InComm Payments identified convenience as the most common reason consumers gave for buying open-loop gift cards for their own use.

Published on March 26, 2024, the findings came from the company’s gift card research conducted during 2023. InComm stated that the broader research involved 6,475 gift card shopper respondents.

The company asked self-purchasers where they spent the value. Online shopping ranked first among the categories listed, followed by groceries, clothing, entertainment, and gaming or streaming.

The findings concern network-branded, open-loop cards rather than cards restricted to an individual retailer. They also distinguish personal purchasing from the more familiar use of a gift card as a present for someone else.

InComm’s recommendation to merchants was to consider this demand when stocking cards. The spending categories show how some customers use the products for planned purchases and ordinary shopping alongside gift occasions.