CarltonOne’s January 29, 2026 Rewards Benchmark Report puts virtual gift cards ahead of the other listed categories in its redemption mix. The release draws on more than 7.3 million completed redemptions, offering a record of choices within the company’s network rather than a survey of future intentions. [S01][S02]
The difference gives the findings value, but also defines their boundary. A participant selects from the catalogue and budget made available by a programme sponsor. The resulting order reflects that environment as well as the individual’s preferences.
The business producing the benchmark
CarltonOne traces its history to 1989. It introduced a global recognition platform in 2007 and its reward-sourcing and fulfilment network in 2010. [S03] Its business brings programme software together with the infrastructure that delivers rewards. [S01]
That combination gives the supplier visibility into choices across many client programmes. Publishing a benchmark turns operational information into a commercial asset: the company can join discussions about catalogue strategy as well as compete to fulfil the resulting orders. It does not make the network a representative sample of all buyers.
Reported category mix
Selected redemption categories
Share on CarltonOne’s platform. [S02]
%
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Not market shares. Observation period unspecified.
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| Category | Share of reported redemptions |
|---|---|
| Virtual gift cards | 20% |
| Reloadable prepaid rewards | 15% |
| Prepaid options | 12% |
| Electronics | 6% |
| Premium electronics | 6% |
Digital delivery has a practical appeal where a sponsor wants to avoid shipping and a recipient values immediate access to a familiar merchant. However, availability and the number of points needed can also shape demand. The benchmark does not separate those influences into an independently measured effect of format.
Regional patterns need different denominators
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| Region | Virtual gift card growth [S02] |
|---|---|
| United States and Canada | 18% |
| Latin America | 198% |
| Asia-Pacific | 99.6% |
Europe’s 42% virtual-gift-card share describes regional composition, not growth. The publisher does not consistently define the growth figures as counts or transaction value. [S02]
A large percentage increase from a smaller base may involve less additional value than a modest increase in an established market. These figures therefore cannot rank the regions by incremental sales, nor show which would generate the best return for a new supplier entering them.
For a programme operator, the commercial relevance is local fit. A single worldwide catalogue can simplify procurement, but the selections made in one region should not automatically dictate the emphasis in another. The report gives buyers questions to investigate inside their own programmes, not a universal stocking formula.
What the data does not settle
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| Measure | Scope [S02] |
|---|---|
| Dataset | CarltonOne transactions |
| Currency | CAD unless specified |
| Observation period | Not specified |
The reported transaction base exceeds C$1 billion. Publication in 2026 does not mean all transactions occurred that year. [S02]
Observed redemption is stronger evidence of a completed choice than a statement of interest, but it does not establish why the participant chose it. Changes in client mix, programme launches, available brands and point prices can alter the aggregate without representing a general change in consumer taste.
Nor does redemption volume show whether a sponsor achieved more employee retention, customer spending or channel sales. Those require outcomes beyond the reward order and a comparison with what would otherwise have happened.
CarltonOne’s commercial case is that a supplier with broad fulfilment data can help buyers make better catalogue decisions. The benchmark supports a detailed view of its own activity. The strongest use of that view is to test assumptions about an individual audience, while keeping provider scale separate from claims about the entire gift card market.
In this article
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research for Gift Card News.