In short
Gifting is a social mechanic that lets users send rewards, items or currency to other users. The sender gives up something they own to help or thank someone else. It builds relationships between users and can bring new or lapsed people back into the app.
Why it matters for apps
Gifting turns rewards into a social act. A gift creates goodwill and a light sense of reciprocity, so receivers often return the favor or come back to the app to use what they got.
- Re-engagement: A gift notification gives a lapsed user a personal reason to open the app, which feels warmer than a generic reminder.
- Growth: Gifts to friends who are not yet users can act as a soft referral.
- Limit abuse: Cap how much users can send, or people create fake accounts to farm rewards.
- Common mistake: Gifts with no value to the receiver. If the item is useless, the social moment falls flat.
Industry examples
A fitness app lets members send a friend a free class pass they earned through their own activity (hypothetical).
A streaming app lets subscribers gift a friend one week of premium access (hypothetical).
Build it with StriveCloud
StriveCloud does not document gifting between users as a built-in feature. Teams approximate it with real building blocks: your app calls the Gamification API to deduct currency from the sender and grant it to the receiver. Code redemptions can also act as giftable rewards that one user passes to another.
Want to try this? Explore the Gamification API
Frequently asked questions
What is gifting in a mobile app?
Gifting lets users send rewards, items or currency to other users. It is a social feature that builds goodwill between users.
Does gifting help user retention?
It can. Receiving a gift gives users a personal reason to return, and senders feel more connected to the community.
How do you stop gifting abuse?
Set limits on how much users can send, and watch for accounts created only to receive gifts.