Gift Giving

A checkout line item for a "Ceramic Pour-Over Coffee Set" with a "This is a gift" toggle switched on, a filled-in gift message reading "Happy birthday, Priya! Thought of you the moment I saw this. — Dev," and two checked options below it: "Add gift wrap" (+$4.00) and "Hide prices on packing slip" (no charge) Gift options nest inside the ordinary checkout step — a note, gift wrap, and hidden pricing — rather than sending gift buyers down a separate flow.

Background

Gift options add steps to an already-sensitive checkout funnel, so each one needs to earn its place — Gift Giving and Multiple Destinations are easy to combine in the same order (a customer sending several gifts to several people), but each adds its own review burden to the final order summary.

Problem

Customers buying something as a gift have needs an ordinary checkout doesn’t address — hiding the price from the recipient, attaching a personal note, paying for wrapping — and a site that ignores these loses gift-buying customers to one that handles them.

Customers buying something as a gift have needs an ordinary checkout doesn’t address — hiding the price from the recipient, attaching a personal note, paying for wrapping — and a site that ignores these loses gift-buying customers to one that handles them.

Solution

Extend the standard checkout’s process funnel with gift-specific steps rather than treating gifting as a separate flow.

Never show prices to the recipient

The packing slip that ships with a gift order should omit prices and item names where the customer requests it, while still including enough information (sender, recipient, order number, return instructions) for the recipient to make an exchange.

The packing slip that ships with a gift order should omit prices and item names where the customer requests it, while still including enough information (sender, recipient, order number, return instructions) for the recipient to make an exchange.

Let customers attach a note per item, not just per order

Different gifts in the same order may go to different people even at the same address, so notes need to be assignable per item, with a Save Gift Options action button returning to the order summary.

Disclose gift-wrap pricing up front

Show the price next to the option itself, rather than surprising customers with it later — larger items typically cost more to wrap, so per-item pricing has to reflect that rather than charging a flat rate.

Show the price next to the option itself, rather than surprising customers with it later — larger items typically cost more to wrap, so per-item pricing has to reflect that rather than charging a flat rate.

Show gift options in the order summary and confirmation

The same way Multiple Destinations groups shipping by address, so customers can verify wrap/note/price details before and after placing the order.

Offer a recommendation system for choosing what to give

A gift-specific extension of Personalized Recommendations.

Patterns

Sources

The Design of Sites: Pattern Group G — Advanced E-Commerce is this page’s source — its G6 Gift Giving pattern supplies the price-hiding packing slip, the per-item gift notes and wrap pricing, and the gift-finder recommendation guidance above.