Diggecard has mapped ten business buyer segments that brands can target to expand gift card distribution. Its June 2024 guide cites KPMG and GCVA reporting that UK B2B gift card sales grew by 10% in the second half of 2023.

The company rounded business customers’ share to approximately 60%. The original GCVA/KPMG summary reports 59% of submitting members’ gift-card and voucher sales in the second half of 2023, rather than an independently measured census of the whole UK market. Diggecard recommends examining the different purposes behind those purchases instead of treating B2B as one uniform channel. [S02]

The public summary compares like-for-like sales for July to December 2023 with the same six months of 2022. Its methodology says 29 members supplied data, while its graphic says 27 contributors; the summary does not reconcile that difference. The reported channel-growth figures below are therefore attributed industry-member data, not Diggecard’s own performance or a causal measure of its distribution services. [S02]

The data behind the story

Reported UK gift-card and voucher sales growth by buyer channel

GCVA member submissions aggregated by KPMG; H2 2023 versus H2 2022.

% like-for-like sales growth
Source
Original GCVA/KPMG UK H2 2023 public summary

Contributing-member sales, not a full market census or supplier profit. Public methodology says 29 members, graphic 27 contributors; this discrepancy is unresolved. Detailed matching procedures and full member-only data are not available in the summary.

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Reported UK gift-card and voucher sales growth by buyer channel (% like-for-like sales growth)
CategoryReported like-for-like sales growth
Business-to-business10.04 % like-for-like sales growth
Business-to-consumer3.95 % like-for-like sales growth

Employee rewards, customer acquisition and loyalty are among the principal uses. Gift cards can recognize a milestone, accompany a new subscription, reward a referral or provide an option when loyalty points are redeemed.

Diggecard also identifies membership benefits, research participation and compensation as buyer categories. Other channels include promotional agencies, physical and online gift card malls, and employee benefit programs offering discounted cards.

Channel incentives and government programs complete the list. The guide describes these as ways to distribute gift cards through organizations seeking to encourage an action or deliver a defined benefit.

Diggecard says its buyer network spans those sectors and can connect participating brands with relevant programs. The article includes LEGO’s endorsement of the provider’s B2B relationship and distribution reach.