What Happens When Choice is the Gift? Five Insights From Our 2026 Redemption Data So Far
From everyday essentials to travel experiences and premium brands, our latest redemption data reveals what participants actually choose, and what it means for your holiday gifting strategy.
So far this year, participants on our employee engagement and sales loyalty programs made tens of thousands of gift cards, merchandise, and travel redemptions through the Rewards Marketplace. Some participants chose practical options from retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, and Target. Others selected travel, premium technology, golf equipment, luxury brands, and experiential rewards.
The takeaway is not that one category dominated. It's that people define value differently.
That is why the most effective holiday gifting programs are not built around a single item. They are built around meaningful choice. Our 2026 redemption data revealed five clear patterns that can help organizations create gifting experiences people genuinely want this holiday season, and beyond.
1. Flexibility Is a Gift in Itself
One of the clearest patterns in this year's data was the popularity of flexible gift card options. Amazon led both gift card groupings in the report, while Visa Debit, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Lowe's, and Best Buy were also among the leading selections.
That flexibility allows each recipient to decide what is most valuable at that moment. One person may put a reward toward holiday shopping. Another may use it for a home project, a family purchase, or something they have been planning to buy for themselves.
The data reinforces that sometimes the most appreciated gift is not a specific item. It is the ability to choose. When people can redeem rewards in ways that fit their own lives, the gifting experience becomes more personal and relevant.
2. Experiences Continue to Matter
Not every memorable gift arrives in a package.
Rewards including airfare, hotel accommodations, and rental cars represented the highest total value of non-gift card redemption travel data this year. Participants also selected gift cards connected to Airbnb, Delta Air Lines, Hotels.com, Southwest Airlines, Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, StubHub, and other travel and entertainment experiences.
These selections show why a strong reward offering should extend beyond physical products. A trip, cruise, concert, or special event gives recipients the chance to turn recognition into a memorable experience — one they can enjoy, share, and continue to associate with your program long after the moment has passed.
3. Practical Gifts Can Still Feel Special
Some of the most popular merchandise choices were not novelty gifts. They were premium versions of products people can use at home, outdoors, or while pursuing a favorite project.
Milwaukee, YETI and DeWalt were among the leading merchandise brands redeemed this year. Cooking and entertaining brands also showed strong activity, including Cuisinart, Blackstone, Weber, Le Creuset, Ninja, KitchenAid, and Caraway.
What these brands have in common is practical value paired with strong brand recognition. A durable cooler, a high-quality grill, professional-grade tools or premium cookware may be useful, but those rewards can still feel exciting and aspirational.
While practical gifts may not seem exciting at first, their value lies in offering useful products that recipients will be genuinely pleased to own.
4. Technology Remains a Reliable Crowd-Pleaser
Technology continues to be one of the most versatile reward categories available.
Apple, Samsung, Garmin, JBL, Sonos, Nintendo, Bose, Dell, Sony, and Dyson were among the prominent technology and electronics brands in our 2026 merchandise data. Together, they represent a wide range of choices, including personal electronics, audio products, gaming, wearables, computing, and home technology.
That variety is part of technology's appeal. Recipients are not limited to one type of device or one price point. They can choose the innovation that best fits their interests, routines, and goals.
For organizations, technology offers broad recognition value without requiring everyone to want the same product.
5. Personal Interests Drive Meaningful Choices
Perhaps the most revealing pattern was the sheer diversity of interests reflected in participants' selections.
Golf was especially visible. Titleist generated hundreds of redemptions, while Callaway, TaylorMade, Bushnell Golf, Scotty Cameron, and other golf-related brands appeared throughout the report. Outdoor recreation, cooking, fitness, fashion, jewelry, and gaming were also represented across the data.
These choices reinforce an important truth about gifting: people are more likely to value rewards that connect with their own interests. One recipient may be passionate about golf, while another may prefer travel, cooking, gaming, fashion or outdoor activities.
An organization may not know which interest matters most to every person. A broad marketplace solves that problem by allowing recipients to make the connection themselves.
Take a look at what some participants have had to say about the Marketplace
The Real Trend? People Want Options
If one lesson stands out from the data, it is that there is no universally perfect gift.
Some participants chose flexible spending options or products they could use every day. Others selected travel experiences, premium technology, home products, outdoor gear, luxury merchandise or rewards connected to a favorite hobby.
What they all had in common was the ability to choose.
The most effective holiday gifting programs are not built around a single product or trend. They combine recognizable brands, useful products, aspirational merchandise, and memorable experiences so recipients can decide what feels most meaningful to them.
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