Self-Used Cards: How Ogloba’s ALO Drives 2.15× More Spend

Ogloba has developed ALO (Account Link Offer), a proprietary solution that measures the true commercial impact of gift cards, particularly when self-used in cashback, loyalty, or incentive programs. The approach goes beyond tracking redemption by comparing consumers' usual credit or debit card spending habits with their behavior when using gift cards.

How ALO Works

Through secure partnerships with banks and fintech platforms, ALO allows consumers to link payment accounts. Once connected with consent, the system identifies standard spending behavior in merchant categories, detects when gift cards are used in transactions (partially or fully), and compares average basket values between typical card purchases and gift-card-enhanced purchases.

Key Findings

Data reveals that baskets using gift cards—especially those obtained through cashback or incentive programs—are on average 2.15× larger than usual credit/debit card purchases at the same merchant. This indicates gift cards trigger "incremental and measurable increase in spend."

Business Value

ALO demonstrates that self-used gift cards drive higher spending than baseline behavior. Benefits include quantifying incremental revenue tied to gift card usage, improving conversion rates from cashback campaigns, enhancing ROI versus traditional rewards models, and strengthening customer retention through emotional engagement.

Target Audiences

Retailers seeking value-preserving rewards, banks and fintechs offering merchant-funded incentives, brands running acquisition campaigns, and platforms measuring B2C loyalty program effectiveness can benefit from ALO insights.

FAQ

What exactly does ALO measure?

ALO (Account Link Offer) measures the true commercial impact of gift cards — particularly self-used ones from cashback, loyalty or incentive programs — by comparing consumers' usual credit or debit card spending habits with their behavior when using gift cards.

How much more do consumers spend when paying with a gift card?

Baskets using gift cards — especially those obtained through cashback or incentive programs — are on average 2.15× larger than usual credit/debit card purchases at the same merchant.

How does ALO access consumer spending data?

Through secure partnerships with banks and fintech platforms, consumers link their payment accounts with consent; the system then identifies standard spending behavior and detects when gift cards are used in transactions.