Gift Boxes Still Lead, but the Shelf Is Shifting
Somewhere this week, a shopper in the US picked out a book for a friend's birthday and wrote a note buzzing with excitement about how much they'd love it. Another in the UK sent a leather bracelet to someone special, with a short, kind message tucked in alongside it. These aren't hypothetical. They're real moments from real gift messages, and they point to something worth paying attention to.
Curated gift boxes led all product types this week, showing up in 16% of gifts. That's been the case for a while now. But what's more interesting is what's gaining ground just behind them.
Books climbed to 10% of all gifted products. That's a meaningful share for a category that doesn't typically headline gifting conversations. One shopper sent a birthday gift alongside a reusable bag and a wedding planning book. Another chose a book as a standalone birthday present with a note full of can't-wait energy. Books are showing up across occasions, not just as stocking stuffers or afterthoughts, but as the gift itself.
Bracelets and necklaces, taken together, matched gift boxes at 16% of products. Bracelets alone accounted for 9%, necklaces 7%. And chocolate rounded out the top tier at 8%, a number that lines up neatly with Easter landing this Sunday.
New Parents Are Driving a Quiet Product Story
New baby gifts have climbed for four consecutive weeks. That trajectory matters here because it helps explain why certain products are rising. Books, personalized gifts, and curated boxes are all natural fits for the new-parent moment. When a friend or family member wants to celebrate a new arrival, they're not reaching for a generic card. They're putting together something with intention.
Personalized gifts and custom printing accounted for 7% of all shop-level gifting this week. Stationery and gift shops added another 6%. Together, that's 13% of all gifting flowing through stores that specialize in making something feel one-of-a-kind. In France, where nearly half of all gifting this week was for new parents, that kind of intentional product selection is especially visible.
Family members wrote close to half of all gift notes this week, and their messages leaned kind and caring. Parents, siblings, and grandparents aren't just picking any product off the shelf. They're choosing things that feel personal: a bracelet with meaning, a hand-picked book, a box assembled with thought.
Food Gifts Hold Steady as Easter Arrives
Food and beverage stores continued to lead all shop categories at 27% of gifting. Chocolate specifically made up 8% of product types, and with Easter this Sunday, that number may still have room to climb. Seasonal gifting accounted for 16% of all occasions this week, up from a 14% baseline, and 84% of that seasonal activity was Easter-related.
But food gifting isn't only about holidays. One shopper in the US sent a jar of raw honey with a warm, simple note. Another in Canada gifted a portable smoothie blender in custom colors for two recipients. Food and drink gifts carry a particular kind of thoughtfulness: practical, enjoyable, and easy to share. That combination keeps the category consistently near the top, holiday or not.
What This Means for Merchants
If a store sells products that people gift, knowing which products get gifted, and why, is a strategic advantage. This week's data suggests three things worth acting on.
First, gift boxes remain the single most popular product format. Stores that offer curated bundles are aligned with how shoppers already behave. Second, books and jewelry aren't niche gifting categories. Combined, they account for roughly a quarter of all gifted products. If a store carries these items, merchandising them as gift-ready with pairing suggestions or gift wrap options meets shoppers where they are. Third, the new baby occasion is in a sustained growth phase. Stores with products that fit that moment, whether it's a children's book, a keepsake bracelet, or a custom print, are looking at a real and growing demand signal.
This week in gifting, by the numbers:
- Gift boxes led all product types at 16% of gifts
- Bracelets and necklaces combined for another 16%
- Books reached 10%, appearing across birthdays, celebrations, and new baby gifts
- Chocolate hit 8% with Easter this Sunday
- New baby gifting has grown for four straight weeks