Guusto highlighted guest reward redemption, recognition scoring and branded merchandise in a May 6, 2026 product update. The most direct change to gift card delivery is that recipients can redeem through a guest route without first creating an account. [S01]

For employers, that targets a gap between distributing a reward and an employee actually using it. It is particularly relevant where staff do not routinely work at a desk or use a corporate inbox.

How Guusto earns from recognition

Guusto provides digital recognition and rewards software. Its published pricing combines free and paid access levels, with subscriptions for more extensive programme functions. It says gift cards are supplied at face value and that it earns money by charging merchants. Funding costs can apply separately. [S03]

That model gives both software adoption and successful reward use commercial significance. The employer is purchasing a recognition process, while participating merchants gain a channel for gift card spending. The public page does not disclose merchant fee rates or the profitability of a redeemed reward.

The employer’s desired outcome is different again: appreciation must reach the worker it was intended for. A reward left unclaimed is not necessarily wasted cash under every programme rule, but it is a missed recognition experience.

Three features with separate jobs

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Three features with separate jobs

Product update

Purpose described by Guusto

Guest Redemption

Use a reward without creating an account

AI Recognition Scores

Give feedback on recognition activity and message quality

Branded merchandise

Add another reward format for milestones and recognition

The update discussed delivery through QR codes, text, email and printed materials. Product manager Cameron Waind and executive HR adviser Kwesi Thomas described registration friction as one reason employees may not follow through. The announcement does not publish a controlled comparison of guest and account-based redemption. [S01]

Branded merchandise was already included in Guusto’s March Q1 update. Its appearance in the May showcase is therefore part of an ongoing product programme rather than proof that the capability first launched in May. [S02]

Why reducing a step can matter commercially

A guest route can make a reward easier to use at the moment it is received. That may reduce support requests about account setup and help an employer reach staff outside its normal digital systems. For Guusto, it strengthens the case for serving organisations with large frontline workforces.

The scoring feature addresses another part of the process: whether managers distribute recognition consistently and make messages specific. A score describing recognition activity is not the same measure as a card redeemed, and neither is proof that staff retention improved.

Guusto’s current pricing says unclaimed gifts can be credited back on eligible paid plans. That makes unused value a programme-specific funding issue as well as an engagement issue; an anecdotal amount cited in the showcase should not be treated as a company-wide breakage rate. [S03]

The commercial test is whether easier access leads to useful recognition with manageable administration. The update supplies new tools for that task, but no measured reduction in turnover, support cost or reward abandonment attributable to these features.