Gift Ideas
Generate personalized gift ideas for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays with 10 product recommendations, price ranges, and purchase locations in 60 seconds.
Overview
Generate personalized gift recommendations based on recipient interests, budget constraints, and specific occasions. This template helps you find thoughtful gifts when you’re stuck between generic options and spending hours browsing online stores.
Use Cases
Last-minute birthday shopping with limited ideas - Your friend’s birthday is in 3 days and you only know they like coffee and hiking. Input their interests and get specific product recommendations with purchase links and delivery timing.
Finding anniversary gifts that aren’t cliche - Move past generic “romantic gift” lists by including your partner’s recent mentions, hobbies, and values to get personalized suggestions.
Holiday shopping for hard-to-shop-for relatives - That family member who “has everything” becomes easier when you factor in their style preferences, values like sustainability, and what they already own.
Thank you gifts for colleagues or clients - Generate professional yet thoughtful gift ideas within specific budget constraints that align with workplace appropriateness.
Milestone occasions requiring extra thought - Graduations, retirements, or major life events benefit from the backup options and presentation ideas included in the output.
Benefits
Generate 10 gift options in under 60 seconds instead of spending 2-3 hours scrolling through generic gift guides and e-commerce sites.
Get specific product recommendations with rationale - Each suggestion includes why it fits the recipient, eliminating guesswork about whether they’ll like it.
Avoid duplicate gifts - The template accounts for what they already have, preventing the awkward “I already got one of these” moment.
Stay within budget automatically - Recommendations come with price ranges matching your specified budget, plus backup options if your first choice is unavailable.
See where to actually buy each item - Includes specific retailers and purchase locations rather than just product names.
Plan timing for delivery - Get ordering deadlines for each gift to ensure it arrives on time.
Add personal touches - Each recommendation includes personalization options to make generic products feel custom.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Being too vague about interests - “Likes music” doesn’t help. “Collects vinyl records, prefers 70s rock, mentioned wanting a record cleaning kit” gives actionable direction.
Ignoring recent hints - People often mention what they want in casual conversation. That “I wish I had…” comment from last week is valuable context.
Not checking what they already have - Gifting a coffee grinder to someone who already owns one wastes your budget and creates awkward returns.
Skipping values and preferences - If they care about sustainability or supporting small businesses, generic Amazon recommendations will miss the mark.
Setting unrealistic budgets - Be honest about what you can spend. A $200+ budget for a colleague’s thank-you gift might be excessive, while $25 might feel cheap for a close friend’s milestone birthday.
Forgetting about delivery times - Ordering a custom item 2 days before the occasion rarely works out. The timing recommendations prevent this.
Template
Generate gift ideas for:
Recipient: {{recipient}}
Relationship: {{relationship}}
Occasion: {{occasion}}
Budget: {{budget}}
Age: {{age}}
Interests/Hobbies:
{{interests}}
Recent Mentions/Hints:
{{recentMentions}}
Gifts They Already Have:
{{existingGifts}}
Style Preferences: {{stylePreferences}}
Values: {{values}}
Please provide:
1. 10 specific gift recommendations with rationale
2. Price ranges for each
3. Where to buy
4. Personalization options
5. Backup options
6. Presentation ideas
7. Timing recommendations for ordering/delivery
Special Considerations: {{specialConsiderations}}
Properties
- recipient: Single-line Text
- relationship: Single Selection
- Options: Partner/Spouse, Parent, Sibling, Friend, Colleague, and 1 more
- occasion: Single Selection
- Options: Birthday, Anniversary, Holiday, Thank You, Graduation, and 2 more
- budget: Single Selection
- Options: Under $25, $25-50, $50-100, $100-200, $200+
- age: Single Selection
- Options: Child (0-12), Teen (13-17), Young Adult (18-30), Adult (31-50), Senior (50+)
- interests: Multi-line Text
- recentMentions (optional): Multi-line Text (default:
None) - existingGifts (optional): Single-line Text (default:
Unknown) - stylePreferences (optional): Single-line Text (default:
Unknown) - values (optional): Single-line Text (default:
Unknown) - specialConsiderations (optional): Single-line Text (default:
None)
Example Output
Real output generated using this template with the following inputs:
Input: Friend named Sarah, age 18-30, birthday occasion, $50-100 budget, interests include photography, coffee, hiking, and thriller novels. She mentioned wanting to try film photography and complained about her bulky camera bag. Values sustainability and supporting small businesses.
Generated Recommendations (excerpt showing first 3 of 10):
1. Beginner Film Camera Bundle
Price: $75-95 Rationale: Directly addresses her interest in trying film photography Where: KEH Camera, B&H Photo (used market), local camera shops Options: Canon AE-1 Program or Pentax K1000 - reliable, easy-to-use 35mm cameras Personalization: Include a handwritten note about your favorite photo she’s taken Backup: Olympus OM-10 or Minolta X-700 if sold out
2. Compact Camera Sling Bag
Price: $60-85 Rationale: Solves her complaint about bulky camera bag, fits minimalist aesthetic Where: Peak Design, Bellroy, Etsy (small makers) Options: Peak Design Everyday Sling (sustainable materials) or indie makers on Etsy Personalization: Leather ones can be embossed with initials Backup: Waxed canvas version for different aesthetic
3. Film Photography Starter Kit
Price: $55-70 Rationale: Combines her interests - curated for personal touch Contents: 5-10 rolls of varied film stock (Kodak Portra, Fuji, Ilford B&W), small photo album, developing voucher Where: Film Photography Store online, local camera shops, Adorama Personalization: Mix color and B&W film, include note explaining each type
Plus 7 more recommendations including: portable pour-over coffee set for hiking ($65-80), film photography book with development subscription ($55-75), sustainable hiking daypack ($70-95), curated thriller novel collection ($50-65), coffee subscription supporting small roasters ($60-90), vintage camera strap from small maker ($45-70), and national park annual pass with trail guide ($85-95).
Also includes: Presentation ideas organized by gift type (kraft paper, cotton ribbon, dried flowers for minimalist aesthetic), timing recommendations (order Etsy items by Nov 10-15, film cameras by Nov 15, books/subscriptions by Nov 20-25), and top 3 picks if narrowing down choices.
Frequently Used With
- Event Planning - Plan the birthday party, anniversary dinner, or celebration where you’ll give the gift
- Budget Tracker - Track gift expenses across multiple recipients during holiday season