InComm Payments’ generational breakdown of its 2022 Holiday Report found broad agreement on the most-wanted gift cards, with sharper differences in how shoppers wanted to hear about offers. The analysis was published on November 30, 2022.
Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards, followed by online-retailer cards, occupied the leading preference categories across the generations discussed. Below those common choices, Generation X and baby boomers placed more emphasis on restaurant and dining cards and showed greater interest in grocery cards than younger shoppers.
Generation Z’s leading choices differed more noticeably: clothing and gaming ranked ahead of restaurants and dining. InComm used the comparison to argue that a gift card selection should reflect the shoppers a retailer is trying to reach.
Digital discovery and promotion channels
Nearly one-third of holiday shoppers said social media was likely to affect what they bought that season. Younger respondents were more susceptible to that influence. Generation Z was also the only group for which Facebook was not the leading social platform influencing holiday shopping.
The promotional-channel results showed differences even where the same medium was popular across age groups. Online advertising was a preferred way to hear about deals for 73% of Gen Z respondents, 74% of millennials, 69% of Gen X and 62% of baby boomers.
Preference for online ads by generation
Respondents were asked how they preferred to learn about holiday sales, deals and promotions.
%
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Percent within each generation expressing a channel preference, not conversion or sales. The US-oriented original does not disclose sample geography, size, age cutoffs, field dates, recruitment or weights. More than one channel can be preferred; these observations are not a causal comparison.
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| Category | Reported respondents |
|---|---|
| Gen Z | 73% |
| Millennials | 74% |
| Gen X | 69% |
| Baby boomers | 62% |
For social media advertising, the corresponding figures were 69%, 63%, 47% and 37%. SMS or push notifications showed a wider age gradient, at 56% for Gen Z, 50% for millennials, 34% for Gen X and 20% for boomers.
In-store communication remained relevant
Physical signage retained a role alongside digital channels. It was preferred by 67% of Gen Z shoppers, 64% of millennials, 57% of Gen X and 54% of baby boomers. Direct email was another option, ranging from 57% among Gen Z to 39% among boomers.
Preference for in-store signage by generation
The same holiday promotion-discovery question also measured preference for physical signs.
%
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Percent within each generation expressing a channel preference, not conversion or sales. The US-oriented original does not disclose sample geography, size, age cutoffs, field dates, recruitment or weights. More than one channel can be preferred; these observations are not a causal comparison.
Show data tableHide data table
| Category | Reported respondents |
|---|---|
| Gen Z | 67% |
| Millennials | 64% |
| Gen X | 57% |
| Baby boomers | 54% |
The findings formed part of a broader 2022 holiday study in which 81% of gift givers planned to spend at least as much as in the previous year. InComm’s generational analysis focused on using those differences in card selection and communication preferences to shape retail promotions for that season.
In this article
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research for Gift Card News.