Gift Well this Christmas

Wantful is a new San Francisco start-up that aims to make it easier to give the perfect gift - by letting the recipient have a say in the matter.

After signing up, shoppers answer a series of questions about the person they are shopping for. The site then generates 16 items in a specified price range that it thinks might be appropriate gifts, these are then printed in a customised, beautifully wrapped book that is delivered to the gift recipient. The recipient then chooses an item from the list, and the giver is charged the appropriate amount. The site also links into social media sites making it easy for users to sync in all of their friends’ birthdays and receive handy reminders.

The goal of the service according to founder John Poisson is to ease the stress of worrying about giving the perfect gift, bringing back the experience and the feel-good emotion of giving a nice present. And Wantful have succeed – as the insiders guide 7X7 state on the brands website: “The effect on the person receiving the book is like being invited to go on a personalised shopping trip for something special that you’d probably not buy for yourself.”

This new service is already proving to be a sure fire hit with those who are time pressed and desire gifting inspiration. This is clearly something gift retailers with bricks and mortar outlets could learn from. A similar service could translate into a system to better link online and real-world offers, driving traffic into store.

Unfortunately Wantful is currently only available in the USA – let’s hope it spreads its wings and helps more struggling shoppers find that perfect gift soon…