Overview

Recognition points have always turned into real value. On August 10, 2026, the surface around them becomes clearer, faster, and dramatically wider. While every commercial, contractual, and compliance commitment your organization operates under continues unchanged.

Highlights

• Physical merchandise joins the reward catalog for the first time

• Over one million reward options available to US employees at launch

• Familiar storefront experience that needs no employee retraining

• Dedicated admin review window before full cutover

• Phased rollout that preserves customer choice

What it was, and what it will be

Since it launched, the reward store has done one job well: turn recognition points into real value. Every month, colleagues gift and receive points, and those points become gift cards, prepaid cards, or donations to causes that matter. It works. And on August 10, 2026, it gets a lot better.

The refreshed Reward store brings a consumer-grade shopping experience to recognition. Familiar flows stay in place, and the surface around them becomes clearer, faster, and more useful. Every commercial, contractual, and compliance commitment your organization operates under continues unchanged. Same governance. Same data protections. A better experience.

Where we are today

Today's reward store keeps things simple. Users open the store from Recognition, choose between gift cards, prepaid cards, or a charity donation, pick the amount, and confirm. Rewards arrive by email, and order history sits one click away, ready to resend if anything goes missing. Available options adjust based on location, and every transaction is logged for finance and reporting.

For most people, it is a familiar flow which is effective, but functional. The catalog is finite, discovery is minimal, and there is one path in.

What changes on August 10, 2026

Release 26.08 brings the Reward store closer to what people already expect from consumer shopping apps. The landing page opens with a curated view: what is popular right now, what is featured, and what is worth a second look. Browsing feels less like scanning a list and more like exploring a store. Smarter search, cleaner filters, and useful sort options make the catalog feel wider without making it harder to navigate. Your points balance stays visible as you move between screens, so you always know what you can spend.

The experience carries across web and mobile with the same fidelity. Order history, delivery status, and resend flows all move with you. Anyone comfortable with today's store will recognize the flow. Everyone else gets a shopping experience that feels current.

How the rollout works

The change is behind the scenes: the catalog is now powered by CarltonOne, which supplies listings, item information, pricing, imagery, and availability. The storefront employees use stays the same, so no one has to relearn how to browse or redeem. Before that new catalog goes live for everyone, admins get a window to shape it.

Admins curate the catalog first

Recognition managers and admins open a dedicated review screen to browse the new catalog and decide what employees see that is hiding items that don't fit and unhiding the ones that do. It's the moment to align the catalog with your reward strategy, regional preferences, and brand standards before launch. When the new store is ready for review, admins get an in-app alert and an email prompt so nothing is missed.

A 14-day transition, then a clean cutover

For 14 days before General Availability, organizations will access the new catalog while the previous provider setup stays in the background, time to validate and adjust visibility. At the end of the window, the legacy provider is removed, the CarltonOne-powered catalog becomes the standard setup, and every hide and unhide decision made during review continues to apply. Newly added legacy-provider items (Tango) stay hidden by default unless an admin enables them.

Built for a global workforce

The refreshed store is designed for organizations that operate across regions and languages. The catalog respects regional rules. Currency conversions continue to follow your organization's configured logic. Language defaults follow the user's profile, with English as a fallback. Region-specific restrictions persist as users browse across markets, so people only see options they are actually entitled to redeem.

Compliance is not a bolt-on

The Reward store continues to operate under the same commercial and compliance framework your organization agreed to at contract time.

Same commercial framework

Your Master Service Agreement, subscription entitlements, and Data Processing Addendum continue unchanged. No amendment is required. Billing continues twice-monthly, in USD, in arrears, on net-15 terms, under the same Bill on gifting model.

Region-enforced catalog

Regional rules, currency conversions, and country-level restrictions your organization operates under continue to apply. The refreshed store honors region-specific rules even as users browse across markets. Users only see options they are entitled to redeem.

Sanctions and export controls

Restrictions on transmission of monetary gifts to countries under active sanctions or export controls remain in force. Simpplr abides by the international governing agencies that set these rules and will continue to update the product as regulations evolve.

GDPR and data protection

The refreshed store is GDPR-aligned throughout. Digital rewards continue to be delivered by verified email addresses. No new categories of personal data are collected at launch. The sub-processor list is updated to reflect CarltonOne as a catalog and fulfillment partner. Data residency commitments continue to govern the Reward store.

Audit and administrative transparency

Transparency for administrators improves. Recognition managers get clearer visibility into the catalog and cleaner audit trails, so every meaningful change stays traceable and available to support internal control reviews and compliance attestations.

What your organization can expect

The reward catalog update affects admins and employees differently. Admins gain review and curation control during the phased rollout, while employees see an improved reward selection through the same Reward store.

What admins can expect

A new reward catalog is rolling out to the Reward store in phases, giving admins time to review items and control visibility before employees see the change.

• Catalog management: Admins and recognition managers can manage the new catalog and control item visibility before the full rollout.

• Storefront experience: Employees continue using the familiar Reward store interface.

• Rollout approach: The feature rolls out in phases, giving time for validation and curation.

• Notifications: Admins receive in-app and email prompts to manage the catalog.

• After the transition: The new catalog setup becomes the default, and any saved visibility choices remain in effect.

What employees can expect

The employee experience stays simple:

• Browse rewards in the enhanced store experience.

• See a more curated and up-to-date reward selection.

• Continue redeeming rewards through the same familiar flow.

The main change is improved reward availability and catalog quality.

What is not changing

Points work exactly as they do today. Allowances, gifting rules, allowance stacking, budget alerts, currency conversions, and the 24-hour hold on gifted points all continue as before. Balances and order history carry over. Nothing is required from employees before launch.

Frequently asked questions

Every answer reflects the compliance, contractual, and data protection commitments Simpplr operates under today. Nothing about those commitments changes on August 10, 2026.

Q: When does the refreshed Reward store go live?

Ans: General Availability is targeted for August 10, 2026, as part of Release 26.08. Your existing Master Service Agreement, subscription entitlements, and Data Processing Addendum continue to apply unchanged. No contract amendment is required.

Q: What is the transition window and how long does it last?

Ans: Before General Availability, opted-in organizations get a 14-day transition window during which the new CarltonOne-powered catalog is accessible for admin review while the previous provider setup remains in the background. At the end of the window, the legacy provider is removed and the new catalog becomes the standard setup. Any hide and unhide decisions made during review continue to apply.

Q: Will physical merchandise be available?

Ans: Yes. Physical merchandise joins the catalog for the first time. In the US market, organizations get access to more than one million reward items across categories. Availability in other markets follows the same regional catalog rules that apply today.

Q: Do employees need to learn a new interface?

Ans: No. The storefront experience continues to use the existing interface. Employees keep browsing and redeeming rewards in a familiar way. The change is behind the scenes: a richer catalog and improved reward availability.

Q: What happens to items from the legacy provider during the transition?

Ans: During the transition period, newly added legacy-provider items (Tango) may remain hidden by default unless an admin explicitly enables them. Points balances, order history, and audit records for prior redemptions remain preserved.

Q: Do I need to do anything to prepare?

Ans: If your organization opts in, recognition managers and admins should plan to use the review window to hide or unhide items and align the catalog with your reward strategy, regional preferences, and brand standards. Employees do not need to do anything. Your tenant configuration, SSO policies, data residency settings, access controls, and any consent settings your admin has configured all carry over intact.

Q: Will my existing points balance carry over?

Ans: Yes. Every point in your wallet stays intact. Historical points activity remains preserved in your organization's audit records for finance reporting and any statutory retention obligations you operate under.

Q: Will the way I earn points change?

Ans: No. Recognition, peer gifting, allowance types, allowance stacking, budget alerts, and the 24-hour hold on gifted points all continue exactly as today, under the same governance rules your admins have configured.

Q: Will the way I redeem points change?

Ans: Redemption becomes more intuitive, but the guardrails are the same. Region-specific catalog rules, sanctions-based restrictions, and your organization's configured currency conversion logic all continue to apply. Every price shown includes applicable fees and shipping up front, supporting transparent recordkeeping.

Q: Which devices are supported?

Ans: Web and mobile, both from day one. Access continues to flow through your organization's existing authentication and SSO controls. No new endpoint or credential surface is introduced.

Q: What happens to order history?

Ans: Order history is preserved. Historical order records remain accessible for finance reporting and audit purposes. Resend continues to work for the reward types that support it today.

Q: Will regional restrictions still apply?

Ans: Yes. Regional rules, currency conversions, and the country-level restrictions your organization operates under continue to apply. The refreshed store honors region-specific rules even as users browse across markets, so users only see options they are actually entitled to redeem.

Q: What about GDPR and data protection?

Ans: The refreshed store is GDPR-aligned. Digital rewards continue to be delivered by verified email. No new categories of personal data are collected at launch. The Data Processing Addendum, sub-processor list (updated to reflect CarltonOne as a catalog and fulfillment partner), and data residency commitments continue to govern the Reward store.

Q: Does anything change about how our organization is billed?

Ans: No. Bill on gifting continues twice-monthly, in USD, in arrears, on net-15 terms, under the same Bill on gifting model. No changes to invoicing cadence, currency, or contractual payment terms.

Q: Do taxes work differently now?

Ans: No. Tax treatment of employee rewards remains the customer organization's responsibility to assess, in consultation with your accountant. Downloadable activity tables continue to support this workflow, unchanged in schema.

Q: Will the list of countries where we cannot transmit monetary gifts change?

Ans: The list of restricted jurisdictions is set by international governing agencies, including sanctions and export-control authorities. Simpplr abides by these rules today and will continue to update the product as regulations evolve.

Q: Are audit trails preserved?

Ans: Yes. Every change tracked today continues to be tracked, with clearer visibility for recognition managers, including hide and unhide decisions made during the review window. Historical events remain accessible for internal audits and any regulatory obligations your organization is subject to.

Q: I am a recognition manager. What do I need to do?

Ans: Keep an eye on the in-app alert and email notification announcing that the new store is available for review. Use the 14-day window to hide or unhide items so the catalog reflects your reward strategy. Existing configurations, audience rules, and governance controls all carry over. Saved visibility decisions continue to apply after the transition window closes.

Q: Where can I learn more before launch?

Ans: A detailed update covering the refreshed Reward store will publish alongside Release 26.08. For anything specific to your organization, please reach out to your Account Manager or Customer success manager.

Have a question? We are here to help.

We are about a month out from launch. Until August 10, 2026, the Reward store you use today keeps running exactly as it always has, and there is nothing operational you need to do to prepare. The pre-launch window is a good time to review, align internally, and plan.

Right now, you can share this preview with any internal reviewers who need a baseline before launch, and loop in your finance, HR, IT, and legal teams for any pre-launch alignment they may want. If your organization operates in jurisdictions with specific data residency, sub-processor, or sanctions-related obligations, this is also the right window to reconfirm your posture with Simpplr.

For any compliance-related concern, please reach out to your Account Manager or Customer Success Manager. Both are staffed to route your question to the right team at Simpplr and to bring in additional expertise from Legal, Security, or Compliance where the topic needs it. You do not need to wait for launch to raise a question. If something in your compliance framework needs a written confirmation from Simpplr before August 10, 2026, now is the time to flag it.

Account manager: Contract, commercial, and compliance

Reach out to your Account Manager for anything specific to your organization's agreement, data residency scope, sub-processor list, sanctions posture, or regulatory obligations. This is the right channel for any question that touches contract terms, invoicing, or your organization's compliance framework.

Customer success manager: Rollout, enablement, and adoption

Reach out to your Customer success manager for launch communications, catalog review planning, admin readiness, change management, and any enablement support your team may need leading up to August 10, 2026. This is the right channel for rollout planning, training materials, and user adoption support.