On the next wedding, anniversary or birthday that you attend, be rest assured that you are carrying the ideal gift. Chandana Banerjee discovers the latest trend to hit the markets, that of the gift registry and helps you pick up that oh-so-perfect gift
Make a wish!
“Gift registries or ‘wishlists’ are a simple, fun, and informal way of communicating what one really wants for any big occasion, be it a wedding, baby shower, birthday, house warming or rakhi,” explains Priyanka Agarwal, Director, Wishberry.in, a premium online wishlist & gift registry service.
“Gift givers are now rest assured that they have given the perfect gift for the occasion when they select the gift from the wishlist. It also saves them lot of time, money and energy by keeping the guesswork out of gift giving,” quips Trusha Shah, who launched ShareUrJoy.com in June 2010.
The foundation of gift registries is built on the concept of ‘informed gifting’. “Gift givers know exactly what they want to gift and wishlist makers know exactly what they have wished for and what they are going to receive,” elucidates Trusha, who realised the need for a gift registry service in India during her own wedding.
Just the right thing
The wishlist maker logs on to a gift registry portal, creates a whishlist by choosing the event for which they want the gifts, browses through and adds a range of products, and then shares the list via Facebook, Twitter, email or SMS. The maker also has the option of printing the URL on their invitation cards. The gift givers, on the other hand, can click on the link of the wishlist, select a gift that suits their taste and budget, and pay for it online or offline.
The prices of the gift items can range between Rs. 100 to Rs. 1 lac and above. You can even chip in for a present along with a group of friends instead of buying a single item all on your own. And that’s not all. Apart from material goods, you can also gift ideological gifts like a great vacation, a course or a new hobby to your loved one.
Practical, convenient…and catching on!
Though this concept is very popular in other countries, gift registries are relatively new in India and as life becomes more and more hectic, they are catching up among the younger generation. “People don’t the time to think of the gifts to buy nor to shop for them,” Trusha chips in. Also, with the popularity of social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, people are more comfortable sharing their likes and dislikes, which makes working a wishlist easy, convenient and practical.
“The pioneering consumers of the gift registry concept in India are and will be students who have studied or worked abroad and hence have been exposed to the concept. However, this population is India is still very small. Furthermore, the current generation of Indian parents disapproves of the ‘asking for gifts’ character of gift registries,” observes Priyanka.
Anurag and Abhilasha Juneja, founders of Indiagiftregistry.com agree with Priyanka. “Introducing anything new to any market has its own challenges. One of the biggest challenges which we have faced is the cultural aspect of receiving gifts. Even though everyone gives and accepts gifts, creating a gift registry would mean asking for gifts. That is something which is not culturally accepted in India.” They add that things have evolved over the past few years and now, the concept of gift registries is picking up in the country.
We say, make your own wishlist. This simple and practical service ensures that you’ll receive exactly what you’ve been wishing for and not five sets of glasses, gaudy cushion covers and ten photo frames that you will never, ever use!
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