Virtual Incentives recommended pairing realistic sales goals with a clear reward offer in guidance published on October 23, 2018. The company described gift cards, flexible time, experiences and practical items as possible components of a sales-team incentive programme.

For gift cards, it suggested allowing employees to choose among brands and delivering the reward promptly after the qualifying achievement. The company connected that approach with making recognition more relevant to the recipient.

Other examples included time away from work, classes, events and technology products. Virtual Incentives said preferences should guide the selection rather than assuming every team member wanted the same reward.

The article cited a Retail Gift Card Association study of 1,000 US consumers in which 61% had received a gift card as a reward or incentive and 91% of those recipients liked it. These were consumer-survey figures referenced in the 2018 guidance, not results from a sales-team programme operated by Virtual Incentives.

The piece provided programme ideas and urged employers to define expectations before introducing rewards. It did not report a measured sales increase caused by any of the suggested incentives.