How DTC Brands Can Elevate Their Gifting Experience

Gift-giving is an art, and when it comes to online shopping, the canvas can sometimes feel cluttered. For DTC brands, the opportunity to make this experience memorable is now more within reach than ever, especially as the global personalized gifts market—valued at USD 51.98 billion in 2024—is expected to grow to USD 138.17 billion by 2030.

This demand for customization and gifting underscores the importance of adding thoughtful touches like personalized messages, gift wrapping, and unique packaging to create an exceptional and seamless gifting experience.

Many DTC brands with smaller catalogs rely on external platforms to offer ready-to-use gifting solutions, like sending e-cards instead of physical products or allowing recipients to provide their shipping information—creating a convenient, customizable experience similar to gift cards.

However, this reliance on third-party platforms can result in a fragmented user experience, akin to a ping-pong match between the store and the gifting service, which can introduce friction into the process.

Even with custom gift options available, most stores fail to deliver an engaging gifting experience. It's easy to treat gifting as an afterthought, but in reality, a shopper's gift-giving journey begins long before they add an item to their cart—often even before landing on a product page.

DTC Brands and the Power of Unique Gifting Experiences

Unlike B2C e-commerce or marketplaces, DTC brands often offer unique, special products that attract gift-givers seeking a personalized touch. A well-crafted gifting experience not only sets these brands apart from their competitors but also enhances brand sentiment and serves as a powerful customer acquisition tool, similar to referral programs.

By addressing specific aspects such as tailored filters, cart and checkout optimizations, and personalized experiences for email subscribers, businesses can elevate their gifting offerings and engage both gift-givers and recipients more effectively.

Let's explore these key points to uncover valuable insights, tips, and best practices that can enhance the overall gifting experience.

Streamlining the Gift Discovery Process

Shopping for someone else can be challenging, especially if users aren’t familiar with the recipient's preferences. This is particularly true in categories like toys, fashion, or beauty products, where age and trends heavily influence choices.

To make the gift-giving process smoother and more enjoyable, e-commerce sites should offer "Recipient" filters, such as Age or Gender. Mori, a brand specializing in kids' and babies' apparel and accessories, provides common gifting categories like "Newborn Baby Gift" along with recipient filters, demonstrating how these features can help customers refine their search based on the recipient's demographics and interests.

E-Commerce stores selling products frequently bought as gifts can significantly improve the gift selection process by following these insights:

• Age and gender filters: Allow users to narrow their search by offering filters based on the recipient's age, gender, or relationship (e.g., "For Her" or "For Kids").
• Interest-based filters: Let customers filter products based on hobbies, interests, or lifestyle categories, such as "For Pet Lovers" or "For Fitness Enthusiasts."
• Occasion filters: Offer filters for specific occasions like "Birthday," "Anniversary," or "Holiday Gifts" to help users choose based on the event.
• Personalized recommendations: Use customer data or popular trends to highlight products that suit common gifting scenarios, offering a personalized touch.
• Filter placement: Ensure filters are prominently placed, ideally in the main navigation menu or homepage, for easy access and a streamlined browsing experience.

Optimizing the Product Page for Gifting

Once users have found a potential gift, providing clear and accessible gifting options on the product page is crucial for a seamless purchasing experience. As the personalized gifts market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.97%, the demand for custom options like gift wrapping, messages, and unique packaging is increasing. By clearly displaying these options and offering transparency around costs, DTC brands can capture this growing segment and ensure a positive, memorable gifting experience for their customers.

Many e-commerce sites overlook this step, which can lead to frustration for gifter-givers who need to know early on what gift options are available without digging through the checkout process. Lake, for example, effectively advertises its branded gift box on the product page, offering an easy way to add it to the cart and providing detailed options, streamlining the gifting decision for users.

To optimize the product page for gifting, consider these strategies:

• Display gifting options clearly: Show available gifting options—such as gift wrapping, custom messages, or special packaging—on the product page to help users make informed decisions early.
• Make gifting costs transparent: Clearly state any additional costs associated with gift services like wrapping fees or packaging upgrades, preventing unpleasant surprises later in the process.
• Link to more gifting information: For complex gift services include a link to a dedicated gifting info page where users can explore options in detail, keeping the product page clean and focused.

Enabling Customers to Enter a Gift Message

A key feature for sites offering gifts is the ability to include a personalized message. While this seems straightforward, here are a few best practices:

• Display Custom Message Option in the Cart: Ensure the option to add a custom gift message is available and visible in the cart, so users can easily include it before completing their purchase.
• Avoid prefilled gift messages: Using preset messages like “I hope you enjoy this gift!” can confuse users, who might think the field is already filled in. Instead, only show a placeholder after users opt to include a message.
• Use a "Save" button: Rather than relying on autosave, provide a "Save" button so users feel confident their personalized message is securely stored.
• Preview gift message in order summary: Include a preview of the gift message in the order summary to reassure users that their message has been saved and will be sent with the order.

Integrating Special Wrapping and Branded Gift Boxes into the Cart

Special wrapping or branded gift boxes can add a final, thoughtful touch to the gifting experience. Gifting features can vary widely across e-commerce sites, making it essential to provide clear information about these options. When incorporating special wrapping and branded gift boxes into the cart, consider the following insights:

• Brief Descriptions: Include short descriptions or icons representing gift wrapping and branded box options to help customers quickly understand the choices available.
• Mark Free Options Clearly: If gift wrapping or custom packaging is offered at no additional cost, clearly indicate that these options are free to prevent confusion.
• Opt-Out Option: Provide an easy way for customers to opt out of special gift wrapping or boxes if they prefer to skip these options.
• Discounted Bundles: Offer discounted bundles that include the product and gift wrapping or a branded box to increase the overall value of the purchase.
• Delivery Times: Especially during the holiday season, it's important to provide a delivery-date estimate or delivery-date range. Many stores that don't provide this information risk failing to deliver gift orders on time. By offering accurate delivery estimates, customers can plan their gift-giving effectively.

Leveraging Personalization for Existing Customers

Offering personalized experiences for existing customers can elevate the gifting process and create a sense of connection between customers and your brand. Here are a few ways to achieve this:

• Custom Profiles for Gift Recipients: Allow customers to create profiles for their loved ones, where they can save important details such as birthdays, genders, sizes, and interests. This information can be used to prefill filters during the search process, making it easier and faster for customers to find the perfect gift.
• Saved Items and Wishlists: Enable customers to save their favorite items or create wishlists for each recipient profile. This not only simplifies the gift selection process but also encourages repeat visits and purchases.
• Personalized Reminders and Recommendations: Send your customers timely notifications before recipients' birthdays or special occasions, along with personalized gift recommendations based on the recipient's profile. This thoughtful gesture can increase customer satisfaction and foster brand loyalty.

Maisonette offers a great example of effective personalization features. Users with an account can save multiple profiles with details like name, date of birth, and gender. Maisonette then provides selections based on these data, and users receive a notification one month before the recipient's birthday with a special promotional code. Such personalization can lead to higher conversion rates, increased customer retention, and greater overall success in the competitive DTC market.

Wrapping Up the Perfect Gifting Flow

The gifting experience is a crucial aspect of e-commerce, particularly for DTC brands specializing in unique, high-quality products. As shoppers increasingly seek personalized and memorable gifts, e-commerce sites must meet these expectations by offering thoughtful and transparent gifting options.

Remember that a well-executed gifting experience can be a powerful differentiator in the competitive e-commerce landscape, providing both immediate benefits and long-term gains for your brand. As you refine your gifting strategy, keep in mind the importance of creating a seamless and enjoyable shopping journey that fosters customer engagement and loyalty.

Ready to enhance your gifting experience? Get in touch with the team at Nebulab to create a seamless, personalized, and memorable gifting process that delights your customers and drives results. Whether it's optimizing product pages, integrating custom messages, or adding unique packaging, we can help you turn your DTC e-commerce into a go-to destination for thoughtful gifts.

Together, we can make your gifting strategy truly stand out! Reach out today.