Blackhawk Pushes Retailers to Embed Stored Value Directly Into Apps via APIs
Blackhawk Network's CRO urges retailers to consolidate fragmented gift cards, points, store credit, and rewards into native app experiences using APIs — a play to lift redemption, engagement, and first-party data as 59% of consumers buy gift cards for self-use and 31% use them to budget.
Blackhawk Network's CRO argues retailers should use APIs to embed stored-value repositories — points, gift cards, store credit, rewards — directly into their apps, consolidating fragmented balances to lift redemption, engagement, and data insights amid budget-conscious consumer behavior.
Why this matters
Blackhawk is repositioning stored value from a standalone gifting category into an embedded loyalty and payments layer, aligning with retailers' broader push to deepen app engagement and own customer data.
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