At Shop Local, it's our job to help find ways to grow your online business. Part of that job is researching different registry software to see if it could be a good fit for your store.

If you have a Shopify website and offer a gift registry service, you may have heard of Gift Reggie. Gift Reggie is a third-party Shopify app that seemingly integrates with your current website, making it easier to manage your registry offering and boost your online sales.

However, we have determined that using Gift Reggie may actually be hurting your online sales. We've identified at least 21 problems with Gift Reggie. 15 of those issues are all when considering the gift giver's and the store's experience.

Please check out our video, which takes you on a deep dive of those 15 issues here:  https://vimeo.com/932126341/8a8eb743b4

You can also find the full review of the Gift Reggie software here:  https://bridge.myshoplocal.com/news.cfm/23919/Software-Review-Gift-Reggie

You're invited to learn more about our registry service here:
https://www.shoplocal.org/retailer-online-gift-and-wedding-registry

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Gift Reggie: 21 Problems the Service Causes For Gift Givers, Registrants, & Merchants

Gift Giver’s Experience (E.g., Friend or family member giving gift)

1. The gift giver will likely have more trouble finding the registrant’s gift list because the service ranks poorly in Google, and the merchant’s registry home page doesn’t show current registries by default. The gift giver must search for registrant with an exact name match.
2. Items that are needed and not needed are intermixed. This slows down the gift giver.
3. To see larger pictures for items on the gift list, one must leave the registry list.
4. To see a gift’s dimensions or any additional details about an item, one must leave the registry list.
5. In the checkout process, there is no mention that the purchase is a gift purchase. This increases the likelihood that the gift giver won’t check out and complete the purchase.
6. There is no gift message field in the checkout. The gift giver can’t enter a gift message in the checkout process.

Registrant’s Experience (E.g., Bride)

1. Due to the software’s limitations on the gift giver (explained on the left), the registrant will likely receive fewer gifts.
2. Due to the gift giver’s limitations, friends and family will likely be frustrated with gift giving and the checkout process.
3. When a gift is given, the gift won’t have a gift note/message because the checkout system doesn’t offer a gift message field.
4. The registrant has no easy way to promote their gift list. For example, there are no “share registry” tools.
5. The software makes it hard for the registrant to know what the merchant owes the registrant because there is no built-in, online accounting system for gifts received and given out.
6. The registrant doesn’t have the privacy they need. The registrant’s address must be publicly available if the gift is being shipped to the registrant.

Merchant’s Experience (E.g., Store owner or manager)

1. Due to the software’s limitations on the gift giver, the merchant will likely receive fewer orders.
2. Due to the gift giver’s limitations, gift givers and registrants will likely be unhappy and may leave bad reviews.
3. The merchant likely has to spend more time calling the gift giver and asking if they want to include a gift message.
4. The merchant has to spend more time to update all the products offered in the registry service. (Shop Local’s Syncing service does this work for merchants.)
5. The merchant is more likely to sell a gift at a wrong, lower price. (Shop Local’s Syncing service avoids this problem for merchants.)
6. The merchant will likely receive fewer orders because there is no built-in marketing program to get the registrant to promote their registry.
7. The merchant may find using the service awkward because it’s not built by Shopify. It’s a separate service.
8. The merchant will incur more work because the service has no brand partnerships.
9. Merchants may need coding or technical skills to add the service to its website.

Shop Local: 21 Ways the Service Helps Gift Givers, Registrants, & Merchants

Gift Giver’s Experience (E.g., Friend or family member giving gift)

1. The gift giver can easily find the registrant’s gift list because the service helps merchants rank on page 1 of Google, and the merchant’s registry home page shows current registries by default. The gift giver does not need to search for the registrant with an exact name match.
2. Products that have already been gifted and those that are still needed are separated. This helps the gift giver more quickly give a gift.
3. To see larger pictures for items on the gift list, the gift giver does not need to leave the registry list. A pop-up window shows more pictures.
4. To see a gift’s dimensions or any additional details, one can view this in the pop-up window.
5. In the checkout process, the cart mentions that the purchase is a gift purchase. This increases the likelihood that the gift giver will check out and complete the purchase.
6. There is a gift message field in the check out. The gift giver can enter a gift message in the checkout process.

Registrant’s Experience (E.g., Bride)

1. Due to the software’s convenient features for the gift giver (explained on the left), the registrant will likely receive more gifts.
2. Due to the software’s convenient features for the gift giver, friends and family will likely be happy with the gift giving process and the checkout process.
3. When a gift is given, the gift will likely have a gift note/message because the checkout system offers a gift message field.
4. The software gives the registrant easy ways to promote their gift list. For example, there are “share registry” tools.
5. The software makes it easy for the registrant to know what the merchant owes the registrant because there is a built-in, online accounting system for gifts received and given out.
6. The software gives the registrant the privacy they need. The registrant’s address can be hidden if the gift is being shipped to the registrant.

Merchant’s Experience (E.g., Store owner or manager)

1. Due to the software’s convenient features for the gift giver, the merchant will likely receive more orders.
2. Due to the software’s convenient features, gift givers and registrants will likely be happy. They will leave positive reviews.
3. The merchant will receive the gift message in the purchase alert email and thereby save time calling the gift giver to see if they want to include a gift message.
4. The merchant will save time on updating the products offered in the registry service because Shop Local’s Syncing service does this work for the merchant.
5. The merchant will sell a gift at the correct price because Shop Local’s Syncing service performs price updates for the merchant.
6. The merchant will likely receive more orders because there is a built-in marketing program to get the registrant to promote their registry.
7. The merchant will find using the service easy because it’s built by the same company that makes the shopping cart. The registry and cart are designed to work together by the same software company.
8. The merchant will incur less work because the service has brand partnerships.
9. Merchant won’t need coding or technical skills to add the service to its website.

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Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed in this article and video are based on my personal observations and experiences with Gift Reggie. While I have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information, the experiences described may not be representative of all users. This article does not make any definitive claims about the practices of specific registry services or features. This review is intended to provide a personal perspective on the service and should not be construed as a statement of fact. I encourage readers to conduct their own research and evaluations before forming opinions or making decisions based on this review.