Buying gifts for fussy folks just got easier
Target’s GiftNowlets you swap out presents
Target has come up with a new way to help you satisfy those finicky relatives on your gift list this holiday season.
Before shipping a present, Target lets online shoppers send an email to check if the recipient might want something else instead.
The new “GiftNow” button will allow online shoppers to purchase a present and then send an email as an “electronic gift box,” or “e- gift” for short. The recipient can accept the present, switch its color and size, or, if it’s destined to be stuffed in the back of their closet, swap it out for something else.
“This is the perfect solution for that fussy relative that we all have,” said Mike McNamara, a Target executive vice president, at an event last
week in New York to introduce it. “It’s also great for last- minute gifting because you don’t have to worry about whether the product is going to get there in time for Christmas. The e- gift is going to get there as fast as email.”
The new option is one of the ways Target is trying to woo shoppers in what is typically the most lucrative season of the year for retailers. At a time when Amazon is upending the shopping landscape, Target and others are adopting novel ideas, both digitally and in stores, to better compete.
In addition to GiftNow, the big- box store chain is rolling out special deals, offering free shipping, and featuring exclusive brands and experiences to try to make its stores destinations for shoppers who are increasingly content to simply browse and buy online.
Target will offer free shipping starting Nov. 1 and continuing through Christmas. The store also will roll out special weekend deals starting Nov. 11 through December.