or something fun from Best Buy, Bath & Body Works, or hundreds of other global options.

Plus, when you use Giftbit as your gift card distributor, your incentives only ever cost you face value (so, if you want to give an employee a $50 gas card, for example, that will only cost you $50). And there’s never any extra charges to use Giftbit. So it’s great for their budget, and great for yours, too. 🤩

With a straightforward platform and robust API, you’ll save time and deliver a better experience for both you and your recipients. It’s the easiest way to ensure your incentive program makes an impact while keeping your operations running smoothly.

People want practical rewards

Maybe you can’t solve the world’s problems, or those of your audience, for that matter.

But you can provide digital gift cards to the right brands as a convenient, powerful means of delivering practical rewards that lessen the blow of inflation. 

The right rewards are going to give your recipients that sense of relief and peace that comes with knocking down the price of these essential items.

"The ability to spend your reward on a budget-busting item like grocery is highly desirable for the recipient," says Nat. 

The research is clear: digital gift cards to grocery stores and gas stations deliver meaningful benefits, making them great options for both incentives and payouts alike.

Gifbit offers a full suite of digital gift card rewards for employee engagement, marketing and business incentives, market research, and other use cases. Chat with Sales to learn more, or start your free account now.