Apakah Anda Masih Menggunakan Kartu Hadiah Amazon? Inilah Alasannya Mengapa Ini Mungkin Bukan Ide yang Bagus

Several online retailers, including the big ones such as Amazon, offer digital gift cards as a way to shop or give rewards to employees, partners, and customers alike. Amazon and other retail gift cards are often seen as easy solutions for rewarding employees, partners, and customers.  

But beneath convenience lies a range of challenges that can limit your program’s impact — from restricted choices and inflexible expiration policies to poor recipient experiences and hidden costs. 

In this blog, we’ll break down why retail gift cards like Amazon may not be the best choice for your incentive programs anymore. You’ll learn about the hidden drawbacks, the risks to your brand experience, and why switching to a more flexible, comprehensive rewards platform could deliver far better results for both you and your recipients. 

Mengapa orang memilih kartu ritel digital seperti Amazon? 

Traditional physical gift cards have enjoyed a long run of popularity across the globe and remain viable on a small scale. But, today's digital gift cards are safer and more convenient than physical cards that were vulnerable to loss, theft, or fraud from duplication.  

For consumers, digital gift cards act as an excellent alternative to cash. End-users can add digital gift cards to mobile wallets to make purchases easier and more secure. 

Why Amazon (and other retail) gift cards aren't always the best choice 

Here are the drawbacks of Amazon and other retail gift cards: 

1. Kartu hadiah ritel menawarkan opsi masa berlaku yang tidak fleksibel 

The reasons end-users don’t use retail gift cards vary. Some of them include: 

• Pelupa. 
• Kehilangan kartu hadiah. 
• Kurangnya katalog yang menyeluruh. 
• Kartu hadiah telah kedaluwarsa atau memiliki batasan. 

Meskipun pembelian dilakukan dengan kartu hadiah, mungkin ada sejumlah kecil uang yang tersisa, yang jika tidak digunakan, entah karena lupa atau tidak ada uang, akan berakhir sebagai uang yang terbuang. 

"Kartu ritel seperti Amazon memiliki masa berlaku yang singkat sehingga menyulitkan pengguna untuk menggunakan kartu setelah masa berlakunya habis." 

2. Kartu hadiah ritel menawarkan pilihan terbatas untuk pengguna akhir 

According to Investopedia, closed-loop cards such as Amazon gift cards offer a limited catalog and can throw a wrench into your shopping plans, especially if you are looking for something personalized or customized to you. Retail gift cards also limit purchasing power because a buyer cannot redeem rewards in many places. While Amazon users can only shop from an Amazon Catalog, a digital incentive solution lets users choose from a broad, holistic catalog. 

Amazon cards or gift cards from other retailers are more utilitarian and may not evoke the dopamine effect on the recipient. 

Di sisi lain, solusi hadiah yang disesuaikan disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan penerima Anda. Mereka menarik bagi tujuan dan konteks responden dan beresonansi dengan mereka pada tingkat yang lebih intrinsik daripada kartu Amazon atau Starbucks. 

3. Kurangnya dukungan 

End-users using retail gift cards such as Amazon may have a tough time having a single point of contact, especially for customer queries. Each item in the catalog may have different terms and conditions and navigating them can be a potential landmine as an end-user. 

Bagi perusahaan besar yang ingin menjalankan pengalaman insentif tanpa hambatan, kurangnya dukungan pelanggan untuk solusi pemberian hadiah ritel dapat menyebabkan merek Anda terpukul. Hanya perlu satu pelanggan untuk memberikan ulasan buruk karena tidak dapat mengembalikan barang yang salah untuk merusak reputasi program insentif digital perusahaan Anda. 

4. Unclaimed rewards 

When you buy a gift card from, say, Amazon for $25 in fungible cash, it can be redeemed later. But, not everyone redeems these gift cards. Studies have shown that over 25 per cent of all gift cards distributed are never used. 

Sebagian besar orang yang menerima kartu hadiah akan segera memanfaatkannya karena lebih dari 70% dari semua kartu hadiah ditukarkan dalam waktu enam bulan setelah pembelian, menurut sebuah survei. Namun setelah 180 hari pertama, tingkat penggunaan cenderung stagnan. Pada tanda satu tahun, hanya di bawah 80% kartu yang ditebus - dan seiring berjalannya waktu, kartu-kartu tersebut semakin jarang digunakan. 

Hal ini menyebabkan peritel online besar seperti Starbucks, Amazon, dan Walmart mendapatkan banyak uang dari hadiah yang tidak diklaim. 

Jika Anda menjelajahi kartu hadiah selama musim perayaan atau ingin membelinya untuk perusahaan Anda, ada baiknya Anda memahami kekurangan kartu hadiah dan membandingkannya dengan platform hadiah lain yang tidak mengenakan biaya untuk hadiah yang tidak diklaim. 

5. Online retailers such as Amazon do not offer flexible expiry options 

Perusahaan dan individu memiliki persyaratan hadiah yang berbeda. Masa simpan yang terbatas dari Amazon atau kartu hadiah ritel lainnya membuat perusahaan sangat dirugikan, terutama saat mereka mulai membuat program hadiah untuk kasus penggunaan tertentu dan mencari tahu apa yang cocok untuk mereka. 

Perusahaan yang mendistribusikan insentif kepada karyawan akan lebih memilih poin reward yang hanya akan habis masa berlakunya ketika karyawan memilih untuk meninggalkan organisasi daripada hadiah dengan masa berlaku yang tetap. 

For the admins and CXOs, when a gift card expires abruptly, it also incurs a lot of money on unclaimed rewards.  

Dari sudut pandang perusahaan, uang ini adalah kerugian dan lebih baik digunakan di tempat lain. 

6. Amazon doesn’t provide detailed analytics on your incentives 

Crafting a rewards program isn’t easy. Not only do HR admins or marketers ought to prove the ROI on their reward programs for their higher-ups, but analytics also can determine the success of a reward program. Calculating data on reward redemption patterns, gifts that end-users opt for, etc., will help you understand the user behavior and update the reward catalog based on feedback. 

Kartu hadiah ritel online tidak menyediakan data yang memadai yang membantu Anda melakukan panggilan yang diperlukan. 

7. Online retailers lack key features that help you make your digital incentive program a success 

• Reward Scheduling 

Perusahaan saat ini menggunakan lebih dari selusin alat untuk berinteraksi dengan berbagai pemangku kepentingan seperti karyawan, konsumen, mitra, dll. Sangat penting bagi solusi penghargaan untuk menjadwalkan penghargaan dari aliran pekerjaan berdasarkan kondisi yang kompleks. 

A VP would prefer scheduling rewards for a sales team to achieve their targets from the CRM they already use rather than different software. 

Peritel online tidak mengizinkan admin untuk menjadwalkan / mengotomatiskan penjadwalan hadiah berdasarkan tonggak tertentu seperti hari jadi, ulang tahun, dll. Selain ketidaknyamanan, bagi admin dan perusahaan, hal ini membuang-buang waktu dan uang karena kurangnya penjadwalan hadiah dari alur kerja mereka. 

• Personalisasi 

Personalisasi dapat berarti beberapa hal dalam konteks pemberian hadiah. "Momen Kegembiraan" terakhir saat penerima menerima hadiah adalah yang paling penting bagi admin. 

Untuk mencapai hal tersebut, admin harus mempersonalisasi kampanye hadiah mereka berdasarkan tema, merek, nilai, konteks, dll. 

Jenis personalisasi ini tidak dapat dilakukan pada peritel online seperti Amazon. 

• Integrasi 

According to Statista, an average company in 2020 uses 80 SAAS applications. It is imperative for companies to connect their reward solution to the tools they use every day. Integrating seamlessly with their favorite applications not only helps firms run smarter rewards, incentives & loyalty programs, but it also helps them track data and measure analytics & ROI in a single place instead of a fragmented reward program. 

8. Lack of DIY 

DIY adalah fitur penting yang harus dipertimbangkan oleh pemasar, manajer produk, dan persona lain dalam sebuah organisasi. Admin harus menyiapkan program hadiah yang ideal dalam hitungan menit, dan kampanye harus dikelola dengan bantuan yang dapat diabaikan oleh pengembang. 

Not only does a DIY setup save time and costs, but it also helps admins manage the program seamlessly without having to coordinate with multiple teams. 

9. Pricing options to suit different sizes of clients and needs 

Setiap perusahaan memiliki kasus penggunaan pemberian hadiah yang berbeda, baik untuk pemberian hadiah survei maupun pemberian hadiah kepada karyawan. 

Online retailers offer a one-size-fits-all solution that just doesn’t work for companies. Digital rewarding solutions such as Xoxoday Plum, on the other hand, provide multiple pricing tiers for companies of different sizes and use cases. 

10. The hidden hassles of sending Amazon gift cards internationally 

Amazon gift cards aren't interchangeable across countries—a US card won’t work on Amazon.ca. To reward Canadian prospects, you’d need to place a separate order, handle currency conversions, manage foreign transaction fees, and navigate different websites. 

It gets even more complicated in Europe, where cards like Amazon.de are accepted in some countries but Amazon.fr is restricted to France. Plus, in many regions, Amazon isn’t the top retailer, making your reward feel less relevant. 

Restricting promotions to select countries can frustrate customers—or worse, drive them away. 

A smarter solution? Use a global rewards platform that delivers digital rewards instantly anywhere with just an email address—no conversions, no regional barriers. Broaden your reach, delight more customers, and simplify your marketing—without borders. 

More options are always better 

While Amazon offers an impressive catalog of around 12 million products, it doesn’t always match every recipient’s needs. Many people prefer to use their rewards for groceries, pay bills, enjoy takeout, or shop in-person where they can try before they buy—things Amazon isn’t always ideal for. Plus, not everyone wants to shop exclusively on Amazon. 

That’s why offering more flexible reward options is crucial. Instead of limiting recipients, you can empower them to choose: 

• Visa prepaid card: Universally accepted and seen as the closest alternative to cash. 
• Gift card of the recipient’s choice: Let them pick their favorite brand or retailer. 
• Experiences, dining, and wellness rewards: Curated for memorable and personalized gifting. 
• Charity donations and subscriptions: For recipients who want to give back or invest in entertainment. 

Reward platforms: A better alternative of Amazon gift cards  

When it comes to rewarding employees, customers, or survey participants, retail gift cards like Amazon might seem like the easiest route. But in reality, reward platforms deliver a far superior, flexible, and brand-aligned experience—for both businesses and recipients. Here's why a modern reward platform outperforms traditional retail cards: 

1. Freedom of choice 

Retail gift cards tie recipients to a single brand. Reward platforms unlock thousands of options—across categories like retail shopping, groceries, travel, food delivery, charity donations, experiences, and more. 
Recipients get exactly what they want, boosting satisfaction and making your rewards more memorable. 

2. Higher perceived value 

A generic Amazon card feels transactional. A tailored reward experience feels personal. 
Reward platforms allow you to deliver thoughtful rewards that match the context—whether it's professional achievements, personal milestones, or festive occasions—creating emotional resonance and lasting impact. 

3. Customizable for campaigns and branding 

Unlike standard Amazon or retail gift cards, reward platforms let you personalize the entire reward experience: 

• Add your brand logo to the reward page. 
• Craft personalized messages and themed email templates. 
• Build custom landing pages that align with your campaign’s tone and theme. 

This personalization not only delights recipients but also reinforces your brand presence in a more meaningful and lasting way. 

4. Better control and reporting 

Reward platforms offer powerful dashboards with real-time analytics to: 

• Track redemptions. 
• Understand recipient preferences. 
• Measure the effectiveness of your incentive programs. 

Unlike retail cards, which offer no feedback loop, this actionable data helps you optimize campaigns, measure ROI, and make smarter, data-driven decisions for future marketing and engagement efforts. 

5. Cost efficiency and scalability 

Many reward platforms operate on a pay-only-for-claimed-rewards model. 
This saves substantial budget compared to prepaid purchases of Amazon or retail gift cards. 
Plus, you can scale campaigns easily across geographies and audiences—without worrying about logistics, inventory, or shipping costs. 

6. Stronger recipient satisfaction 

More choices, quicker delivery, personalization, and flexibility—all contribute to higher satisfaction scores. 
Satisfied recipients are more likely to stay loyal, engage deeper, and recommend your brand to others. 

How Xoxoday Plum offers a better rewarding and incentivizing solution 

When it comes to modern, flexible, and scalable reward programs, Xoxoday Plum goes far beyond traditional retail gift card options like Amazon. Here's why businesses of all sizes trust Xoxoday Plum for impactful rewarding: 

Global catalog of rewards 

Xoxoday Plum offers access to a vast and diverse catalog with over 10 mn+ choice of rewards across 100+ countries. 
This includes digital gift cards, prepaid Visa® and Mastercard® cards, exclusive experiences, wellness packages, donations, perks, and more. With such a wide variety, recipients always find something meaningful and personally valuable, regardless of where they are in the world. 

Instant virtual prepaid cards and gift cards 

Speed matters when it comes to rewards. With Xoxoday Plum, you can instantly deliver virtual prepaid Visa® and Mastercard® cards or thousands of brand gift cards via email, SMS, or WhatsApp. 
Recipients receive their rewards in real time and can start using them immediately—no delays, no waiting for physical cards, no shipping costs. 

Personalized reward experiences 

Unlike basic Amazon or retail gift cards, Xoxoday Plum enables full personalization of the reward experience. 
You can customize rewards by adding your company's branding elements such as logos, campaign-specific messages, themed templates, and even personalized landing pages. 
This personal touch enhances the emotional value of the reward, making recipients feel more connected to your brand. 

Analytics and reporting dashboard 

Xoxoday Plum provides a powerful analytics dashboard that tracks real-time data on: 

• Reward redemption rates 
• Recipient behavior and preferences 
• Program success metrics and ROI 

Having access to these insights helps companies continuously optimize their incentive strategies, making them more effective over time. Retail gift cards simply don't offer this level of feedback or control. 

Seamless integrations with CRMs and workflows 

Xoxoday Plum integrates seamlessly with popular tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. 
This means businesses can automate reward-triggering events such as form fills, survey completions, deal closures, anniversaries, or birthdays—directly from their existing workflows, saving time and manual effort. 

Only pay for redeemed rewards 

With Xoxoday Plum, you are charged only when a reward is redeemed. 
There are no upfront costs for unclaimed rewards. This pay-per-redemption model ensures that your budget is used effectively, with no money wasted on rewards that recipients never use. 

Ways to reward via Xoxoday Plum 

With a comprehensive reward solution such as Xoxoday Plum, you can give out rewards in the form of Xoxo Codes, Xoxo Points, or Xoxo links. Rewards can be sent individually or in bulk to end-users. 

Setiap mode hadiah memiliki fitur unik, dan kami akan membahas mode mana yang harus Anda pilih untuk kasus penggunaan yang berbeda. 

Xoxo codes 

Xoxo Codes are transferable distinct alphanumeric reward codes available in standard denominations like 50/100/500 that can be used to gift or reward employees, customers, or channel partners.  

Xoxo Codes are appropriate for admins, be it HRs or sales leaders who are looking to use rewards where the end-user email id or mobile number is not known in advance. Some of the use cases are contests, consumer promotions and sales promotions.  

Fitur utama:   

• Quick & secure distribution: Send rewards instantly via email, SMS, or platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.   
• No account required: Recipients can redeem their reward without signing up.   
• Flexible expiry: Set custom expiration dates based on your campaign.   
• Partial or combined redemption: Users can redeem part of the value or merge multiple codes.   
• Bulk distribution: Can be generated and distributed easily across different channels.   
• Physical delivery: Can be custom-branded, printed and couriered to customers.    

Utilize Xoxo codes for-   

• Corporate gifting:   
  Use Xoxo Codes for corporate gifting during special occasions like festivals, anniversaries or holidays. These unique, one-time codes can be sent to employees or business partners, digitally or physically, allowing them to redeem a digital gift seamlessly. This approach ensures personalized branded experience while simplifying the distribution process.   
• Marketing campaigns:   
  Integrate Xoxo Codes into marketing campaigns as limited-time rewards. For example, include a digital code in promotional emails or social media contests that customers can redeem for exclusive offers. This tactic not only boosts engagement but also tracks campaign performance through code usage.   

Poin Xoxo 

Xoxo Points are reward points with fluid denomination (Any value from 1), that can be used to distribute rewards, discounts or offers to your employees, research panels, sales, stakeholders, or channel partners.  

These points are directly linked with recipient’s email id or mobile number earned through referrals, making purchases. Some of the use cases are employee rewards, customer loyalty.   

Fitur utama:   

• Accumulative rewards: Users earn points over time and redeem them at their convenience.   
• Customizable allocation: Businesses set rules for how points are distributed.   
• Real-time tracking: Employees or customers can track their points in a personal dashboard.   
• Multi-channel distribution: Allocate points via email, software integrations, or in-app notifications.   

Utilize Xoxo points for-   

• Employee rewarding:   
  Implement a rewards program where employees earn Xoxo Points for achievements, meeting targets, or demonstrating exceptional performance. These points accumulate in their account and can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, fostering motivation and a positive workplace culture.   
• Loyalty rewards:   
  Distribute Xoxo Points for channel or customer loyalty based on various criteria on sales, purchase, etc. This system motivates users with reward points based on various milestones.   

Xoxo links 

Xoxo Link is a unique link that lets recipients choose the reward of their choice with a single click. Partial use is not possible with xoxo links. Some of the use cases are consumer promotion, one-time reward campaigns, survey incentives. Xoxo links can be in standard denominations like 50/100/500 etc.  

Fitur utama:   

• Instant access: No need for users to create an account—just click and redeem.   
  Customizable campaigns: Businesses can create unique landing pages with a curated list of rewards.   
  Automated & scalable: Send thousands of links in minutes.   
  Flexible expiry options: Set an expiration date to drive urgency.   
• Quick distribution: Rewards can be sent instantly via multiple channels like email, Whatsapp or SMS.   
• Personalized experience: Customize branding, messaging and reward catalogs based on campaign objectives.   

Utilize Xoxo links for-   

• Consumer promotions:   
  Use Xoxo Links in consumer promotions to offer a hassle-free, instant reward experience. When customers click on their personalized Xoxo Link, they’re directed to a rewards page where they can claim their gift. This streamlined process enhances the overall customer experience and drives conversions.   
• Survey incentive:   
  Encourage survey participation by rewarding respondents with a unique Xoxo Link upon survey completion. The link provides immediate access to a digital reward, making it an effective way to increase engagement and gather valuable consumer insights while rewarding feedback.   

Xoxoday Plum rewards API 

Powering modern digital currency solutions for firms across use cases such as employee, consumer, channel, and other types of rewarding, our API platform helps firms automate rewards, benefits, payroll, and manage catalogs seamlessly. 

Key features of Xoxoday Plum Rewards API: 

Perusahaan dapat menghemat waktu, biaya, dan sumber daya dengan menggunakan solusi kami. 

• Masuk ke pasar dengan cepat untuk tim. 
• Solusi penghargaan yang dapat diukur. 
• Dukungan pelanggan dan dokumentasi teknis terbaik. 
• Kemampuan uptime 99,99%. 
• Keamanan data yang sangat baik. 

Utilize Xoxoday Plum rewards API for-   

1. Employee rewards 

Xoxoday Plum enables you with instant incentive infrastructure to digitize and gamify rewards, commissions, and incentives for employee use cases to effectively engage employees with personalized rewards. 

Firms can leverage Xoxoday Plum to: 

• Memperluas pangsa pasar di industri dan menjaga semangat tim tetap tinggi. 
• Mengurangi pergantian karyawan. 
• Hasilkan ROI positif dari setiap dolar yang diinvestasikan. 

2. Consumer campaigns 

‍With Xoxoday Plum, you can create exciting consumer campaigns and discount coupon codes within minutes. You can also automatically share them with customers based on custom triggers and workflows. 

Firms can leverage Xoxoday Plum Rewards to: 

• Mempengaruhi pengambilan keputusan konsumen. 
• Meningkatkan pendapatan dalam waktu singkat. 
• Meluncurkan promosi konsumen untuk menguji ide/produk baru. 

3. Sales & channel rewarding 

Pemimpin penjualan dapat memotivasi penjualan dan mitra saluran mereka dengan membuat gamifikasi insentif saluran dengan papan peringkat, kontes, lencana, pencapaian, dan hadiah. 

Xoxoday Plum can be leveraged to: 

• Tingkatkan penjualan dan konversi saluran. 
• Memotivasi mitra penjualan dan saluran untuk mencapai target mereka. 
• Memperluas jangkauan merek dan memasuki pasar baru. 

Kesimpulan 

While Amazon and other retail gift cards may seem convenient at first glance, they often fall short when it comes to flexibility, personalization, scalability, and true impact. Businesses today need more than a one-size-fits-all approach — they need rewarding experiences that are meaningful, customizable, and globally accessible. 

Xoxoday Plum empowers you to move beyond traditional retail gift cards with a smarter, more flexible reward solution. From instant Visa prepaid cards and global gift options to seamless integrations, deep personalization, and robust analytics — Xoxoday Plum makes rewarding simple, impactful, and delightfully human.