The power of optionality

Do you miss those days when you had ample time to go shopping for gifts?

I do. I miss having more time to shop for my loved ones. Back in the days when I had no kids and fewer children to buy gifts for, I could put the time and effort finding the right gift.

That was back then. These days, with 2 kids, a hectic lifestyle and no time to even finish a cup of tea, I simply do not have time for it. I now have 8-10 children’s birthday parties from school, family or friends every year. Add the birthdays of adults to the mix, then I find myself constantly looking for a gift. I believe most mums would be on the same boat. Time is a rare resource for most of us.

Gifting for other kids has gradually become more of a process these days as I simply do not know what to get in many cases – it may be because I don’t know what the child has or needs, or I just do not have the time to look for what I would really like to give.

I have asked parents for help. Sometimes it worked, and many times it did not. That proved to be tricky as the parent may give you a suggestion that is perhaps out of your budget or is actually hard to find. Or worse, they may give you a suggestion of something that is not really that special just to avoid putting you in the situation I just mentioned.

The truth is that, if I had an extra hour to find the right gift, I would rather spend that time with the child in question than running around shops. Spending quality time with children is one the greatest unrecognised ‘gifts’ that they are more likely to remember than most of the stuff they get.

The ultimate question is how can we always give something wanted even when we may be constrained time/budget/location wise?

It’s actually quite simple – by having options. See, we all love options. You go a restaurant where you have options of things you like to eat at different price points and with different flavours. Similarly, when you go to a clothing store, you have options of things you like at various prices tags, sizes and colours.

When it comes to giving something to another person, this optionality is not there, or wasn’t there till recently. Sure, you can go to a shop and choose whatever you want, but how many of those items you liked are actually wanted by the receiver?

To solve this problem, all we need is the gift receiver to give us a hand. By telling us what gifts he or she would like, we have a back up plan in case we cannot find something on our own. By giving us the option to chip in to one of these gifts, we can stick to our budget.

That way, friends can give something that is always wanted. They can either buy themselves – if they have the time and know the gift receiver well – or they can chip in for one of the gifts that are guaranteed to make the receiver happy.

This is the backbone of Purposit. Our mission is to make gifting rewarding for both gift givers and receivers. Friends and family want to give something useful because they care. And parents can now help their loved ones who are unsure what to get for their children. We want those friends who know what to give or have the time, to continue to do so. But for everyone else, we want to make sure that their generosity is channeled to gifts that are useful and will have a positive impact on the child.

As a mum recently said to me, “…when we give something to a child we care about, we want the kid to appreciate not only the gesture but also the gift itself.”  I could not agree more.

What about you? Got any stories about ‘finding the right gift’ that you’d like to share with us?