Innovation That Matters

In Japan, real-world gifts sent via Twitter

Work & Lifestyle

It’s been several years since we first saw the emergence of real-world gifting capabilities for online friends, and it appears the trend is still going strong. After beginning in the Facebook realm, though, we’re now seeing the gift-minded offerings move to Twitter as well — now with Japanese Giftee. Currently in beta, Giftee is an online service that lets users send small “thank you” gifts via Twitter. Gift-givers begin by registering on the Giftee site and indicating the Twitter ID of the recipient they have in mind. They then choose a gift from among Giftee’s myriad of options — currently limited to the offerings from select shops in Japan — and then type a message and pay by credit card. A gift tweet is then sent via Twitter to the recipient, who logs into the microblogging service to redeem it. Donations can also be made via Giftee to Red Cross Japan and other causes. With benefits for users, merchants and the sites that make the gifting possible, it’s no wonder Giftee and others of its kind keep appearing. Time to launch something similar for all those who tweet in your part of the world? (Related: Buying drinks for friends via email, SMS or FacebookCurated recommendations help customers choose the perfect giftSwapping content for a tweet or Facebook mention.) Spotted by: Katharina Kieck

Email: info@giftee.co

Website: www.giftee.co