Business Reward Spending Surged During 2025 Holidays
Corporate gift and loyalty spending shifted toward practical rewards during the final two months of 2025.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Spending
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Data from the 2025 reward platform Giftbit shows that business spending on rewards peaked during November and December. During this period, companies prioritized internal employee recognition and practical gift claims over their standard annual patterns.
Why it matters
The shift highlights a change in corporate budgeting where businesses funneled a significant portion of their annual reward allocations into end-of-year initiatives. This trend reflects a broader move toward practical, tangible incentives as recipients increasingly favored necessity-based rewards during the holiday season.
December reward values reached 7.4 times the January-October monthly average, while November and December combined accounted for 28% of total annual reward spend. Overall, reward value increased 94% during these two months compared to the prior ten-month average.
The players
Giftbit
A rewards platform headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, that provides businesses with over 1,500 options for customer and employee incentives.
The details
Companies executed these rewards through two distinct waves: customer engagement campaigns in November and internal employee recognition programs in December. The mechanism shifted reward patterns toward practical items, as evidenced by a 1,067% spike in grocery gift card claims. This data stems from Giftbit platform activity, which offers 1,500 different reward options to users.
Timeline
January-October 2025 served as the baseline period for reward activity.
October 2025 acted as the benchmark for monthly loyalty reward growth.
November 2025 marked the peak period for customer loyalty rewards.
December 2025 represented the peak period for internal employee recognition.
Money Landscape
The 2025 Giftbit platform reward activity analysis shows a high degree of seasonal budget concentration that stands out against typical fiscal year spending. This trend suggests that businesses are increasingly treating year-end incentives as a tactical tool for workforce retention.
Employees should review their internal reward portals during the final quarter to capture any end-of-year recognition funds before they expire. If you manage a team budget, consider tracking these seasonal peaks to better align your discretionary spending with employee needs.
The takeaway
The data confirms that businesses significantly front-load rewards in late Q4 to prioritize internal recognition. Households should maintain visibility on company-issued reward balances throughout the year to ensure they are not missing out on available benefits during peak payout periods.
Further reading
For more on managing corporate incentives and gift budgets, visit our Spending section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Financial Post.
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Do you believe businesses should prioritize customer loyalty incentives over employee recognition during the holidays?
