As Facebook looks for ways to monetize its presence, the company rolled out Gifts earlier this year — a program that is now available to all U.S. users. But Facebook wasn’t the first, and certainly won’t be the last, to test the social gift market. Several other companies — such as Plumfare, Boomerang, Treater, and GiftHit — use Facebook to deliver experiences that can’t be captured with gift cards.
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We all know the five-second reaction to seeing a friend’s birthday on Facebook — a basic greeting posted to their timeline. What if you want to do more? Several companies are filling the gap and making a statement with social gifting, allowing people to give real-life presents to their friends. While entities such as Wrapp and Gifties are getting a foothold in the market, Facebook announced Thursday the launch of Gifts, a native program where users can give things such as Gund teddy bears, Starbucks gift cards, and Star Wars flash drives.
Remember SuperPoke!, when you could virtually bake a cake for a friend or throw a sheep at them? A new Facebook game, Gifties, revives the spirit of SuperPoke!, but with real-life payoffs. Now, when you give someone cookies, you might actually give them cookies, which would be delivered to their door. You could even end up giving the gift of a gift cards, flights, or a hotel stay.
