Executive summary of “Gifting from the closet: thoughtful or thoughtless?”

Citation

(2015), "Executive summary of “Gifting from the closet: thoughtful or thoughtless?”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-09-2015-046

Executive summary of “Gifting from the closet: thoughtful or thoughtless?”

Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 32, Issue 6

This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of this article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefits of the material present.

Various academic disciplines have investigated the ritualistic act of gift giving. The gift itself has been the subject of research focus, along with how it is obtained and presented. Some studies have addressed the social setting, while the relationship between giver and recipient has been the focal point of others.

Earlier work has identified the emergence of what is termed a “gift closet” in which gifts are stored for future presentation. Such gifts are typically composed of unwanted items and/or those which have been purchased earlier because of convenience or monetary savings available at the time.

This is seen as indication of a shift away from traditional gift giving practices based on someone purchasing a gift to give to a certain recipient on a specific occasion. Any or all of the usual acquisition, recipient and occasion elements can be absent from the process. What is referred to as “re-gifting” is cited as being a significant factor in this change in how gift giving apparently now often functions. This describes the practice whereby people receive gifts that they deem unsuitable and consequently store such items with a view to presenting them to someone else in the future.

Gift closets have been described as being “more than physical spaces”. The process of gift giving creates value, and this can be affected when items are stored in such a manner. Much of this value is attributable to the capacity of a gift to create or strengthen relationships between the giver and the receiver. It is argued that gift closets serve to change the act of gift giving to the extent that different perceptions of the gift and the relationship might emerge for giver and/or recipient.

Research specifies that different perspectives of gift giving prevail. From an economic exchange viewpoint, gifts are prized for their monetary value. It is typical for givers to anticipate receiving a future gift in return what equates to similar or greater value. Storing gifts and saving on expenditure by buying items at opportune moments to capitalize on, such as, price discounts is purported to be less relevant from this perspective. However, any negative impact on a gift’s economic value from these actions would raise concerns.

The symbolic function of gifts is well documented in the literature and relates to the “social exchange perspective”. This value becomes especially significant when the item offered as a gift is “personal, rare and intimate” and thus, helping to define the relationship between giver and receiver. Monetary costs and time invested to find the ideal gift can also contribute to symbolic value. Unwanted or stockpiled gifts stored in a gift closet lose the symbolic value because less effort is expended in finding a gift that might also have been obtained without a specific recipient or occasion in mind.

Prior work has also examined gift giving from an “agapic love perspective” which defines a relationship in which someone derives greater pleasure from giving as opposed to receiving. The purpose here then is to select a gift that will excite the recipient and make him or her feel unique. Unselfish motives are the norm from this perspective where gifts are often chosen on impulse and presented to the recipient immediately. No occasion is needed to justify the gesture and reciprocal action is not expected. Different scholars purport that re-gifting is not appreciated from the agapic love perspective as stored items reflect convenience. In contrast, finding the “perfect gift” to please a specific and cherished recipient will invariably demand considerable time and effort on the giver’s part.

An online questionnaire was distributed to examine the use of gift closets. Different groups of females were targeted because of their predominant role as gift givers. Participants were asked to provide information about their gift-giving behaviours and to reveal words what came to mind when thinking of the term gift closet. Questions also focused on their feelings if receiving an item from a gift closet. Those with a gift closet then provided details of the items stored there and how they believed beneficiaries would feel about receiving such a gift.

Middle class females were represented most in a sample where 70 per cent reported having a gift closet. Females were likelier than males to have one as were less educated participants. Data also showed that stockpiling items was more common among individuals most inclined towards gift giving. Gift closet owners expressed greater positivity towards the phenomenon than those without both in terms of giving and receiving gifts.

It is evident that the prospect of receiving a gift from a closet recedes as the giver-receiver relationship becomes more symbolically important. Most subjects are therefore more inclined to give such gifts to work colleagues and casual friends, where the act has minimal significance for either side. Utilitarian gifts are the norm in these circumstances. Thomsen and Zaichkowsky note that grandchildren are overall the likeliest recipients of items from a gift closet despite their social closeness to the giver. Several reasons are offered for this, including their low awareness of the gift’s origins.

Answers to questions asking why a gift was in the closet led to the identification of categories labeled as:

• surplus, reflecting free items and unwanted presents to be used for re-gifting;

• time, which is related to gifts bought at an opportune moment for future use to save time;

• money, which incorporates items perceived as bargains; and

• shopping entertainment, whereby buying gifts is considered an integral part of the whole experience.

Findings mirrored earlier work in noting the impersonal nature associated with the surplus theme. Giving “leftover” items reduces the sense of the recipient’s uniqueness and the commitment to the relationship of the giver. From social exchange and agapic love perspectives, such gifts lose value.

The convenience aspect connected with the time theme can be more acceptable, though. Someone may accidentally find an ideal gift for a specific future occasion and can, therefore, justify saving it in their closet. Such correlation between item and occasion fits with the social exchange perspective. Opportunistic buying can also enable acquisition of items not usually affordable to the giver. However, when saving time is the main motivation the activity becomes more self-oriented and thus at odds with social exchange and agapic love models. A similar negative impact on perceived value of the gift is likely from all three perspectives when saving money is the central aim of having a closet.

The contrasting feelings towards gift closets are captured in the belief in them as either “engaging hope chests” or somewhere to hide items of dubious value. Nevertheless, the authors believe that gift storage might be more prevalent than assumed because low income and price-conscious consumers were only minimally represented in this study.

Books, stationary, games and toys were among items commonly stored for future giving. Thomsen and Zaichkowsky urge retailers of such products to address gift storing within their marketing communications. This can inform the public about the convenience and economic advantages and also lessen any stigma associated with the practice. Care is advised though as motivations for having a gift closet are simultaneously responsible for any subsequent loss of perceived value for items stored there.

To read the full article enter 10.1108/JCM-01-2015-1302 into your search engine.

(A précis of the article “Gifting from the closet: thoughtful or thoughtless?”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)