Every year, millions of employees, customers, and program members around the world redeem their hard-earned points for rewards. And every year, those choices tell a story.
What do people actually want when given the freedom to choose? Which brands resonate across cultures, and which ones only hit home locally? Are experiences gaining ground on merchandise? Is sustainability a nice-to-have or a deciding factor?
We set out to answer these questions. The result is our 2026 Rewards Benchmark Report: a deep dive into 7.3+ million reward redemptions across 190 countries.
Why This Data Matters
If you're running a rewards program, you're making bets every day. Bets on which products to feature. Which brands to prioritize. Which categories deserve more real estate in your catalog.
Most of those bets are based on assumptions, vendor recommendations, or what worked last year.
Our benchmark report replaces guesswork with evidence. It's built on real redemption behavior - not surveys, not focus groups, not what people say they want, but what they actually choose when the moment comes.
What You'll Find Inside
Without giving too much away, here's a taste of what the 2026 report covers:
Regional preferences that might surprise you. The reward that dominates in North America barely registers in APAC. We break down the regional nuances that can make or break engagement rates.
The brands that transcend borders. Some names show up in the top ten across nearly every market. Others are hyper-local heroes. Knowing the difference matters when you're scaling globally.
Category trends worth watching. We're tracking meaningful shifts in how people allocate their points, and what that signals for program design in the year ahead.
Digital vs. physical. The balance is changing, but not in the way you might expect.
Who This Report Is For
Whether you're managing employee recognition, customer loyalty, sales incentives, or channel rewards, the insights in this report can help you make smarter decisions about your catalog, your strategy, and your vendor relationships.
It's especially relevant if you're:
- Expanding your program into new markets
- Evaluating whether your current reward mix is actually driving engagement
- Building a business case for refreshing or consolidating your catalog
- Benchmarking your program against global trends
