A new study has revealed how one can successfully give a gift card by avoiding over-personalization and keeping that card from being banished to the bottom of a purse or hidden deep inside a wallet for the next six months.
The research from the University of Cincinnati found that one shouldn't overdo it with personalization and what they think is the "perfect" gift card might never get used.
Researchers said that they found that that givers tend to select gifts that are highly personalized to the recipient but that are less versatile than recipients prefer to receive and the for givers to select overly specific gifts can contribute to gift nonuse, as recipients take longer to redeem gift cards that are specific to a particular store or product category than gift cards that can be used at more places and for a wider range of products.
The study suggested that if someone is really trying to impress a special someone, then they shouldn't shop for versatility, but should think romantically and giver should focus on what recipients would like, not what they are like, considering their current wants and needs rather than their traits.