CONSUMER - SHOPPING - 28.11.2008

Here’s my wish list!

1. At your favourite webshop. First check out whether your favourite webshop offers the possibility of creating an online wish list for others to consult. Indeed, most shops now equip their sites with such an option and you can generally forward this list directly to your family and friends. A good example is Amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk). You should first create one or more wish lists (or even a wedding list) in the Gifts and Wish Lists section. From now on you only need to click on the Add to Wish List or Add to Wedding List button beside each item to add it to your list, which you can then share with others. Visitors can open your wish list and buy items as usual. Other shops allow you to set up a personal wish list on the basis of their catalogue of gift ideas, for instance Argos (http://www.argos.co.uk - Gift List Service).

2. In addition to the Add to Wish List button, Amazon also offers a Universal Wish List Button for your browser (http://www.amazon.com/gp/wishlist/get-button/). When you select an item on any shopping site you visit and click on this button, this item will be added to your Amazon wish list. However, our tests were not always as successful as we would have liked.

3. A dedicated service. That’s why it’s better to use a dedicated service such as Giftag (http://www.giftag.com). First install the special add-on for Firefox or IE. From now on, it takes only one mouse click to collect product details and add them to the appropriate wish list at the bottom of the window, to add tags, etc. Note that when “tagging”, you may come across webshops which support hProduct, a standard for displaying product details. In this case, all the details of your gift will be completed automatically, without you having to type anything at all. At webshops which don’t support hProduct, Giftag enables you to take a snapshot of part of the product page and store it in your wish list. You can create multiple lists, make your lists private or public, share them with friends by e-mail or within Facebook, etc.

4. There are more examples of independent sites where you can compile wish lists. WhatToGive.com (http://whattogive.com) is a well-made service where you can add items from any online shopping site that you visit. It can also add links to gift lists at other sites, such as Argos, Debenhams and Amazon. Whatidlove.co.uk (http://www.whatidlove.co.uk) works in a similar way. It has its own list of shops but you can include gifts from any Internet retailer, high street store or charity via its Window Shopper. You only need to provide your friends with the number of your wish list. Things I Love (http://www.thingsilove.org.uk) is another gift registry website that allows you to create wish lists which aren’t associated with a particular online store. As with the previous service, you have to add the product URL, price and description manually. Finally, if you don’t wish to receive gifts yourself but you’d like friends to make donations to eight national and international charities, check out The Green Gift List (http://www.thegreengiftlist.co.uk) site.