With the advent of modern gifting ideas that range from simple pens to notebooks, from electronic gadgets to apparel and from snazzy branded stationery to premium corporate gifts, the gifting market has never been so over crowded. This is turning out to be a boon and a bane. Too much choice can also leave you confused. And then come the gift vouchers that are meant for the lazy, forgetful and shortcut bunch of people, who are last minute shoppers, don’t know what their recipient may like and honestly they don’t care too much about it.
Can you remember the best gift you ever got in your life? It was either an experience – like a holiday getaway, a surprise party or something that was a product like a watch from your favourite brand, a pen gifted by a special colleague or teammate and no matter how many years pass by, you continue to hold on to these things for the memory of the relationship you share with the person. Do you think you’d have the same feeling if these people gifted you a gift voucher instead? I can bet hands down….definitely NOT!
One cannot take away the joy of receiving a well wrapped gift. It wakes up the child inside, as your eyes gleam and heart squeals with excitement when you unwrap the gift.
Here are 3 reasons why a voucher cannot replace a gift
Not personal – A gift voucher is a super impersonal and transactional way to gift something to someone. It’s almost like saying, I don’t know what you like and I don’t care, I don’t have the time…so here, take the voucher!
Defeats the purpose – A voucher gets spent on things like necessities, or pools into other general purchases the recipient makes. For eg., if it is an Amazon voucher, chances are people will use it to buy books, clothes, footwear, medicines or even home utilities – anything that is there in their cart, this voucher will be used to pay for the same. This dilutes the purpose of your gift in the first place and won’t necessarily remind the recipient you gave it to them.
Sizes you up– A gift voucher has a money amount mentioned on it. Like $20 or $50 – it gives the recipient an opportunity to raise his eyebrows and size up your giving capacity. Whereas a gift is more about how much you value the person and the relationship not what value you are spending on the gift.
Whenever you buy a gift, remember it has to satisfy these top 2 things.
It’s all about how you make them feel – It should make the recipient feel special because people don’t remember what you say, they remember how you make them feel. A well wrapped gift box with a sensible gift inside it will earn you a lot of brownie points! Add a dash of a personal note of appreciation and there goes the cherry on the cake!
Return on Investment – This becomes negative with a voucher! No memory, no recall, hence no impact. A hand picked gift is the perfect way to make your ad spend bring in recall and therefore nurture long term relationships.
The next time you think of gifting a voucher and getting away…think again! It’s not a good idea – financially and personally and will certainly not help you in building and fostering long term relationships.
Leena Munot
Co-founder
The Giving Tree
For gifts that make people feel special, significant and cared for, visit thegivingtree.in – your most innovative corporate gift house. Meet us or call us today for ideas that will never grow old.
