| |
| |
NetGift Press
Press Release
New York Times
Will Gift Lists Click?
by Catherine Greenman
November 18, 1999
Those who agonize over what to give far-flung nieces and nephews for the holidays or what to buy the friend
who is a compulsive gift-returner can now instruct the would-be recipients to simplify the shopping process
by setting up an online gift registry.
Gift registries are usually associated with weddings and with the question: "Is the gravy boat still available?"
On the Internet, gift registries, including Wish.com(www.wish.com), Wishclick.com (www.wishclick.com) and
Wish-List.com (www.wishlist.com), to name a few, have sprouted in the last year, all with the goal of being the
single online destination for gift recipients, gift givers and the online retailers who can satisfy the needs of both.
Except for the slight variations in selection and processing, the sites work essentially the same way. A shopper
registers, chooses a category like clothing, peruses the products from a variety of retailers and creates a wish list.
In most cases, the registry site sends the person to the retailer's site to view the product, then links the shopper
back to the registry when a product has been selected for the list.
The wish list is stored at the site, and the creator alerts friends and family members. The gift giver can go to the site,
enter the person's name or e-mail address and view the wish list.Each time someone buys an item on a list, the registry
site receives a 5 percent to 15 percent commission.
Wish.com and Netgift.com (www.netgift.com), two sites focusing on strong retail partnerships, have agreements with more
than 300 retailers. "Instead of trying to drive people to our site, we're driving them to other well known sites,"
said Randall Gregg, a spokesman for Netgift, whose goal, he added, is to register two million users by year end.
Other sites, like Ivebeengood.com (www.ivebeengood.com) and eWish.com (www.ewish.com), list retail partners but also
encourage shoppers to wish for products anywhere on the Internet.
Della.com, the expansion of the Della and James online bridal registry into an all-occasion gift site, is taking a
slightly different approach. In addition to partnering with name retailers like The Gap and Neiman-Marcus, Della showcases
products from many stores and processes the purchase transactions at the Della site (www.della.com), instead of having the
consumer go to the retailer.
Many retailers, including Amazon (www.amazon.com), CDNow (www.cdnow.com) and eToys(www.etoys.com) have their own registries,
which gift buyers can view by typing in the recipient's name or e-mail address. Buyers from the eToys registry can get a 10 percent
discount for the holidays.
Although a list of must-have toys might be fun for children, it remains to be seen whether adults will warm to the idea.
Even consumers accustomed to shopping online are squeamish about wish lists.
"I'm not one of those people who feel comfortable asking someone for a gift," said Lyle Rutschman, a toy collector in
Witchita, Kan., who regularly buys Star Wars figures online. "It just feels a little like begging." Rutschman instead
uses wish list at eToys and Toytime.com (www.toytime.com) as a way of reminding himself what he plans to buy.
"Outside of weddings, it's going to be difficult to make it fly for adults," said Ken Cassar, a digital commerce analyst
at Jupiter Communications. "There's no gratification for the buyer, who is essentially an order fulfiller."
Of course, registries can just about obliterate any sense of superise. Because many registries notify the the list maker
once a product has been bought, a child with access to a registry can perform the electronic equivalent to peeking through
the wrapping paper. To avoid this, parents should set up the wish lists and have any e-mail notifications about gift purchases
sent directly to them.
Families that are already accustomed to list-making are likely to benefit the most. "Our family writes up wish lists on paper
every year anyway," said Kathy Truesdell, of Austin, Tex., who plans to register at eWish.com this year. "It's always very
painstaking work, so this seems like it might make it easier."
Wendy Mincer, of Dallas, also plans to use an online registry this year, and to tell her family about it. "Swinging steaks may
be a delicacy where my brother's from, but I don't want any more," she said, referring to a regional dish also known as Rocky
Mountain oysters--deep fried calf, lamb or buffalo testicles. "This is a way of giving him other ideas."
ABOUT NETGIFT REGISTRY
NetGift Registry offers private-labeled gift registry solutions for real and
virtual shopping environments. Current partners include Inktomi Corp.,
USAToday, Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive,
and Homestead.com.
Press Contact:
NetGift Registry
Research Triangle Park
Randall Gregg
919.688.4488, ext. 111
[email protected]
Back to the Press page
|
|
|
|
|
|
