Holiday 2025 Gift Card Sales Recap: What the Numbers Tell Us

The Biggest Gift Card Season on Record

The 2025 holiday season didn't just meet expectations — it shattered them. From Black Friday through Christmas Eve, digital gift cards surged to record volumes while Shopify merchants collectively posted their strongest quarter ever. If you sell gift cards on Shopify, the data from this season should shape your entire 2026 strategy.

This recap breaks down the key numbers, highlights what worked for top-performing merchants, and identifies the tactics you should start planning now for next holiday season.

Shopify BFCM 2025: Record-Breaking by Every Measure

Shopify's Black Friday Cyber Monday 2025 results were staggering. Merchants on the platform generated $14.6 billion in total sales over the BFCM weekend — a 27% increase year-over-year. More than 81 million consumers purchased from Shopify-powered stores during the event.

Peak selling velocity hit $5.1 million per minute at 12:01 PM EST on Black Friday. That's not a typo — over five million dollars flowing through Shopify checkouts every 60 seconds. And 94,900 merchants had their single highest-selling day ever during the weekend.

Average cart value during BFCM landed at $114.70, reflecting both strategic bundling and higher-value purchases like gift cards. Cross-border transactions accounted for 16% of all orders, signaling that digital products — especially gift cards — travel well across borders. For a deeper look at the data shaping 2026, check our gift card statistics roundup.

Gift Cards Dominated the Holiday Wish List

The National Retail Federation confirmed what merchants have suspected for years: gift cards ranked as the second most popular gift category this holiday season, with consumers expected to spend $29 billion on gift cards alone. That's a massive slice of total holiday retail, and it grew year-over-year.

A CivicScience survey found that 56% of consumers received at least one gift card during the 2025 holiday season. Gift cards aren't a fallback option anymore — they're a primary gifting strategy for over half the population.

One surprising shift: health and wellness gift card spending jumped 5 percentage points year-over-year, now accounting for 21% of gift card purchases. If your store is in the wellness, fitness, or self-care space, gift cards should be a central part of your product strategy — not an afterthought.

December 23–24: The Digital Gift Card Surge

Perhaps the most telling data point of the season came from the final 48 hours before Christmas. According to BHN research covered by PaymentsJournal, December 23rd and 24th broke all previous volume records for digital gift card purchases.

This isn't surprising — digital gift cards are the perfect last-minute gift. No shipping required, instant delivery, and the recipient gets something they'll actually use. But here's the critical insight: merchants who had their digital gift card infrastructure ready captured this surge. Those who didn't left money on the table.

The gap between "we sell gift cards" and "we have a polished digital gifting experience" is where the revenue lives. A branded email arriving Christmas morning with a personal message from Aunt Sarah feels like a real gift. A forwarded Shopify notification with a code and no context feels like an afterthought. For more on why digital beats physical, see our digital vs. physical gift card comparison.

What Worked: Three Patterns from Top Performers

1. Early Campaigns That Started Before November

The merchants who saw the strongest gift card sales didn't wait for Black Friday to start promoting. They launched gift card awareness campaigns in mid-October, positioning gift cards as a smart holiday shopping strategy — not just a last resort.

Early promotions included gift card bundles (buy a $100 card, get a $10 bonus), dedicated gift card landing pages, and email sequences reminding customers that gift cards eliminate the guessing game. By the time BFCM hit, their audience was already primed.

2. Digital-First Strategy

Merchants who leaned into digital gift cards over physical ones saw dramatically higher margins and faster fulfillment. No inventory to manage, no shipping costs, no delivery delays. Digital cards also enabled cross-border sales — remember, 16% of Shopify BFCM orders crossed borders — without any logistics headaches.

The strongest stores offered a seamless gifting experience: a popup on the product page to collect recipient details, personalized messages, and scheduled delivery. That combination turned a simple transaction into a gifting moment.

3. Last-Minute Digital Cards as the Procrastinator Solution

Smart merchants promoted digital gift cards heavily from December 20th onward, explicitly targeting last-minute shoppers. Subject lines like "Still shopping? A gift card arrives instantly" and homepage banners emphasizing "Delivered by email — even on Christmas Eve" drove massive conversion in the final days.

The data backs this up: the December 23–24 surge shows that procrastinators aren't a niche — they're a massive market segment. Give them a frictionless option and they'll convert.

Lessons for Next Year: Your 2026 Holiday Playbook

Start Promoting Gift Cards in October

If you wait until Black Friday to push gift cards, you're already behind. Build a gift card email sequence that launches in mid-October. Educate your customers on why gift cards are a great gifting option — personalization, no returns, recipient gets exactly what they want. By BFCM, your audience should already know your store offers a premium gifting experience.

Invest in Scheduled Delivery for Holiday Timing

The biggest complaint about digital gift cards is timing: a gift purchased on December 10th that arrives immediately ruins the surprise. GoGiftCards' scheduling engine solves this completely. Customers pick a delivery date during checkout, and the system delivers at 8:00 AM in the shop's local timezone — so a gift bought weeks early still arrives on Christmas morning, right when the recipient wakes up.

This single feature transforms early shoppers into confident buyers. They can purchase during your October promotions or BFCM sales and still deliver the gift exactly when it matters.

Branded Emails Stand Out in Crowded Inboxes

During the holidays, inboxes are chaos — promotional emails, shipping notifications, and receipts piling up by the dozen. A generic Shopify notification is invisible in that noise. A branded email from your store's domain, with a personalized greeting and the sender's name, cuts through.

GoGiftCards Pro lets merchants send gift card emails from their own custom domain via SendGrid, so the gift arrives looking polished and intentional. For more strategies on making your gift card emails work harder, read our email marketing guide for gift cards.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The 2025 holiday season proved that gift cards aren't just a convenience — they're a primary revenue driver. With $29 billion in gift card spending, a 56% consumer adoption rate, and record-breaking volumes in the final days before Christmas, the opportunity for Shopify merchants is enormous.

But capturing that opportunity requires more than just listing a gift card product in your store. You need a complete gifting experience: recipient delivery, scheduled timing, branded emails, and a beautiful redemption page. That's exactly what GoGiftCards is built for — starting at $4.99/mo with a 7-day free trial and no credit card required. Start building your 2026 gift card strategy today.