With the demand for experiential gifts continuing to rise with consumers1, Blackhawk Network and Virgin Experience Gifts have announced a new partnership that brings gift cards from Virgin Experience Gifts to retail consumers in the U.S. in time for this year’s holiday season.
Already an experiential gifting market leader in the U.K., Virgin brought experiential gifting to the U.S. in 2021 and has seen rapid growth, adding more than a thousand experiences this year. Further proof that experiential gifting is increasing in popularity: a Sitecore 2021 holiday trends report1 found 71% of people surveyed say they don’t need more stuff and would prefer an experience as a gift.
Now, a gift card option makes gifting experiences even more convenient. The Virgin Experience Gifts gift card is a flexible way for consumers to gift one-of-a-kind adventures and experiences that are special and customizable. Virgin Experience Gifts offers more than 3,000 experiences across the country, from adrenaline pumping adventures like bungee jumping and sky diving to relaxing sunset catamaran sails, as well as an extensive exotic car driving collection, national parks tours, a large variety of lessons, sightseeing opportunities and food and wine tasting tours. To cater to a variety of different opportunities, the recipient will have the option to purchase multiple experiences up to the limit of their gift card balance, meaning plenty of opportunity for sharing and exploring.
“Our partnership with Blackhawk Network is an exciting new opportunity to continue expanding the reach of Virgin Experience Gifts in the U.S.,” said Richard Hurd-Wood, CEO of Virgin Experience Gifts. “We have seen exceptional growth in the past 19 months since we launched in the U.S. and the ability for consumers to easily gift a unique experience through the purchase of a gift card provides a fantastic option heading into the 2022 holiday season.”
New holiday gifting research conducted by Blackhawk Network found surveyed consumers plan to spend nearly half (46%) of their holiday budget on gift cards—an economically resilient and top gifting option for 20222. Additionally, the research points to the continued trend that consumers view gift cards as a more thoughtful gift than cash.
“The ability to expand gifting options to include the incredible experiences offered by Virgin Experience Gifts is a fantastic new option for consumers to take advantage of,” said Brett Narlinger, global head of commerce at Blackhawk Network. “Consumers are increasingly looking for new, unique gift options for friends and family during the holidays, and the ability to give customizable experiences and travel is a core growth opportunity for Blackhawk Network in delivering incredible gift card options.”
