The Wikipedia page on gift cards has some interesting factoids:

1. Gift cards are the most highly wanted gifts by women but only the third highest by males

2. Gift cards ranked as the second most given gift by consumers in the US in 2006.

3. The US is WAY more gift card crazy than our bretheren in Canada or the UK.  While the gift card market is quoted as $80 billion in the US, Canada comes in at $1.8 billion and the UK at $8 billion.