Virtual Incentives revisited millennial interest in virtual holiday rewards in commentary dated December 15, 2021. Its linked whitepaper discusses the 2016 holiday season. That historical report describes receiving virtual retail or Visa rewards as appealing to almost half of millennial respondents and giving them as appealing to nearly 40%, with inconsistent summary wording elsewhere in the document. These approximate findings should not be presented as a new 2021 survey.

The whitepaper describes a ten-question Google Consumer survey of US adults, reporting 500 completed responses but individual question bases as high as 867. It identifies millennials as ages 18 to 34 without giving their subgroup size or exact fieldwork dates. Those reporting limits remain unresolved. Virtual Incentives reused the findings in advice to employers selecting rewards for the 2021 holiday season.

In the historical whitepaper, the company reported that 30% preferred receiving instant rebates or incentives virtually, while 40% considered virtual incentives important to purchase decisions. These answer different questions. The report also discusses online holiday shopping and mobile payment plans, but its inconsistent shopping-budget descriptions do not support a precise comparison.

Virtual Incentives recommended combining digital rewards with personal messages rather than relying on the payment alone to communicate appreciation. Its examples included food or drink rewards for a virtual team party and branded delivery and redemption screens.

At that time, the provider said it offered more than 1,050 brands in 51 countries and 43 currencies. It presented those options as a way to accommodate varied employee preferences while managing the delivery challenges of the 2021 holiday period.