When TechCrunch first covered gift registry platform Thankful Registry eleven years ago, its philosophy was turning the act of asking for presents right into a conscious course of, as an alternative of a grasping seize for stuff. Quick ahead greater than a decade, Thankful continues to lean into that mindset with its relaunch. Along with a redesign, Grateful additionally has new options like the flexibility to ship money with extra switch apps.
When Amazon removed the ability so as to add objects from different websites to its Wishlists and registries in 2023, it opened a brand new alternative for Grateful. Based in 2013, the bootstrapped startup, which is run out of Taipei by Kathy Cheng, desires to turn out to be the world’s hottest common reward registry and wishlist. It additionally desires to be probably the most stunning, with an emphasis on design and person expertise. As Cheng places its, “gifting by nature is a social transaction. You’ll be able to’t merely be a web-based device.”
Proper now, 80% of lively accounts on Grateful are marriage ceremony registries, 10% are child registries and relaxation had been began by nonprofits and common customers. Half of its customers are in america, whereas the remaining are unfold out in Australia, Canada, the UK and the remainder of the world. Since Grateful’s comfortable relaunch in October, 1 in 4 new trial accounts have transformed into paid accounts.
Cheng first acquired the concept for Grateful when a buddy acquired married and Cheng used her Macy’s on-line registry. She tells TechCrunch that she “hated” the expertise. “It was identical to a purchasing listing. All the pieces was tremendous small, pictures had been tremendous small. It was such as you’re simply ticking an merchandise off somebody’s listing. There was no details about the couple, no stunning pictures, no welcome message,” she says.
She got down to construct a registry platform that might make asking for presents and giving them a extra significant expertise. Along with a concentrate on design, Grateful additionally has options, like ones that permit individuals write messages after they purchase a present.
Earlier than its redesign, Grateful’s homepage stayed unchanged for 10 years. The brand new model was designed by Cheng and Corey Li, a contract UX designer primarily based in Kaohsiung. Cheng says she desires to replace the design and add extra capabilities, together with a concentrate on money presents for worldwide customers. The brand new model additionally makes it simpler for customers so as to add presents to their registries. Earlier than, they used a bookmarklet, however now they’ll additionally paste hyperlinks and add pictures.
For nations the place money presents are fashionable, Grateful has a Pockets function that lets individuals request multi-currency money presents by way of fashionable direct money switch platforms. These embrace PayID in Australia, Monzo in the UK, e-Switch in Canada and Sensible for world presents. Within the U.S., out there platforms are Stripe, PayPal, Chime, Zelle, Venmo and CashApp. Cheng says one in 5 presents given by way of Grateful is money.
Cheng notes that reward registries like The Knot, Zola, Pleasure and Babylist have expanded their registry companies by way of dropshipping fashions, incomes cash by processing and transport orders to clients. However Grateful avoids dropshipping as a result of Cheng says she hates the “store ’til you drop” mentality of registries that encourage individuals to ask for extra objects to allow them to make income. As a substitute, Grateful makes use of a pricing mannequin with two choices. Clients make one-time funds of $60 for a yr’s registry or $90 a yr for everlasting registry.
As a common reward registry, Grateful is utilized by many individuals so as to add objects from small companies, together with mother and pop retailers, impartial designers and Etsy.
A screenshot of Grateful’s child registry
“There are such a lot of D2C manufacturers now,” says Cheng. “Persons are selecting to purchase from D2C manufacturers as an alternative of Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Kmart and Goal. So you’ll be able to have anyone who has 20 retailers on their registry web page, and that’s all going to look good and work collectively.”
Along with marriage ceremony and child registries, Grateful can be utilized by non-profits to ask to donations. They embrace Cincinnati Zoo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Perth Inside Metropolis Youth Providers and Refugee Schooling UK. When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court docket in June 2022, quite a lot of donations got here by way of registries for Deliberate Parenthood. Earlier than that, individuals requested for donations to go to ACLU when Donald Trump was elected 2016.
“It’s important to be so versatile and that’s why I feel common is the way in which to go, however opponents, as a result of their cash is made in dropshipping don’t wish to go common,” says Cheng.
Cheng says that though donation accounts make up lower than 2% of complete presents fulfilled on Grateful, the platform has facilitated greater than $412,000 in donations to this point. About 80% of those donations, or $330,000, have gone to U.S.-based non-profits, with the common quantity at round $100. Grateful doesn’t cost transactions or platform charges for donations and provides non-profits and lecturers complimentary eternally accounts for fundraisers.
The relaunch marks the primary time Grateful has up to date its pricing mannequin in a decade and one of many causes is that it’s founder-owned and competing towards different registries, together with ones with enterprise capital funding like Joy and Zola. Cheng notes Grateful continues to be inexpensive than different rivals like cash-only honeymoon funds Hitchd and Traveler’s Pleasure.
Cheng says she desires clients to see Grateful as a service that stays with them for various milestones. Many {couples} first join their weddings, earlier than utilizing Grateful for child registries. Different customers embrace individuals who use the platform as evergreen reward lists for his or her prolonged households, registries for canine adoptions and lists of issues wanted for individuals going by way of severe sicknesses.
“Items actually contact so many components of our lives,” says Cheng. “We simply wish to make it as simple and considerate as attainable.”
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