Utilizzate ancora le carte regalo di Amazon? Ecco perché potrebbe non essere una grande idea

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. 

Perché le persone optano per le carte di vendita digitali come 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. Le carte regalo per la vendita al dettaglio offrono opzioni di scadenza non flessibili. 

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

• Dimenticanza. 
• Perdere la carta regalo. 
• Mancanza di un catalogo olistico. 
• La carta regalo scade o è soggetta a restrizioni. 

Anche se gli acquisti vengono effettuati con una carta regalo, può rimanere una piccola somma di denaro che, se non viene utilizzata, per dimenticanza o per inerzia, finisce per essere denaro sprecato. 

"Le carte per la vendita al dettaglio, come quelle di Amazon, hanno un periodo di validità breve, rendendo così difficile per gli utenti l'utilizzo delle carte dopo il periodo di validità". 

2. Le carte regalo per la vendita al dettaglio offrono una scelta limitata per gli utenti finali. 

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. 

Le soluzioni di ricompensa personalizzate, invece, sono fatte su misura per le esigenze del destinatario. Si rivolgono alla causa e al contesto del destinatario e risuonano con lui a un livello più intrinseco rispetto alle carte Amazon o Starbucks. 

3. Mancanza di supporto 

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. 

Per le grandi aziende che cercano di realizzare un'esperienza di incentivazione senza soluzione di continuità, la mancanza di assistenza clienti per le soluzioni di gifting al dettaglio può causare un danno al vostro marchio. Basta che un solo cliente lasci una recensione negativa sull'impossibilità di restituire un acquisto sbagliato per rovinare la reputazione del programma di incentivazione digitale della vostra azienda. 

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. 

Sebbene la maggior parte delle persone che ricevono una carta regalo sia pronta a utilizzarla, secondo un sondaggio oltre il 70% di tutte le carte regalo viene riscattato entro sei mesi dall'acquisto. Ma dopo i primi 180 giorni, il tasso di utilizzo tende a ristagnare. A un anno, poco meno dell'80% delle carte viene riscattato e, con il passare del tempo, è sempre meno probabile che vedano la luce. 

Questo fa sì che i grandi rivenditori online come Starbucks, Amazon e Walmart ottengano ingenti somme di denaro per i premi non reclamati. 

Se state esplorando le carte regalo durante le festività o state cercando di acquistarle per la vostra azienda, è utile comprendere gli svantaggi delle carte regalo e confrontarle con altre piattaforme di ricompensa che non addebitano i premi non riscossi. 

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

Le aziende e i privati hanno esigenze di ricompensa diverse. La durata limitata delle carte regalo di Amazon o di altri rivenditori pone le aziende in una posizione di grande svantaggio, soprattutto quando stanno iniziando a creare un programma di ricompense per un particolare caso d'uso e stanno cercando di capire cosa funziona per loro. 

Un'azienda che distribuisce incentivi ai dipendenti preferirebbe punti premio che scadono solo quando il dipendente sceglie di lasciare l'organizzazione, piuttosto che un regalo con una scadenza fissa. 

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

Dal punto di vista dell'azienda, questo denaro è una perdita ed è meglio spenderlo altrove. 

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. 

Le carte regalo al dettaglio online non forniscono dati adeguati che vi aiutino a fare la scelta necessaria. 

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

• Reward Scheduling 

Oggi le aziende utilizzano più di una dozzina di strumenti per interagire con vari stakeholder come dipendenti, consumatori, partner, ecc. È indispensabile che le soluzioni di ricompensa programmino i premi a partire dal flusso di lavoro in base a condizioni complesse. 

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

I rivenditori online non consentono agli amministratori di programmare/automatizzare la pianificazione dei premi in base a una particolare pietra miliare, come un anniversario, un compleanno, ecc. Oltre all'inconveniente, per gli amministratori e le aziende si tratta di una perdita di tempo e denaro dovuta alla mancanza di programmazione dei premi nel flusso di lavoro. 

• Personalizzazione 

La personalizzazione può avere diversi significati nel contesto della ricompensa. Il "momento di piacere" finale, quando il destinatario riceve il regalo, è il più importante per gli amministratori. 

Per raggiungere questo obiettivo, gli amministratori devono personalizzare le campagne di ricompensa in base al tema, ai marchi, al valore, al contesto, ecc. 

Questo tipo di personalizzazione non è possibile con i rivenditori online come Amazon. 

• Integrazioni 

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 

Il fai-da-te è una caratteristica fondamentale che dovrebbe essere presa in considerazione da marketer, product manager e altre figure all'interno di un'organizzazione. Gli amministratori dovrebbero impostare un programma di ricompense ideale in pochi minuti e le campagne dovrebbero essere gestite con un aiuto trascurabile da parte degli sviluppatori. 

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 

Ogni azienda ha casi d'uso diversi per la gratificazione, che si tratti di gratificare i sondaggi o i dipendenti. 

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. 

Ciascuna modalità di ricompensa ha caratteristiche uniche e discuteremo quale scegliere per i diversi casi d'uso. 

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.  

Key features:   

• 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.    

Utilizzate i codici Xoxo per...   

• 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.   

Punti 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.   

Caratteristiche principali:   

• 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.   

Utilizzate i punti Xoxo per   

• 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.  

Caratteristiche principali:   

• 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.   

Utilizzate i link Xoxo per...   

• 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: 

Le aziende possono risparmiare tempo, costi e risorse utilizzando la nostra soluzione. 

• Rapido go-to-market per i team. 
• Soluzioni di ricompensa scalabili. 
• Assistenza clienti e documentazione tecnica di prim'ordine. 
• Capacità di uptime del 99,99%. 
• Eccellente sicurezza dei dati. 

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: 

• Estendere la quota di mercato nel settore e mantenere alto il morale del team. 
• Ridurre il turnover dei dipendenti. 
• Generare un ROI positivo su ogni dollaro investito. 

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: 

• Influenzare il processo decisionale dei consumatori. 
• Aumentare le entrate in un breve periodo di tempo. 
• Lanciare promozioni al consumo per testare nuove idee/prodotti. 

3. Sales & channel rewarding 

I responsabili delle vendite possono motivare i loro partner di vendita e di canale attraverso la gamification degli incentivi di canale con classifiche, concorsi, badge, pietre miliari e premi. 

Xoxoday Plum can be leveraged to: 

• Aumentare le vendite e le conversioni dei canali. 
• Motivare i partner di vendita e di canale a raggiungere i loro obiettivi. 
• Estendere la portata del marchio e penetrare in nuovi mercati. 

Conclusione 

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.