By Jon Stojan
Published December 22, 2023
Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
Exciting things are happening in the gifting world, and just in time. Gone are the days of stressed gifters, disappointed giftees and costly returns.
Serial entrepreneur Eddy Jette’s experiences are similar to many of ours. When it was his birthday, he would tell his loved ones, ‘Don’t get me anything, I’m all set.’ Then, he might stand in a long line to return an unwanted item, stick it on a shelf or send it back and have it end up in a landfill. And the crazy thing is, he’s not alone; approximately 80% of gifts are unwanted, returned or thrown away. In Eddy’s mind, “There had to be a better way to give and receive gifts.”
He wanted a place where he and friends and family could easily save and share their wish lists from any merchant, and gifters could click and buy. Being a curious entrepreneur, he searched high and low for a solution, and when he couldn’t find it, he connected with CPO/COO Raj Saxena and together, a powerful gifting marketplace was born, GyftHint.
This platform brings together giftees (as the ultimate influencers of the brands they love) with their unique network of gifters through personally curated stores, representing their favorite brands, charities, and experiences. Gifters review, select and secretly buy the perfect gift with one click, every time, with zero stress. It’s as easy as taking photos with your phone and downloading the app from the Apple Store / Google Play Store.
GyftHint brings back the joy of gifting
Even if Eddy wanted something particular for his birthday, “I always thought it was very presumptuous to send people a list of things that I would want.” GyftHint ends that discomfort. CCO Bill Kahn explains, “The environment of gifting is supposed to be a loving and joyful endeavor, but asking for a particular gift at a particular price feels the opposite of that.” He adds that with GyftHint, “Loved ones get the keys to the store. They can come in anytime they want. They can see what you want and pick a gift. Let’s just say that it takes the negativity out of gifting and makes it joyful and stress-free.” GyftHint member, I.K. couldn’t agree more, “With GyftHint, I just put gift ideas into my store, and they show up at my door. Zero stress. Hundred percent joy.”
The price of unwanted gifts
Unwanted gifts aren’t just a problem for the gifter and giftee but for retailers, too. In 2022, U.S. consumers returned 35% of merchandise purchases, costing retailers trillions in lost revenue.
And what happens to those returned items? Depending on their condition, when they are returned, and where they are located, 75% of returns are inspected and reshelved, refurbished and repackaged, or upcycled. However over 25% of returns end up in landfills, creating an estimated 10 billion pounds of trash. Eddy shares, “And it’s getting worse and worse because these e-commerce sites have encouraged simple returns. Just buy it and return it. No cost. And it’s almost abused.” GyftHint enthusiast, Dion shares, “With GyftHint, I was gifted a present, not an errand.”
Eddy adds, “And the simple solution, the only way to make a drastic reduction, is to buy the right gift in the first place. It helps the retailer’s bottom line as well as the environment, and it helps make gifting a joyful process.”
Raj shares, “At GyftHint, we pride ourselves on stress-free experiences for the gifter and the giftee. Starting with the giftee, you can curate any hint (item you want to receive) from any US e-store and add it to your personal GyftHint store. Now that you have chosen the items, you can share your store with friends and family. They won’t get an unhelpful list. Instead, they get access to your store. They can see what hat, shoes, cologne, and camping equipment you like. When it is your birthday, any other event, or just because, they will click and buy.”
Raj adds that when other friends and family go to that store, they will see what items have already been purchased for that person, so gifts aren’t duplicated. And the giftee doesn’t see what items have been purchased from their store, so the element of surprise remains.
In the next release of GyftHint, the team will go even further with a ‘Reveal’ Button. Raj explains, “When an item in your store is shipped to you, you will get a notification to click ‘Reveal’ to see who sent you the gift. You can then send the gifter a thank you note or a video. It rounds out the joyful experience of utilizing GyftHint.”
The culture at GyftHint is special, too
It makes sense that a company about the joy of giving and gifting would be centered around a culture of giving back to the planet and hiring good people, not just smart ones. “At GyftHint,” Raj shares, “we’re really proud to have extreme values that start with our planet and hiring great humans. Our culture revolves around trust, speed, growing together with everybody and everything around us.”
He adds, “I think these core values manifest in our own internal leadership principles. We work together, we debate, we bring on human centered talent, and we grow them. These are some of the leadership principles that we live by, and Eddy’s leadership style manifests this ability for us to co-create a culture that’s going to last.”
“It’s powerful.” Eddy agrees, “I think we have it.”
GyftHint makes everyone a hero
As if you don’t have enough reasons to invest in GyftHint and download it today, Eddy shares this heartwarming story, “My parents are getting older; they are now great-grandparents. “They don’t drive anymore.” He explains that this older demographic often has to resort to putting cash in an envelope on Christmas morning rather than going from store to store trying to find 40 meaningful gifts. With GyftHint, it is so fun to watch the joy they get from gifting. They can go to each of the kids’ stores and buy something their grandchild wishes for and click it and buy it.”
“I have a video of my father playing Guitar Hero with his great-grandson. He was six, and my father was 82, and there was so much joy. And how did he know that Guitar Heroes was a gift that his great-grandson wanted? GyftHint created that experience for the two of them. It made my father look like a hero.”
He adds, “My parents just couldn’t do it any other way. They’re not tech-savvy; they need to be able to click and buy. Without GyftHint, those joyful experiences wouldn’t happen.”
A lot of us associate gifting with feelings of stress and disappointment. Fortunately, with GyftHint, giftees with gifters seamlessly connect through curated stores, eliminating those negative gifting experiences. Allie, a GyftHint lover shares, “I get what I want and not worry about returning anything.” As GyftHint becomes a part of everyday life, unwanted gifts and the heavy burden of returns on retailers and on the environment will fade into the past, bringing genuine joy and fulfillment back to gifting.
Discover the joy of GyftHint by downloading it from the Apple Store / Google Play Store today.