A Digital Experience Agency

Registries & wish lists oh my!

So we are baby crazy here at Redonk and several peeps are making lists (registry lists, that is) and checking them twice. And in our navigation of all things baby we’ve come across some interesting UX from saving lists, sharing lists and creating the ultimate registry. We’ve also pondered important questions like how do eComortars interact with registries and will my baby live on the moon at my age.

Features we found:

Good

  • Ability to add to a wish list/registry from product details page
  • A way to easily share the wish list/registry
  • Companies like Babylist that allow you to create universal lists that pull from multiple retailers
  • Ability to chip in as a group to purchase an item
  • Allowing users to purchase gift certificates towards a service
  • Thank you managers that list out gifts you have received along with the giver’s contact information, ensuring your “thank yous” are accurate
  • Mobile interface so updates can be made on the go while you’re out shopping for baby, as well as giving you a quick reference to product recommendations
  • Checklists for wedding/baby registry items including most common needs or sample registries based on your budget/lifestyle/tastes, this is great for a jumping off point when creating your registry
  • Simple account creation process
  • Easy for others to find my registry
  • Completion coupons made available close to your event date that help you purchase remaining needs at a discount

Not so good

  • Hard to find registries on some retailer’s websites (Hello, Amazon)
  • Inability to prioritize wish list
  • Horribly long URLs which aren’t very user-friendly when including on a shower invite or sharing with friends and family
  • Concerns with fulfillment accuracy – did that really get taken off my registry or am I going to have duplicated gifts? How easy are returns?
  • Not knowing if in-store has the same options for purchase in your area so others who prefer to make purchases in store/want to see the product in person might not be able to find the item at their local store

How online wish lists and registries fit the needs of the eComortar

Snap and add

Customers can be in store and add to a wish list/registry from a scan gun, kiosk or sales rep. Some have found ways to let the user just use their phone to scan products and add through their own app (removing the need to find and get that in-store scan gun). We should be able to place our phone up to the SKU or product and add it by taking a picture much like Pinterest allows.

Gift bucks bank

Online gift cards are another awesome way for eComortars to live boundlessly. They can be in the store picking up a few items from their registry and purchase by holding up their phone a la Starbucks Reward App style that has a running total of the cumulative gift card balance they have.

Loyalty and rewards

Stores have the register’s email and contact information, and likely make the registrant opt-in for their email program. For parents (especially first time parents) being part of a program that will send you reminders for milestones, product recall information, points to redeem towards other shopping needs just makes sense. Plus parents with babies have so many stages to hurdle over keeping content relevant to the registry timing and milestone will make for more effective CRM. New parents will also have impulse foot traffic at baby stores but their brand preference is often not tied to anything other than price and convenience. CRM can help anticipate their needs and recommend products in advance.

Subscription service

Is there anything on the registry/wish list that a user would need continually? Diapers, wipes, or formula for example? Amazon has this nailed with their subscription service but other retailers haven’t. If your local baby store can nab your interest right away to sign up for the subscription based items that are on your registry there might be legs. Though free shipping and Amazon prices might be hard to beat.

So as our babies grow, we’ll likely be laughing at this wish list/registry process and the concept of eComortars as a new breed of consumer will emerge. For now we appreciate these tools that strengthen the longevity of our loyalty and experience as long as the tools enhance convenience and value. As for living on the moon in 2050 I’m putting my money on flying cars first.

What are some ways you think the registry experience could be improved? Let us know in the comments below.