By 2027 Swedes will spend about US$10.1 billion on gifts, up from US$9.3 billion in 2023, but the real movement sits inside gift cards. Load value is expanding 5.9 % annually toward US$1.5 billion, and the average card climbs from US$50.70 to US$62.90. Digital formats already jump from 34 % to nearly 40 % penetration, growing three times faster than the category that contains them.
The market splits roughly 58 / 42 between retail shoppers and corporate buyers. Retail spend is still driven by celebrations, yet self‑use now absorbs 26 % of volume, turning cards into personal money‑management tools. Corporates use them as levers: 46 % funds channel incentives, 39 % consumer promotions, and 15 % employee rewards. In both camps the card is less a gift than a programmable nudge that shapes behaviour on demand.
Digital acceleration mirrors life priorities. Gen Z and Millennials drive over 80 % of spend, expecting instant delivery and wallet integration. Households in the "second 25 %" income band (≈ US$30–80 k) account for 40 % of digital volume, seeking a balance of bargain hunting and budget control. To them a card is both treat and tracker—convenience without losing oversight.
Two design patterns surface. 1) Integrate the journey end‑to‑end: map every touchpoint, funnel purchase and redemption data into customer intelligence, remove friction. 2) Build compounding loops: link cards to loyalty tiers, bonus credits, or tiered perks so each redemption seeds the next purchase. Pilot, measure lift, then scale.
