Klarna’s Latest Loyalty Play? Surprise Gifts Powered by AI

In a move to redefine customer experience, Klarna has partnered with Nift, the AI-powered gift-matching platform, to deliver personalized, high-value gifts to its shoppers in the U.S. and U.K. The goal? Make shopping with Klarna more rewarding—and more memorable—by thanking customers with curated gift offers based on their preferences and purchase behavior.

This partnership doesn’t just sprinkle in a little delight. It’s a calculated strategy to increase customer sentiment, drive repeat business, and monetize engagement through Klarna’s commerce media network.

“We’re able to thank our customers with surprise gifts that introduce them to new brands and experiences tailored just for them,” said David Sandstrom, CMO at Klarna.

A Smarter, More Human Touchpoint

The typical customer journey is cluttered with pop-ups, banner ads, and loyalty emails that barely get noticed. Klarna and Nift are betting on a different approach: meaningful moments of appreciation. These gifts aren’t generic coupons—they’re product offers and subscriptions from brands like Chewy, SiriusXM, HelloFresh, Quince, and NatureMade, matched to each customer’s unique tastes using Nift’s proprietary AI.

It’s personalization with a purpose: gifts are served right after key moments, such as a purchase, a payment, or a points transfer. And brands in Nift’s merchant ecosystem benefit, too—they get access to a closed-loop model that generates qualified, intent-driven leads without paying upfront advertising costs.

Strong Early Returns

Since launching the program, Klarna reports results that would make any marketer raise an eyebrow:

• 30% click-through rate on gift offers

• 40% activation rate in the U.S.

• Now expanding across the U.K.

These aren't just vanity metrics—they’re well above average engagement rates in retail email and app marketing, signaling that customers actually enjoy and respond to this format.

Nift’s own data reinforces the lift in customer loyalty:

• 88% of recipients rate their gift positively

• 72% report liking the gift-giving company more

• 70% say they plan to buy from the gifted brand again

Those are the kinds of stats CMOs crave, especially as traditional digital ad ROI continues to decline.

A New Era of Nonintrusive Engagement

Consumers are increasingly ad-fatigued. Platforms like Klarna, streaming services, fitness apps, and fintech firms are all exploring less disruptive ways to engage users—ones that build goodwill instead of burning attention.

“Surprise and delight” used to be a marketing cliché. Now it’s becoming a measurable strategy. As Elery Pfeffer, Nift’s founder and CEO, puts it:

“We’re helping Klarna strengthen its customer relationships while unlocking a recurring revenue stream. It’s a win-win.”

And flexibility is built in. Brands can give Nift gifts in the moment (like a real-time purchase thank-you) or delay delivery via email or app notifications—whatever works best for the customer flow.

Gifting Is Now a Growth Strategy

The Klarna-Nift partnership is more than a loyalty stunt—it’s a glimpse at the future of retention marketing, where personalization, surprise, and utility converge.

With Klarna facilitating over 2.9 million transactions daily across a network that includes names like Nike, Airbnb, Sephora, and H&M, the scale of this initiative could shift how loyalty is engineered at the enterprise level.

And with Nift’s footprint expanding—delivering over 50 million gifts monthly across North America and the U.K.—the platform is rapidly emerging as a core component of the digital customer journey for brands aiming to cut through the noise.

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