I recently caught up with a friend who was helping her soon-to-be-married sister organise the gift registry. It was a nightmare...well, at least, much more than what I'd have ever anticipated. The fundamental problem was that no bricks-and-mortar store, which offered gift registry services, stocked all the products the soon-to-be-married couple wanted. My brain ticked over, and I was instantly reminded of an online gift registry service called WhatWeWishFor.
Co-founded by a mate of mine, @jwswj, WhatWeWishFor is a relevant and practical solution for all couples looking to get married as it allows them to set up an online registry for any gift they want! :)
Here's my brief interview with WhatWeWishFor on what they are & what they do:
1. What is 'What We Wish For' all about?
WhatWeWishFor is an online gift registry service focused at the wedding market. Users create a personalised website that includes a registry listing all the gifts they want. Their guests then contribute money to those gifts. Users then withdraw the money and buy the items from where ever suits them. Here's an example.
2. When did 'What We Wish For' begin?
Kate, Jay and I started working on WhatWeWishFor in September 2008. After 9 very long months we launched on Friday 29th of May 2009.
3. What's your unique point of difference in the market?
We have a few differentiators which we believe put us well and truly above our competitors. These include:
- Service - We'll help guests create their sites and are available whenever they have questions.
- Pricing - Many competitors hide fees by charging guests who make contributions. We won't do that.
- Customer Experience - We spent 9 months making our tool simple to use so that our customers feel confident and comfortable.
- Adaptability - We are learning and adapting our site everyday to make it better for our customers.
4. How big is your community?
We serviced over 2,100 customers in the first year of business. In the last 6 months payments through the site have increased by 390%. Over 4,000 unique gifts have been uploaded to the site.
5. Favourite customer/community-related story since launch?
We've had lots. But we have noticed a lot of people are listing puppies as gifts they'd like to receive. That's kinda cool!
6. What do you have in store for 2010?
Lots of new designs, ongoing amazing support for our customers & a couple of secret new features.
So if you're looking down the barrel of marriage any time soon, I highly recommend you check out WhatWeWishFor and play on their site.