Huffington Magazine Issue 23-24 | Page 11

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE HUFFINGTON 11.18.12 Enter COURTESY OF WANTFUL Q&A What’s the best bit of feedback you’ve heard so far? Either in the development stage, or from customers? One piece of feedback we received when we first launched last November was that we didn't have enough products for men. Men can be so much harder to shop for than women. The options tend to be focused on really obvious things—ties, tools, gadgets—so we doubled down on sourcing unique products that break out of this mold. The heritage brands we carry have been very popular, from outdoor products to great axes from Gränsfors Bruks, a century-old Swedish company. And this was a really interesting [lesson] from our first holiday season: There was a ton of enthusiasm and great numbers through Christmas last year, but as we got past the holidays, gift redemptions were slow to start coming in. Week one went by, week two went by, and we were getting a bit nervous. And then it became clear that this was an entirely positive indicator: Gift recipients were having a hard time choosing! When we asked one woman why she hadn’t made her selection yet, she said, “Until I choose, they’re all mine.” And that possibility is part of the joy we help to create. The sleek Wantful catalog arrives in a black, engraved envelope.