Last week I attended an entrepreneurial women’s conference — always great for inspiration and getting feedback from women about Deposit a Gift. An event like this is chock-full of moms, some of my favorite folks to talk to about what our gifting website can do for them.
Most of them remember using a traditional registry when they got married or had a baby and are initially disappointed when they think they can’t use Deposit a Gift. As one mom said “I am so jealous I am done having babies and getting married, this would have been great! I will tell all my pregnant friends.â€
The fun part is when I get to tell them all the uses for our service — as soon as I mention kids birthdays and holidays, their eyes light up and they start telling me about all of the (ahem) crap that they must brace themselves to fill their homes each year as these momentous occasions come around. They LOVE the idea of creating a Deposit a Gift “wish list” registry to guide the gifting in a more practical direction.
Just for kicks I compiled a short list of some of the best parental gifting woes shared with me last week, and why they think DAG would make it better — any of this sound familiar to you?
- “We already got so much stuff when the baby was born, that we seriously don’t need anyTHING else. What we would love to do is start saving for college and enroll her in some fun kiddie classes.”
- “My husband’s brothers are spread out all over the country and we’re really not that close, so they hardly know the kids. But every year a similar ill-fitting sweater appears in the mail that we just end up giving to Good Will. I’d much prefer to share a gift list for them to get to know the kids interests and be able to contribute.”
- “I’m planning a great trip and this would mean so much more than a bunch of random, useless stuff with good intention.”
- “I know my extended family can’t afford to spend a lot on holiday gifts this year. I like that this would allow them to give even a small amount towards something bigger. It’s nice to contribute to making something special happen for someone else, especially if you can’t afford the whole thing on your own. This is such a great way to pull off big family group gifts.“
- “I know the reality is that my older nieces and nephews would really want money as gifts, but they’d never say. I think I’m gonna tell them about this as an option to show how they’d use the money. I think this way they wouldn’t feel so much like they’re asking for money, but rather, asking for a contribution towards something useful. I like it!”
- “Our family lives half way across the world and every year we all spend SO much money on shipping, it is insane. This would nip that in the bud for sure.”
- “It kills me to see so much wrapping paper on the floor at the end of the gift-opening frenzy. I think DAG would be a fun way to still give gifts, but be a little more environmentally friendly about it.”
- “This would save me so much time running around buying gifts that are probably just going to get returned. I’d rather just give them the money to buy what they want, but that always felt weird. I think this could change that.”
I always had a hunch that Deposit a Gift could be useful to our users during the holiday season, but as with the user-generated innovation of using us for business expansion, I love to see the ideas coming from the Deposit a Gift community, and not just me.
So for those of you who I haven’t been able to meet personally, please comment below and let us know how Deposit a Gift could simplify your holidays, making sure everyone gets what they want without waste, duplication and unnecessary stress. Cheers!
