The rise of gift cards: gift your customers personal style

Fashioncheque

Far from an outdated retail addon, the classic gift card format is evolving to attract a new generation of savvy shoppers seeking to give the gift of personal style.

Flexible across many fashion brands and retailers, available both online and in physical stores, and simple to purchase and straightforward to redeem, modern gift cards are keeping up with today’s omnichannel consumers and resonating with their shopping, spending and gifting habits more than ever.

In fact, 16% of UK consumers purchased a gift card for someone else in the first half of 2025 – up from 15.8% in 2024. This is alongside a growing trend of self-gifters: 9% of UK consumers bought a gift card for themselves in the first six months of last year – up from 7.1% in the first half of 2024, the UK’s Gift Card and Voucher Association’s (GCVA) State of the Nation 2025 report shows.

Fashioncheque’s simple solution

Fashioncheque is a dedicated fashion gift card solution that aims to make it easy for brands and retailers to make the most of the gift card’s growing commercial opportunity.

Founded in 2008 in the Netherlands, today the business facilitates more than 1.5 million gift cards each year across Europe. It is currently accepted in more than 15,000 physical shops and online stores internationally.

Unlike others in the gift card sector, Fashioncheque focuses solely on fashion. It also partners with big-name brands and global retailers – including Adidas, Zalando, Foot Locker, H&M and Jack & Jones – as well as with local boutiques and independent fashion stores.

The card and process works the same way in all stores, big or small, and can be used across different countries, creating endless gifting and shopping opportunities.

Fashioncheque focuses on creating an easy and frictionless experience for both gift giver and receiver, as well as for the brands and retailers it partners with, operating on a performance-based, commission-only model with no set-up, integration or ongoing fees.

“Our partnership with Fashioncheque has enabled Zalando to reach new customer segments across multiple European markets,” says Soren Hoj Thomsen, director of gift cards at the German online retailer. “It has extended our presence within the gift card landscape and supported our growth beyond our own direct channels. We see Fashioncheque as a solid longterm partner and expect to continue developing this collaboration across additional countries.”

Debenhams Group joins Fashioncheque

Fashioncheque’s latest UK signing is Debenhams Group. A direct API (application programming interface) integration means all 13 of the group’s brands – including Boohoo, Boohoo Man, PrettyLittleThing and Karen Millen – are now plugged into the gift card network.

“At Debenhams Group, we’re relentlessly focused on making shopping with our brands easier, more inspiring and more rewarding for our customers,” says CEO Dan Finley. “Our ambition has always been to harness innovation and digital-first thinking to elevate the customer experience, and Fashioncheque gift cards align strongly with that vision by bringing together choice, convenience and a clear fashion focus. This partnership makes it easier for customers to discover and choose from our brands, while helping brand partners connect with customers in new ways.”

“Our collaboration with the Debenhams tech team shows how easily Fashioncheque can be implemented at scale, creating a frictionless redemption experience for customers,” adds Kevin Stone, head of fashion partner acquisition at Fashioncheque. “The integration was smooth and efficient, demonstrating the simplicity and scalability of our solution.”

High street giant Primark is also onboarding Fashioncheque to its stores in the second half of 2006.

Why gift cards make commercial sense

“Gift cards are working particularly well for the fashion industry today because they align with how customers are actually shopping and spending in this category,” explains Stone.

“A multi-brand fashion gift card gives the recipient choice, and this is much more thoughtful than imposing your taste as the purchaser. Buying clothing for someone else is risky because of size, fit, taste and brand preference. Fashioncheque gift cards remove that friction.”

At a time when customer acquisition costs, margin pressure and operational complexity are just three of the challenges facing brands and retailers, Fashioncheque’s UK launch offers a fresh take on a commercially lucrative solution.

Fashioncheque

Of the brands and retailers surveyed in the GCVA State of the Nation 2025 report, the large majority of businesses (81%) view gift cards as a healthy growth channel within their business, reflecting gift cards’ continued commercial and strategic value in 2026 and beyond.

“The most common benefits of gift cards are incremental revenue, not cannibalisation, and higher average order value,” says Stone. “The brands and retailers we work with like that it’s a performance-based cost model, as well as the customer acquisition element, with conversion being typically stronger than those from paid acquisition channels.” Stone also argues that gift cards are a low-risk commercial model for brands and retailers because they align cost with performance, protect margin and require minimal upfront investment: “Once implemented, gift cards become an always-on revenue channel that scales with seasonal demand and gifting peaks without requiring ongoing investment.”

Shopify Plus integration

Fashioncheque has developed an app within the Shopify Plus App Store for Shopify merchants, enabling brand and retailer partners to accept Fashioncheque gift cards directly as a payment method.

Integration is fast – potentially in as little as one business day. Furthermore, the app supports split payments that combine gift cards and card payments, and functions like a native gift card for each brand and retailer, reducing technical barriers for businesses.

“Fashioncheque is not simply another gift card on the market, but a well-established, long-term growth partner for fashion retail,” says Stone. “It helps deliver customers, spend and operational simplicity at a time when all three matter more than ever.”