Limit Design Support for Personalized Gifts

Shoppers like to personalize items. To consumer psychologists, personalization goes beyond customization, in that personalization takes into account the characteristics of the particular individual. When selecting a gift, personalization requires the shopper to think in depth about the recipient and so enables presentation of the gift in an especially meaningful way. This dynamic holds true for more than adults; people like to personalize for the children and even for pets they love.
     At the same time, personalization demands knowledge of what alternatives are available and of the tradeoffs when selecting among combinations of options. The shopper may ask you for help. How much direction should you provide?
     Research findings from University of Colorado, Florida State University, and Indiana University indicate you should take care to limit the design support.

• The more time and mental effort the gift giver devotes to the personalizing, the more they are willing to pay for the item. The researchers say this is because a shopper places value on their time and effort. Answer the shopper’s questions, but if asked, “What should I pick?,” give as a first answer, “Well, you know the recipient better than I do.”
• Remind the shopper that coming into the brick-and-mortar store rather than shopping online in itself shows caring. A holiday season survey by international marketing consultants Millward Brown found that about 22% of the respondents who prefer B&M gift shopping said they believe that the act of personally going to a store adds value to the gift.
• Suggest to the shopper brands that carry a less dominant product personality. When trying to personalize strong brands, the gift shopper felt they needed to share credit with the brand’s design staff for the outcome. They ended up less pleased with their personalization.
• Provide many ways to personalize. Offer gift wrapping as a value-added service. Show a variety of tags or greeting cards from which the shopper can select.
• If they are uncertain about the recipient, the shopper may want to choose a gift card. In a National Retail Federation survey, more than one out five shoppers said their main reason for not buying gift cards is because the cards are too impersonal. Let's find ways to help customers personalize. Individualize your gift cards and holders, with a selection of themes—such as sports and travel—a range of colors, and enough space to write a message to the recipient.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

Click below for more:
Analyze Gifting to Develop Opportunities
Help Customers Personalize Gift Cards