SEATTLE — Starbucks gift cards filled U.S. stockings at an unprecedented rate this holiday season, the company said Monday.
One in 7 Americans got a Starbucks gift card in November and December, up from 1 in 8 in the previous year, the company said in a tweet. That’s about 45 million cards — a number that’s significant because the Seattle coffee giant relies on these to drive up customer loyalty, and to get an advance payment on future revenue.
About $1.1 billion was loaded on Starbucks cards in the U.S. and Canada through Christmas Day, according to spokesman Jim Olson.
Close to 2.5 million cards were activated on Christmas Eve alone, a record number, he said.
Gift cards also play a major role in Starbucks’ drive to enroll customers in its rewards program and encourage them to use the company’s increasingly popular mobile payment apps. Starbucks says that those customers who are part of the program buy far more Starbucks goodies than the average customer.
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