Why Don’t You Simply Ask What She Wants ...

Create your wish list or list of favorite merchants on GiftVolo and share with loved ones.

42 percent of women returned holiday gifts from their husbands (who ideally should have at least some insider gifting knowledge), according to The Daily Mail newspaper.

59 percent Millennials (ages 18–34 years old) and 56 percent Gen Xers (35–44 years old) who receive gifts during the holidays are most likely to return gifts according to a survey by Harris Poll.

Ever wonder why?

Galak, associate professor of marketing at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon, and his co-authors conducted research around gift giving and receiving and found that gift givers think they know what the recipient wants but in reality they do not. The research shows that gift givers follow self-imposed rules that do not necessarily align with how their receivers feel.

Givers believe that gifts should be desirable, tangible and expensive, as well as a total surprise. They try to focus on gifts that reflect the recipient and symbolize their relationship. While Recipients are anticipating feasible, experiential and requested gifts that reflect their interests.

Recipients would rather receive something they asked for. But givers spring for the surprise factor or something “special” even if the recipient has a registry or list, according to the report.

“The single best thing that gift givers can do is to ask recipients what it is they want,” Galak said. “The problem is that in our culture, it is taboo to do so. Somehow it seems like by asking what someone wants, it makes you, the giver, seem less thoughtful. This just isn’t true. Gift recipients are more happy with requested gifts because they are the things that they actually want.”

The reason we give gifts is to show our love, appreciation and affection for people we love and care about. In a world where we are all perpetually starved for time, why gift something that will inconvenience the recipient.

This Holiday season give them what they want. This holiday season use GiftVolo to send experiences and services to loved ones from service providers in their area (GiftVolo is available in these locations). Simply request list of favorite merchants or wish list of services from GiftVolo and share yours in 3 simple clicks to get what you desire. Make it stress free for you and others.

This article is written by Shelly Gupta for GiftVolo. GiftVolo enables busy professionals to send thoughtful, curated, everyday services to loved ones in 3 clicks. By sending local services as gifts we not only support sustainable living but also promote local commerce.

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