Incentivefox brought together earlier research on reward preferences and loyalty participation in an article published on April 13, 2022. The roundup draws on findings attributed to CodeBreaker, Hawk Incentives, Parago, the Incentive Research Foundation and other organizations.

A Parago finding cited in the article concerns a choice between a $50 Visa or Mastercard prepaid card and the same value in gift cards as a holiday or year-end reward. Incentivefox reports that 81% preferred the prepaid card, with acceptance across multiple retailers among the reasons respondents valued it.

Mobile access and active membership

The roundup attributes to CodeBreaker a finding that nearly three-quarters of respondents would engage more with loyalty programs if reward information were mobile-friendly. It also cites Hawk Incentives figures showing millennials belonging to an average of 6.5 programs and actively participating in 4.2, compared with 6.2 memberships and 3.9 active programs overall.

Another Hawk Incentives finding discussed the appeal of converting loyalty points into value on a prepaid or gift card. Incentivefox uses the combination of those findings to emphasize redemption choice and access, rather than enrollment totals alone.

Keeping the research periods distinct

The article’s statement that 70% of U.S. businesses used gift card incentive programs is attributed specifically to the IRF’s 2017 Trends Study. It is a historical figure cited in the 2022 roundup.

The roundup also attributes two findings to Universal Reward Protocol: 77% believed stores that understood their buying behavior could offer more useful loyalty programs, and 57% were willing to share information in exchange for better rewards. Incentivefox’s article assembles these separate studies as considerations for program design.