Nordstrom Looks To eGifting To Solve Shopper Pain Point

We all know the holidays can be stressful. There are lots of pain points for shoppers during the holiday season, from large crowds, out of stocks, and sheer decision paralysis. It’s difficult to feel like you’ve found the perfect holiday gift! It can be equally difficult to feel like you’ve received the perfect gift. This tension has led to gift cards becoming on the top gifts requested to receive since it gives the recipient the flexibility to choose a gift of their choice. However, often the gifter feels that gifts cards are impersonal, even if their convenience as a quick and simply holiday gift is temping.

This year, Nordstom has an online solution that could ease those feelings of concern while still providing the easy convenience of gift cards. Through a partnership with CashStar Inc., the retailer will allow shoppers to send specific items to their loved ones via email. The receiver can choose to accept the specific item and Nordstrom will ship it right to their house. On the other hand, if it’s not something they would enjoy, the recipient can also exchange the item for something of the same value or accept a gift card to save for a later use. What’s so great about this?

It’s a win-win. Not only does this allow for greater flexibility for shoppers and the online experience, it will help Nordstrom curb in-store returns after the holiday. Estimates from previous years have shown that post-holiday returns cost retailers up to $70 billion, so cracking the holiday return code can result in huge savings. That of course is just icing on the cake for providing shoppers with a more satisfying shopping experience during a high-stress shopping time period.

Image Credit: Nordstrom.com