IRF finds strong gift-card appeal, with reward value and fairness shaping participation

Gift cards retain broad appeal in workplace rewards, but a new Incentive Research Foundation study points to programme design as an equally important part of the commercial proposition. In its survey of 400 US employees, 77% rated gift cards very or extremely motivating. Cash bonuses led at 93%, followed by gift cards, paid time off at 72% and experiences at 70%. [S01] [S02] Released on September 28, 2026, Participant Preferences: Reward & Recognition Programs examines how existing participants experience their employer's programme. The findings give gift-card suppliers evidence of a receptive audience while showing why simply adding brands or increasing the face value of a reward may leave other participation barriers unresolved. Reward value and reward relevance are different decisions Half of respondents selected reward value as the most important factor in deciding whether to engage with a programme. Recognition type followed at 20%, while ease of earning rewards was selected by 11%. Asked when rewards or points became worth their attention, nearly half identified a threshold of at least $100. A further 22% said the type of reward mattered more than the amount. [S02] These are different questions. The first concerns whether a programme is attractive; the second concerns when a reward feels meaningful. Neither establishes that every employee needs a $100 gift card, or that a smaller award cannot be effective. The threshold question covers rewards and points generally, rather than setting a gift-card denomination recommendation. For buyers, the distinction changes how a catalogue should be assessed. A sufficiently valuable reward still needs to fit the recipient's priorities. For suppliers, the survey supports presenting the available choices alongside the earning rules and recipient experience, instead of using a single motivation score as proof that a programme will improve performance. What matters most when deciding to engage One most-important factor selected by each respondent. Published values Reward value: 50 percent of respondents Recognition type: 20 percent of respondents Ease to earn rewards: 11 percent of respondents Recognition frequency: 7 percent of respondents Ease to give recognition: 6 percent of respondents Do not consider these factors: 7 percent of respondents Single most-important selection; totals101%from rounding. July 2026 US panel, n=400. These are programme-participant responses, not estimates for the entire workforce or evidence of incremental business performance. IRF original reference deck, page 25 Trust remains a separate requirement Fairness and consistency were the most frequently selected participation barrier, cited by 27%. Another 24% said rewards were not valuable or meaningful enough, and 18% identified unclear earning criteria. At the same time, 44% reported no barriers, so these concerns should not be described as universal dissatisfaction. [S02] The issue extends beyond the reward catalogue. An employee can like the available gift cards and still doubt whether the process for earning them is consistent. Increasing the award budget addresses a different problem from explaining eligibility or applying recognition criteria fairly. The research also separates reward delivery from communication. Managers or team meetings and HR communications were each cited by 63% as ways participants learned about their programmes, compared with 36% for a recognition platform or app. A digital delivery capability consequently sits within a wider