A registry on RFD's website that is powered by Gift Reggie.
21 ways Gift Reggie's app makes it difficult for gift givers, registrants, and merchants.
21 ways Shop Local's service makes it easy for gift givers, registrants, and merchants.
21 ways Gift Reggie is making it difficult for gift givers, registrants, and merchants
Our registry service handles 80,000 gift and wedding registries. We often come across other registry software and can see how it's affecting the merchant that is using it.
While eating breakfast and browsing the web via my phone, I recently came across RFD, a merchant in Albany, NY, that uses Gift Reggie (an app that is added to a Shopify Store).
I observed 21 problems while reviewing the merchant's registry service. I initially wrote the issues down on a paper tablecloth. I've outlined issues below. Notably, Shop Local's registry software does not cause the problems listed below.
Details:
Gift Reggie: 21 Problems the Service Causes For Gift Givers, Registrants, & Merchants
Gift Reggie: Gift Giver’s Experience (E.g. Friend or family member giving gift). Six problems caused:
- 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.
- Items that are needed and not needed are intermixed. This slows down the gift giver.
- To see larger pictures for items on the gift list one must leave the registry list.
- To see a gift’s dimensions or any additional details about an item one must leave the registry list.
- 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 checkout and complete the purchase.
- There is no gift message field in the check out. The gift giver can’t enter a gift message in the checkout process.
Gift Reggie: Registrant’s Experience (E.g. Bride). Six problems caused:
- Due to the software’s limitations on the gift giver, the registrant will likely receive fewer gifts.
- Due to the gift giver’s limitations, friends and family will likely be frustrated with gift giving and the checkout process.
- 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.
- The registrant has no easy way to promote their gift list. For example, there are no “share registry” tools.
- 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.
- 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.
Gift Reggie: Merchant’s Experience (E.g. Store owner or manager). Nine problems caused:
- Due to the software’s limitations on the gift giver, the merchant will likely receive fewer orders.
- Due to the software’s limitations on the gift giver, gift givers and registrants will likely be unhappy. They may even leave bad reviews.
- The merchant likely has to spend more time to call the gift giver and ask if they want to include a gift message.
- 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.)
- The merchant is more likely to sell a gift at a wrong, lower price. (Shop Local’s Syncing service avoids this problem for merchants.)
- The merchant will likely receive fewer orders because there is no built-in marketing program to get the registrant to promote their registry.
- The merchant may find using the service awkward because it’s not built by Shopify. It’s a separate service.
- The merchant will incur more work because the service has no brand partnerships.
- Merchants may need coding or technical skills to add the service to its website.
Jordyn, my colleague, made this helpful video showing the issues above:
https://vimeo.com/928599676/011fccc99c
A business may assume that since Gift Reggie is a Shopify app that is must be competent and suitable. We can see by the above assessment that is not the case. There are tens of thousands of Shopify apps, and their quality varies to a great degree.
Shop Local: 21 Ways the Service Helps Gift Givers, Registrants, & Merchants
Shop Local: Gift Giver’s Experience (E.g. Friend or family member giving gift). Six solutions delivered:
- 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 registrant with an exact name match.
- Items that are needed and not needed are separated. This helps the gift giver.
- To see larger pictures for items on the gift list one does not need to leave the registry list. A pop-up window shows more pictures
- To see a gift’s dimensions or any additional details about an item one can stay on the registry list.
- In the checkout process the cart mentions that the purchase is a gift purchase. This increases the likelihood that the gift giver will checkout and complete the purchase.
- There is a gift message field in the check out. The gift giver can enter a gift message in the checkout process.
Shop Local: Registrant’s Experience (E.g. Bride). Six solutions delivered:
- Due to the software’s convenient features for the gift giver, the registrant will likely receive more gifts.
- 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.
- When a gift is given, the gift will likely have a gift note/message because the checkout system offers a gift message field.
- The software gives the registrant easy ways to promote their gift list. For example, there are “share registry” tools.
- 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.
- 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.
Shop Local: Merchant’s Experience (E.g. Store owner or manager). Nine solutions delivered:
- Due to the software’s convenient features for the gift giver, the merchant will likely receive more orders.
- Due to the software’s convenient features, gift givers and registrants will likely be happy. They will leave positive reviews.
- The merchant will receive the gift message in the purchase alert email and thereby save time calling the gift giver and asking if they want to include a gift message.
- 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.
- The merchant will sell a gift at the correct price because Shop Local’s Syncing service performs price updates for the merchant.
- The merchant will likely receive more orders because there is a built-in marketing program to get the registrant to promote their registry.
- 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.
- The merchant will incur less work because the service has brand partnerships.
- Merchant won’t need coding or technical skills to add the service to its website.
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You're invited to learn more about our registry service here:
https://www.shoplocal.org/retailer-online-gift-and-wedding-registry
Tags:
gift reggie review
wedding registry software
shopify
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