Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/research-trends/epay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026/ --- description: epay and SINC Novation’s German gift card study links card use with stronger brand perceptions, raising a commercial case that requires careful measurement. title: epay study examines gift cards and brand experience image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/epay-study-links-gift-card-use-stronger-brand-experience-33c85c9db3b49683ebdce75ed59436bf.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) # epay study links gift card use with stronger brand experience epay’s commissioned study makes the case for treating gift cards as brand media. Its survey comparisons still leave incremental sales and causality unresolved. By [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) February 25, 2026 4 min read [ Google News ](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=giftcard.news&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fepay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=epay+study+links+gift+card+use+with+stronger+brand+experience&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fepay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=epay+study+links+gift+card+use+with+stronger+brand+experience+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fepay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "WhatsApp") ![Three Branded Money study booklets with dark covers and overlapping orange circles on a light background.](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/epay-study-links-gift-card-use-stronger-brand-experience-three-branded-money-2-w746.webp) Official Branded Money study artwork supplied through epay’s newsroom. Photo: epay / SINC Novation / Multisense [epay](https://giftcard.news/company/epay/) and [SINC Novation](https://giftcard.news/company/sinc-novation/) are using commissioned research to make a broader case for gift cards inside retail marketing budgets. Their Branded Money whitepaper, listed on February 25, 2026, links card use with stronger brand perceptions. [Multisense](https://giftcard.news/company/multisense/) conducted the work; epay expanded on the findings in an April 15 announcement. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1)[\[S02\]](#article-source-2) The commercial significance lies in the proposed change of category. A gift card sold only as a payment instrument competes on distribution and processing. A card presented as a meaningful encounter with a brand can also compete for attention from the team deciding how that brand attracts customers. epay is [Euronet](https://giftcard.news/company/euronet-worldwide/)’s prepaid and payment-processing segment, connecting brands with consumers through retail and digital channels. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) SINC Novation supplies gift cards, smart cards and related digital services. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) Multisense is a brand and sales consultancy applying research on perception to commercial decisions. [\[S04\]](#article-source-4) The sponsors therefore have a direct interest in retailers investing in gift card programmes. That interest does not invalidate the findings, but it helps explain the questions the research asks and why the sponsors want marketing departments to reconsider the product. ## Buyers and recipients show different brand-profile comparisons The online survey involved 6,010 German consumers, five retail brands and 30 touchpoints. It compared card buyers and recipients with people who knew the brands but had not used their prepaid cards. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) The data behind the story ### Reported brand-profile difference Reported relative brand-profile differences between prepaid-card buyers or recipients and people aware of the brands who did not use their prepaid cards. Germany, online survey of 6,010 consumers. Higher brand-profile score % Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. Source epay: April 15, 2026 study findings and methodology Relative score comparisons, not percentages of people buying cards or causal sales effects. The public release does not disclose group sample sizes, absolute scores, uncertainty, weighting or fieldwork dates. The buyer and recipient values cannot be added. Show data tableHide data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __Reported brand-profile difference (%)__ | Category | Higher brand-profile score | | ---------- | -------------------------- | | Buyers | 130% | | Recipients | 116% | The chart shows separate brand-profile comparisons for buyers and recipients. The values cannot be added to describe a combined effect. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) The research evaluates relevance, experience reach, experience quality and implicitly measured brand associations across thirty touchpoints. The five retail brands are described by sector rather than named in the public methodology. The comparison therefore concerns selected leading brands, not a representative census of every German retailer. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) ## Stronger experience scores do not establish incremental profit The whitepaper summary reports 71.4% higher brand experience and a 58.4% higher qualitative evaluation of other brand encounters among card users. These are comparison metrics, not percentages of the population buying gift cards. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) The data behind the story ### Reported brand-experience comparisons Two distinct comparison measures summarized by the study sponsors for prepaid-card buyers and recipients, across the five focus brands. Reported relative difference % Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table. Sources epay: April 15, 2026 study findings and methodology; epay / stores+shops: February 25 whitepaper summary These are different research scores and cannot be added or read as purchase shares. Brand-experience volume combines touchpoint relevance and experience reach. Higher reported scores among users do not establish that gift cards caused the full difference or generated incremental profit. Show data tableHide data table Scroll left or right to see all columns __Reported brand-experience comparisons (%)__ | Category | Reported relative difference | | ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------- | | Brand experience | 71.4% | | Quality evaluation of other brand contacts | 58.4% | The release defines brand-experience volume as the product of a touchpoint’s relevance and its reach. The 71.4% comparison is consequently a score difference within that framework. The 58.4% result concerns the quality evaluation of other brand encounters and should remain a separate measure. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) A gift purchaser both funds a balance and places a retailer in front of another person. Redemption creates a further encounter. That gives a retailer several possible sources of value from one instrument: prepaid demand, introduction to a recipient and an opportunity to make the resulting visit worthwhile. However, a person already enthusiastic about a retailer may be more likely to buy its card and rate it positively. A recipient may also have been chosen precisely because the giver knew that preference. Stronger brand scores can therefore accompany card use without being caused entirely by it. The public methodology does not describe random allocation or disclose fieldwork dates, recruitment and weighting in enough detail to resolve those alternatives. [\[S02\]](#article-source-2) The business mechanism is credible; the size of the incremental effect remains a separate question. A customer paying for a card brings money into the programme, but the retailer still promises goods or services in return. Distribution, processing and any promotional incentive also have a cost. Calling a card a marketing contact should not make those obligations disappear from the commercial assessment. For epay and SINC Novation, the research supports a move from supplying transactions or cards towards participating in brand strategy. For a retailer, it offers a reason to examine the purchaser and recipient relationship more closely. It does not establish that every new card programme will acquire profitable customers or outperform another use of the marketing budget. ## In this article ### Companies * [Euronet Worldwide](https://giftcard.news/company/euronet-worldwide/) * [Multisense](https://giftcard.news/company/multisense/) * [SINC Novation](https://giftcard.news/company/sinc-novation/) * [epay](https://giftcard.news/company/epay/) ### Sources and documents * [\[S01\] Branded Money whitepaper, February 25](https://www.stores-shops.de/whitepaper/bm-study-de/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — epay via stores+shops * [\[S02\] Study findings, April 15](https://epay.de/brand-experience-studie-prepaid-geschenkkarten/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — epay * [\[S03\] Company services](https://www.sincnovation.com/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — SINC Novation * [\[S04\] Research and advisory business](https://www.multisense.de/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news) — Multisense Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fepay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=epay+study+links+gift+card+use+with+stronger+brand+experience&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fepay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=epay+study+links+gift+card+use+with+stronger+brand+experience+https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fepay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news&utm%5Fcampaign=giftcard.news "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) Journalist — Industry Deals & Research Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research for Gift Card News. From reading to building ## Your next move in gift cards. Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers. [Find a provider ](https://giftcard.news/find-a-provider/) ## Related articles [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) News ### [Tremendous survey finds convenience matters in gift card choice](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/tremendous-gift-card-cash-reward-preferences-survey-may-2026/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) May 26, 2026 4 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) News ### [BHN survey finds more U.S. shoppers planning to buy gift cards for themselves](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/bhn-gift-card-self-use-budgeting-survey-2026/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) June 8, 2026 4 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) News ### [InComm’s holiday survey puts gift cards first in U.S. purchase plans](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-2026-holiday-gift-card-purchase-plans/) [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) October 21, 2026 5 min ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher","name":"Gift Card News","url":"https://giftcard.news/","description":"News and analysis covering gift cards, retail, loyalty, rewards and payments worldwide.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/icon-512.png","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/icon-512.png","width":512,"height":512,"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#logo"},"publishingPrinciples":"https://giftcard.news/editorial-policy/","correctionsPolicy":"https://giftcard.news/editorial-policy/"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#website","url":"https://giftcard.news/","name":"Gift Card News","description":"News and analysis covering gift cards, retail, loyalty, rewards and payments worldwide.","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://giftcard.news/search/?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/#person","name":"Oliver Reed","url":"https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/","description":"Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research for Gift Card News.","jobTitle":"Journalist — Industry Deals & Research","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait.webp","width":1254,"height":1254,"caption":"Illustrated portrait representing the Oliver Reed editorial profile.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Illustrated portrait for Oliver Reed, Gift Card News","creditText":"Gift Card News / AI-generated illustration"}},{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/epay-study-links-gift-card-use-stronger-brand-experience-three-branded-money-2.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/epay-study-links-gift-card-use-stronger-brand-experience-three-branded-money-2.webp","width":746,"height":577,"caption":"Official Branded Money study artwork supplied through epay’s newsroom.","@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/epay-study-links-gift-card-use-stronger-brand-experience-three-branded-money-2.webp#image","encodingFormat":"image/webp","description":"Three Branded Money study booklets with dark covers and overlapping orange circles on a light background.","creditText":"epay / SINC Novation / Multisense","isBasedOn":"https://www.mynewsdesk.com/de/epay/pressreleases/brand-experience-study-prepaid-gift-cards-boost-brand-experience-by-71-punkt-4-prozent-3443455"},{"@type":"Dataset","@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/epay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026/#dataset","url":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/epay-sinc-multisense-gift-card-brand-experience-study-february-2026/","name":"epay study links gift card use with stronger brand experience: figure data","description":"Tabular data for the figures accompanying \"epay study links gift card use with stronger brand experience\". 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