Our Approach To Gift Giving

We all know somebody who is a rockstar when it comes to gift giving. Without fail, they are ready with something great for every important event. There are many of us who wish we could be better gift givers. Maybe we’re not seeking rockstar status, but we’d at least like to be reliable. Well, what does it take to be a good gift giver?

Planning and execution are more important than creativity

At Gift Guru, we believe there are four required elements for effective gift-giving; planning, research, knowledge of the recipient, and knowledge of the gift topic. While many think that creativity is the secret sauce for gift giving, it is a differentiator but not a requirement to make a great impression.

The four elements of effective gift giving

Element 1: Planning

When you get down to basics, gift giving is really an activity in logistics. It has many steps, and each step takes time. The time required varies based on the gift you select, the delivery method, and other steps. At their core, every great gift giver is a good planner, keeping an eye on what events are upcoming and how long it will take to be prepared. Effective planning ensures that your outreach can be delivered on-time. Since gift giving is an emotional activity, on-time delivery can make or break it, no matter the quality of the gift.

Element 2: Knowledge of Recipient

Every great gift is in some sense personalized. This does not mean it needs to be etched with the recipient’s initials but means that it needs to tie to something important in the recipient’s life. This could be their passions or hobbies, their family or pets, or their stage of life (e.g. going to college). A personal touch to a gift demonstrates that you spent time coming up with the idea, even if you don’t find the absolute perfect gift.

Element 3: Knowledge of Topic

You may know your recipient, but do you know anything about the things they are passionate about? Selecting a gift topic is often one of the first steps in finding a gift, and not all topics are created equal. We all need food, water, and shelter, which means that most of us can make moderately educated gift decisions on these topics. But many topics are not as easy, and often require topic expertise (e.g. cryptocurrency) or have a strong degree of personal preference (e.g. road cycling equipment). When choosing a topic, you have two options; choose the one you know, or get to know the one you don’t.

Element 4: Research

Now it’s time to find the actual gift. Common methods of this include Googling “best gifts for x”, where x is the topic or demographic of your recipient. There’s nothing wrong with this, and we’ve been there ourselves. The advice we will give is to always keep gift research in the back of your mind. If you’re browsing the web or walking down the street and see something great, ask yourself which recipient might it make a good gift for. Then write it down or add it to your Gift Guru account!

What does this all mean? It means that being a good gift giver isn’t some hidden talent or unachievable goal, it is a process with required steps. With a little preparation and effort, most of us can improve significantly. And that’s exactly the goal of Gift Guru, to help you be a better gift giver. Our free service helps you track, plan, discover, and give. Our tools are designed to help you address each of the required elements of good gift giving, so you can make a great impression every time!