Digital delivery is now the default ask
Guests increasingly expect to buy a gift card at 11pm from their phone and have it land in an inbox minutes later. Restaurants that only sell physical cards at the host stand leave that demand on the table.
Self-purchase keeps growing
A meaningful share of gift card buyers are buying for themselves — as a budgeting tool or to lock in a bonus card promotion. That behavior rewards programs that run periodic bonus offers rather than only seasonal ones.
Groups expect one balance everywhere
Multi-unit guests do not think in terms of which location is on which POS. A single pooled balance that works across every store is quickly becoming table stakes for restaurant groups.