The holidays are fast approaching, and while it may be, as Andy Williams sang, the most wonderful time of the year, it can also be the most stressful! In addition to all the cooking and decorations, there’s one aspect of the holidays that never gets any easier, and if anything gets harder and harder every year. Of course, we’re talking about finding suitable presents for your loved ones.
But in recent years, a gifting trend has emerged which has revolutionized the way people select and buy presents: personalization. Personalization allows you to take even the most standard, predictable item and instantly make it unique and special for its recipient. For example, got a family mamber or a friend going through chemo – show your support with a unique chemo care package! Here, we look into how personalized gifts are becoming more and more prevalent, as well as considering some ways to approach it yourself.
The Why
Personalized products by design work perfectly as gifts for other people, and the public seems to agree: a recent Deloitte study showed that the main reason shoppers purchased personalized items was to give them as a gift, and the main reason for this is because they considered them to be more thoughtful. Looks like it really is the thought that counts after all! This is the chief reason why the personalized gift industry is booming, so much so that last year, a study in the UK estimated that £750 million ($1 billion USD) would be spent on personalized presents over Christmas.
In today’s world, thanks to the prominence of social media, individuality is valued higher than ever before. More people than ever are striving to stand out, be unique and leave their mark on the world. For these individuals, a personalized gift is a particularly great idea, whether it’s an item of clothing, a piece of art, or even something practical or mechanical. Not only is the personalized present a one-of-a-kind that is unique to them, which of course highlights your thoughtfulness in buying it, but it serves as a sort of extension of themselves and their self-expression. Depending on the occasion, it’s important to have some simple greetings just like a happy Hanukkah greeting!
The How
Personalizing a gift is by no means a new concept. For generations, people have received engraved jewelry for birthdays, weddings or even for a long service at their job. These gifts have always been viewed as being extra special and are usually cherished and kept forever.
With the explosion of internet shopping over the last decade or so, we have witnessed the meteoric rise of the personalized greeting card, but also larger items such as the pillow with a boyfriend or girlfriend’s face printed on. And in recent years, would-be artists and designers have taken to selling their own work online, allowing for personalization, and opening up the market to a real smorgasbord of personal gift ideas.
With the ability to print names or photos on practically anything you can think of, the possibilities are endless. Some gifts even take it one step further, such as personalized children’s books: featuring a child’s name not just on the cover but also throughout the story, making them a real character in the narrative, is not only great for boosting their self-esteem (what kid wouldn’t want to be a princess or a superhero, after all) but is also a great way to encourage a reluctant young reader to pick up a book, a crucial part of any child’s development.
The When
The holidays are the perfect time to delve into the world of personalized gifts. If you’re struggling to think of what exactly to buy, you can always fall back on themed items: Christmas stockings with a name on; decorations featuring family photographs; or even a turkey carving set specially engraved!
Unlike birthdays, during the holidays everyone is opening presents at the exact same time. Each and every household therefore becomes filled all of a sudden with a whole host of new things, some useful, others not so much! Amongst the mounds of socks, chocolates and toiletries, a personalized gift can really stand out and make someone’s day. And, once the festive period is over, your personalized present will be sure to avoid the trash cans, and will in fact most likely be cherished for years to come.
What’s more, if you’re feeling really cheeky, or just if you have a lot of people of the same age to buy for, remember: even if you buy three of the exact same item, but personalize each with a different name and message, what you effectively have is three completely different and unique presents!