How to Personalise Reward Cards at Scale Without Extra Work
Personalisation is the difference between a reward that feels meaningful and one that feels like a tax. Here's how HR teams use RibiRewards to add real personalisation to 100 cards in minutes.
Abby Sotomiwa
Co-Founder & CEO, RibiRewards
How to Personalise Reward Cards at Scale Without Extra Work
Personalisation is the difference between a reward that feels meaningful and one that feels like a tax. Here's how to add it to 100 cards in minutes.
"Personalised at scale" sounds like a contradiction. But it's exactly what modern HR teams need — and RewardsCard is designed around it.
The Two Layers of Personalisation
There are two ways a reward can feel personal. The first is selection: did someone choose this specifically for me? The second is acknowledgement: does this message reflect that someone knows who I am?
Most HR tools handle neither well at scale. RewardsCard handles both — with minimal effort from the sender.
Layer One: The Card Does the Work
The most powerful form of personalisation in RewardsCard is built into the product itself. By giving employees a choice of 50+ brands across categories they care about, the card personalises itself at the moment of redemption. The HR team doesn't need to know that Kofi prefers Glovo and Fatima prefers the Spa. The card accommodates both.
This shifts the personalisation burden from the sender to the product — which is where it belongs at scale.
Layer Two: The Message
When you send a RewardsCard via RibiRewards, you can include a personalised message alongside the card value. This is where most HR teams underinvest. A message that references the specific achievement, the specific person, and the specific reason for the recognition is worth more than any increase in card value.
For bulk sends, even a single line of personalisation — referencing the milestone or the team — lifts the perceived value significantly. "Congratulations on your 3-year anniversary with us, Adaeze" outperforms a generic "Enjoy this reward" every time.
How to Do It Without Burning Time
For milestone-based sends (anniversaries, birthdays), build a template bank. Three or four message variations that reference the occasion specifically — pull the name from your CSV column, rotate through templates. It takes 20 minutes to set up, and from then on it's automated.
For spot recognition, write the message when the moment is fresh. The immediacy matters as much as the content. A two-sentence message sent within 24 hours of the achievement is more meaningful than a paragraphs of praise sent two weeks later.
Personalisation Signals That Cost Nothing
Timing is personalisation. Sending a RewardsCard on the actual day of an anniversary, not the Friday payroll run, signals attention. The value doesn't have to change. The timing changes the experience completely.
Start Personalising at Scale
RewardsCard makes it easy. Explore RewardsCard →
Further reading: What Is a Choice Reward Card? The Africa Guide [2026], The Psychology of Choice: Why Letting Employees Pick Their Reward Works, Why 84% of RewardsCard Recipients Redeem Within 72 Hours.
Related reading
Abby Sotomiwa
Co-Founder & CEO, RibiRewards
Building rewards and recognition infrastructure for African and diaspora markets.
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