Covet is a new social gifting app designed to change the way people exchange gifts, ultimately making the experience better for gifters and recipients. Gift-givers often struggle to know what to buy, and as a result, gift recipients can end up with well-intentioned presents that, plainly, they just don't want. The app allows users to curate a personalized marketplace of the items they actually want, and see what others in their life covet for occasions big and small. The Covet List is a dynamic collection that users can share with friends and family to take the guesswork out of buying for birthdays or holidays, and Covet likens it to a registry for life.
"My college boyfriend asked me to pick out two pairs of earrings. He surprised me with a third pair I had never seen. We broke up," said Jennifer Mantz, co-founder of Covet. "The success of a total surprise gift is risky and leaves the giftee feeling uncomfortable and guilty for not liking it."
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Social Wishlist Commerce
- Shared preference lists are turning gifting into a networked shopping experience where intent data can reshape product discovery and conversion.
- Life-event Registries
- Always-on registries are expanding beyond weddings and baby showers to support recurring occasions, everyday needs, and personal milestones.
- Preference-based Gifting
- Recipient-curated marketplaces reduce unwanted purchases while creating new personalization layers for retailers, brands, and social platforms.
Where This Applies
- E-commerce
- Retail platforms can benefit from explicit wishlist signals that improve recommendations, basket conversion, and gift-focused merchandising.
- Social Networking
- Social apps have room to integrate commerce around real relationships, making personal preferences a source of engagement and monetization.
- Gift Retail
- Traditional gifting businesses face opportunities to shift from surprise-led buying toward data-informed, recipient-approved product selection.
