• By   • Phil Izzo  $41 Billion: The total amount of money on
gift cards that went, or is likely to go, unspent from 2005 to
2011.  Gift cards are becoming an increasingly popular holiday
present, but as the market grows in value the question of what
happens to money that goes unspent still looms large.  Some 80%
of respondents to a National Retail Federation survey said they
planned to buy gift cards during the 2011 holiday season, while
for the fifth year in a row they remain the most requested
present with 58% of shoppers saying they’d like to receive a
gift card. The market for gift cards is growing along with their
popularity. Financial-consulting firm TowerGroup estimates that
gift-card sales will reach $100 billion in 2011.  Consumers
aren’t the only ones who love gift cards. The retail industry
also has many reasons to embrace them. Stores can’t count money
received from the gift givers who purchase the cards as revenue
until they’re redeemed, but this offers a number of benefits.
First, it sets up a