Gifting: a year-round opportunity for brands
Gifting is a core shopping mission, alongside customers buying for themselves. It happens all year round—birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas—the list goes on. According to Kantar over 3.5m UK adults will spend at least £50 on an Easter gift. But unlike a typical purchase, gifting involves two customers: the buyer and the recipient. That changes everything.
A gift buyer is often making decisions based on emotion rather than practicality. Price, convenience, and even product specs may take a backseat to presentation, personalisation, and the unboxing experience.
Brands that do this well make gifting simple for buyers and enjoyable for recipients. Success comes down to three key areas: product communication, delivery and returns, and gifting services.
Product communication: making buying easier
For years, stores have curated gift selections like "for her" or "for him" to guide shoppers. While that works for narrowing down options, brands should rethink the entire product page experience from the perspective of a gift buyer:
- How is the product packaged? What does the recipient unwrap?
- Can buyers see how a product looks on different body shapes or skin tones?
- Do product pages clearly show gifting options like monogramming or personalisation?
Providing buyers with this level of detail helps remove doubt and leads to more decisive purchases.
Delivery and returns: speed and flexibility matter
Gift buyers aren’t always organised. Some shop well in advance; others need something tomorrow. Express delivery, extended return windows, and clear return policies like return periods and in-store options (especially for gift recipients) are key to their purchasing decisions, making it important for brands to set expectations at key points in the journey.
Gifting as a service: elevating the experience
Beyond the product itself, the gifting experience can be a real differentiator.
Things to think about:
- Visualising the gifting experience: show customers how the gift will look when wrapped and how the custom message is displayed on the gift card.
- Showing the home delivery experience: make it clear whether the delivery packaging keeps the gift a surprise or if it gives away the brand
- Making personalisation easy: offer monogramming and personalisation options at various entry points on the site, and clearly communicate turnaround times and the impact on returns or exchanges.
These small touches are important, especially for buyers who want a special gift but don’t have time to figure out all the details themselves.
How can SQLI help?
Gifting isn’t just about the product—it’s about the whole experience, from the moment someone starts looking for a gift to the unboxing itself, and the returns. The brands that get it right make life easier for the buyer and create a great moment for the recipient.
We work with brands to refine their gifting experience—whether that’s improving product pages, simplifying delivery and returns, or making personalisation easier to access.