When TechCrunch first lined present registry platform Grateful Registry eleven years in the past, its philosophy was turning the act of asking for presents right into a aware course of, as an alternative of a grasping seize for stuff. Quick ahead greater than a decade, Grateful continues to lean into that mindset with its relaunch. Along with a redesign, Grateful additionally has new options like the power to ship money with extra switch apps.
When Amazon eliminated the power so as to add gadgets 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, needs to turn into the world’s hottest common present registry and wishlist. It additionally needs to be one of the stunning, with an emphasis on design and person expertise. As Cheng places its, “gifting by nature is a social transaction. You possibly can’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 basic customers. Half of its customers are in the USA, whereas the remainder are unfold out in Australia, Canada, the UK and the remainder of the world. Since Grateful’s tender relaunch in October, 1 in 4 new trial accounts have transformed into paid accounts.
Cheng first received the concept for Grateful when a buddy received married and Cheng used her Macy’s on-line registry. She tells TechCrunch that she “hated” the expertise. “It was similar to a buying record. Every little thing was tremendous small, pictures had been tremendous small. It was such as you’re simply ticking an merchandise off somebody’s record. There was no details about the couple, no stunning photographs, 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 give attention to design, Grateful additionally has options, like ones that allow 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 based mostly in Kaohsiung. Cheng says she needs to replace the design and add extra capabilities, together with a give attention to 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 will additionally paste hyperlinks and add pictures.
For nations the place money presents are widespread, Grateful has a Pockets characteristic that lets individuals request multi-currency money presents by way of widespread direct money switch platforms. These embrace PayID in Australia, Monzo in the UK, e-Switch in Canada and Smart for international presents. Within the U.S., accessible 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 present 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 gadgets 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 12 months’s registry or $90 a 12 months for everlasting registry.
As a common present registry, Grateful is utilized by many individuals so as to add gadgets from small companies, together with mother and pop retailers, unbiased 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 may have any individual 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 Internal Metropolis Youth Companies and Refugee Schooling UK. When Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court docket in June 2022, plenty 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.
“You need 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 need to go common,” says Cheng.
Cheng says that although donation accounts make up lower than 2% of whole presents fulfilled on Grateful, the platform has facilitated greater than $412,000 in donations thus far. 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 without end 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 in opposition to different registries, together with ones with enterprise capital funding like Pleasure and Zola. Cheng notes Grateful remains to be inexpensive than different rivals like cash-only honeymoon funds Hitchd and Traveler’s Pleasure.
Cheng says she needs 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 present lists for his or her prolonged households, registries for canine adoptions and lists of issues wanted for individuals going by way of critical diseases.
“Items actually contact so many elements of our lives,” says Cheng. “We simply need to make it as simple and considerate as attainable.”
