Teens Are Making Wish Lists for Everything Right Now
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Gone are the days when parents searched for scribbled circles in catalogues to decipher their kids’ wish lists. These days, tweens and teens — mostly girls — aren’t even using Pinterest or their Notes app; they’re turning to a more streamlined wish-list-making platform calledGiftful. There are other wish-list platforms, like GoWish and Giftster, but Giftful is by far the most popular. In fact, the seven teens I interviewed for this story said some variation of, “Oh, all my friends use Giftful.” Most teens make lists for your typical gifting events — birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, and graduation parties — but it’s become increasingly popular to make aspirational lists for every aspect of teenage life, fromdorm-room essentialsand game-day outfits to back-to-school supplies and sorority-date party dresses. One teen I spoke to has a list that’s simply titled “For the future,” which she has loaded with dresses, matching sets, and tank tops.
The platform itself is easy to use. Setting up an account took me less than 30 seconds, and then you simply paste the link to your desired items into the website or app. Most of the time, Giftful will be able to pull the relevant images, price, and product name in mere seconds. Users can add in specifics, like size and preferred color,et voilà: It’s on the list with every single detail a gift giver could ever want to know and an affiliate link to take them there (Giftful takes a commission from every gift purchased through its links).
Once teens feel their list is in a good spot, they’ll send it to those gift givers — mostly family members, the friends in their group chats, and their Secret Santa group. Shoppers don’t necessarily need to create an account to view the list, but if they do they can mark a gift as “claimed” to prevent gifting multiples. The wish-list owner can’t see if a gift is claimed, so “it’s still a surprise, but it’s things that you know you want,” says Texas A&M sophomore Presley Lowden. Curious teens have, of course, found workarounds: Marking a list as a “personal” list rather than a wish list or registry and opening a link to your list on a new browser allows you to see what gifts have been claimed. However, most teens try to keep it a surprise.
During a time when it feels like every teenage girl is trying to become an influencer — filming “Get ready with me” videos and sharing their birthday hauls with anyone who will watch — Giftful also allows everyone to become an influencer for a moment. You can follow others on the platform and add items from other people’s lists with a quick click. Users can react to specific items on their friends’ lists with emoji, and some teens post their lists on TikTok to show off their taste and gain followers on Giftful. Seventeen-year-old Lexa Pine from New Jersey will comb through these videos to inspire her own wish list and says she’ll often see comments underneath that say things like, “Look up this Giftful if you’re a cool girl or you like pink.” Even the act of telling people about the platform has become a flex. “I’m always the person that puts everyone on [Giftful] because I’m like, ‘Oh my God. You have to check out Giftful. It’s so cool,” says University of Rhode Island student Gabriela Barbato.
We’re still months away from the holidays, but Giftful is buzzing with activity. The“Top 100 Trending” listGiftful maintains to show the most popular list additions is everchanging, and, last I looked, fall fever had hit the wish lists, withEos Pumpkin Chai Shea Better Body Lotionsandpumpkin-shaped Jellycatsabound.
Some of the hottest gifts I’ve heard about
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