The gifts sucked, that was the main problem. Pretty simple really. Also, they were absurdly expensive. The fact that 80% of people went for gift cards says little about the "physical" aspect and everything about the price point and what you could actually buy. People in real life buy physical gifts all the time, obviously.
Facebook should try again and partner with a site like Etsy (disclaimer: I used to work there) to provide users with an inventory of actually meaningful and cool items customized for the person they're sending to, not mass produced garbage or fatty junk food like cookies and candy that will just sit for a while and get tossed. Receiving a Facebook Gift should feel warm and fuzzy, not like a robot delivered you a souped-up McDonald's Happy Meal. To address the price problem, they should make it straightforward and easy for multiple friends to throw in $10 each for a nice, meaningful gift together. They'd make a fortune.
Comments
The gifts sucked, that was the main problem. Pretty simple really. Also, they were absurdly expensive. The fact that 80% of people went for gift cards says little about the "physical" aspect and everything about the price point and what you could actually buy. People in real life buy physical gifts all the time, obviously.
Facebook should try again and partner with a site like Etsy (disclaimer: I used to work there) to provide users with an inventory of actually meaningful and cool items customized for the person they're sending to, not mass produced garbage or fatty junk food like cookies and candy that will just sit for a while and get tossed. Receiving a Facebook Gift should feel warm and fuzzy, not like a robot delivered you a souped-up McDonald's Happy Meal. To address the price problem, they should make it straightforward and easy for multiple friends to throw in $10 each for a nice, meaningful gift together. They'd make a fortune.