D'Amore-McKim School of Business Assistant Professor of Marketing Mary Steffel, an expert on gift giving, offers three tips for gifting awesome holiday presents this season. Her 2014 research, which was published in the Journal of Consumer Research, identifies common tendencies gift-givers have that often keep them from giving the gifts that their recipients truly want.
Keep the following three tips in mind when you're out making last minute purchases this holiday season.
- Don't be afraid to give the same gift to more than one person. Often, gift buyers with multiple recipients focus on unique, but less-preferred gifts when making final purchases. If everyone on your list wants the same book or movie, buy three copies.
- Give more versatile, less personalized gifts, such as a gift card that is accepted for a variety stores or items, instead of a particular brand.
- Just ask the gift recipient what they would like most. Although many gift-givers are hesitant to do so, asking for even a few gift ideas can make buying easier, and more rewarding when the time comes to reveal what has been bought