Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/ --- description: InComm’s review of 2021 gift card surveys found more purchases, stronger interest in promotions and a leading role for email in communicating offers. title: InComm 2021 Gift Card Research: Deals, Email and Retail Shopping image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion-89f10a6743c39dc7f023964958dcd84b.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) # InComm’s 2021 Gift Card Research Finds Stronger Demand for Deals and Digital Promotion InComm’s review of 2021 gift card surveys found more purchases, stronger interest in promotions and a leading role for email in communicating offers. By [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) April 12, 2022 2 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fincomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=InComm%E2%80%99s%202021%20Gift%20Card%20Research%20Finds%20Stronger%20Demand%20for%20Deals%20and%20Digital%20Promotion "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fincomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=InComm%E2%80%99s%202021%20Gift%20Card%20Research%20Finds%20Stronger%20Demand%20for%20Deals%20and%20Digital%20Promotion%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fincomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![InComm research graphic about gift card discounts and promotions](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion-w300.webp) Photo: Source: incomm.com [InComm Payments](https://giftcard.news/company/incomm-payments/) reported a 16.6% year-over-year increase in gift cards purchased per quarter in its review of 2021 consumer surveys. Published on April 12, 2022, the analysis examines shopping for both network-branded open-loop cards and closed-loop cards tied to a particular retailer or brand. Convenience remained central, but promotions gained influence. The report said the importance of getting a deal as a purchase factor increased 47% among closed-loop shoppers and 27% among open-loop shoppers. About a quarter of each group said discounts on multi-packs or multiple cards could influence their decisions. ## Email led promotional discovery Email was the leading channel where both groups expected to learn about promotional offers. In-store signage became less prominent, while social media and digital coupons also ranked among the preferred channels. Most buying remained deliberate: 77% of open-loop purchases were planned in advance, while 84% of closed-loop purchases were described as mostly or always planned. The company connected that advance planning with the importance of stocking the brands customers had already decided to buy. Open-loop shoppers were more willing to stay in a store and ask for help if a card was difficult to find. InComm reported a 14% increase in that willingness and a 22% decline in those choosing another store instead. Closed-loop shoppers also became more willing to ask for help, although going online remained their main response to an unavailable card. ## Grocery and online channels grew Big-box retailers remained the main channel, but grocery stores gained attention. A quarter of open-loop shoppers preferred grocery stores; the corresponding figure for closed-loop shoppers was 17%. InComm also reported growth in online channels, of 24% for open-loop shoppers and 13% for closed-loop shoppers. The findings included a recovery in cards bought for other people. Open-loop gifting to family sometimes served practical purposes, such as unexpected expenses or managing money, while closed-loop buyers reported confidence in choosing brands their recipients would like. InComm’s analysis links those gifting and self-use patterns with the need for a broad retail selection and clear communication of offers. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [Key Takeaways from InComm Payments’ Gift Card Research](https://www.incomm.com/insights/key-takeaways-from-incomm-payments-gift-card-research/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — incomm.com ## In this article ### Companies * [InComm Payments](https://giftcard.news/company/incomm-payments/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fincomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=InComm%E2%80%99s%202021%20Gift%20Card%20Research%20Finds%20Stronger%20Demand%20for%20Deals%20and%20Digital%20Promotion "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fincomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=InComm%E2%80%99s%202021%20Gift%20Card%20Research%20Finds%20Stronger%20Demand%20for%20Deals%20and%20Digital%20Promotion%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Fincomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "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/) Analysis ### [AI Can Shop for You. Can It Spend Your Gift Cards?](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/ai-can-shop-for-you-can-it-spend-your-gift-cards/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 17, 2026 17 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [Gift Card Fraud in the United States](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/gift-card-fraud-in-the-united-states/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 17, 2026 66 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [Can You Cash Out Your Gift Card? A State-by-State Guide](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/can-you-cash-out-your-gift-card-state-by-state-guide/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 17, 2026 79 min ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher","name":"Gift Card News","url":"https://giftcard.news/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/brand/giftcard-news-logo.svg"}},{"@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":256,"height":256,"caption":"Illustrated portrait representing the Oliver Reed editorial profile."}},{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion.webp","width":300,"height":176,"@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion.webp#image"},{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/#article","url":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/","headline":"InComm’s 2021 Gift Card Research Finds Stronger Demand for Deals and Digital Promotion","description":"InComm’s review of 2021 gift card surveys found more purchases, stronger interest in promotions and a leading role for email in communicating offers.","datePublished":"2022-04-12T16:00:14.000Z","dateModified":"2022-04-12T16:00:14.000Z","inLanguage":"en","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#website"},"isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccessibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".reader-restricted"},"image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion.webp","width":300,"height":176,"@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion.webp#image"}],"articleSection":"Research & Trends","keywords":["InComm Payments"],"mentions":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/company/incomm-payments/#entity","name":"InComm Payments","url":"https://giftcard.news/company/incomm-payments/"}],"wordCount":337,"citation":["https://www.incomm.com/insights/key-takeaways-from-incomm-payments-gift-card-research/"],"author":[{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/#person"}],"publisher":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/#webpage","url":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/","name":"InComm’s 2021 Gift Card Research Finds Stronger Demand for Deals and Digital Promotion","description":"InComm’s review of 2021 gift card surveys found more purchases, stronger interest in promotions and a leading role for email in communicating offers.","inLanguage":"en","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/#website"},"mainEntity":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/#article"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/#breadcrumbs"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://giftcard.news/images/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-deals-digital-promotion.webp#image"}},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/#breadcrumbs","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://giftcard.news/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research & Trends","item":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"InComm’s 2021 Gift Card Research Finds Stronger Demand for Deals and Digital Promotion","item":"https://giftcard.news/research-trends/incomm-s-2021-gift-card-research-finds-stronger-demand-for-deals-and-295f9a812875/"}]}]} ```