What do you get someone who’s been through everything? That’s the question of the season this year. Thankfully, a California-based e-commerce website has come up with some very personal answers.
Macorner is an online, 100% personalized gift shop that launched in the midst of the pandemic. It has thrived ever since, fulfilling nearly 2 million orders of unique gifts for customers worldwide. Macorner has something for every stocking, whether that stocking belongs to a company, a loved one, or the gifter themselves. Popular categories include home decor, apparel, drinkware, accessories, bedding, and trinkets.
Whatever the gift, however, Macorner’s niche is personalization. The website’s entire catalog can be customized with personal messages, from the cheeky to the sentimental, as well as unique graphics, such as cartoons and caricatures — pets included.
According to a research report released by Market Research Future last year studying the personalized gifts market, the personalized gifts business will reach nearly $40 billion in sales by 2027 and is growing at a rate about three times faster than the overall consumer economy. The reason is simple: everyone likes to feel special.
Indeed, a survey of 2,000 Americans conducted just before the pandemic by OnePoll (for custom printing giant Vistaprint) found that nearly two-thirds of Americans prefer gifts that “come from the heart and feel more personal.” Respondents said that the holidays should be more about sentimentality than lavish, expensive gifts. In fact, OnePoll found that nearly every type of generic gift “takes a backseat to gifts perceived as ‘heartfelt’ and ‘personalized.’”
In other words, the spending one-upsmanship that’s become prevalent on social media is one-upped in real life by personalization. With that in mind, here’s a list of the top five gift ideas for 2022, courtesy of Macorner’s elves:
1. Personalized ornaments
Nothing says it’s the holidays like a well-trimmed tree. This Christmas, Macorner’s website is offering up personalized ornaments in a half-dozen categories: besties, families, couples, memorials, colleagues, and (of course) pets. The ornaments come with ribbons and shoppers can customize the names, messages, and caricatures to their liking. Company representatives say that memorializing deceased loved ones on ornaments has become a Christmas tradition for many families.
2. Personalized pillows & blankets
Last but not least is a line of personalized bedding to inspire your sugarplum fantasies and gingerbread dreams — but also to keep you warm on those cold winter nights. Sherpa throw blankets are going fast this year, in no small part because they migrate seamlessly from the bedroom to the living room couch.
3. Personalized “ugly” sweaters
On a less sentimental note, the “ugly sweater” trend unleashed by upstart Tipsy Elves on the popular TV competition “Shark Tank” shows no sign of freezing this winter, so Macorner is offering up eleven customizable, over-the-top Christmas sweater designs for 2022. Although, whether you’ll need to be naughty or nice to receive one is for Santa to decide.
4. Personalized apparel
Other apparel options for the season include baby onesies, t-shirts, trucker caps, tote bags, and hoodies. In keeping with the spirit of thrift that seems to be apparent this Christmas season, Macorner has apparel options starting at just $22.95.
5. Personalized tumblers
Once the tree is trimmed and you’ve gotten comfortable, Macorner continues the holiday “customs” with personalized tumblers, mugs, tracker bottles, and sippy cups that are also available on Amazon. With so many personalization options available, you’ll never have to wonder whose egg nog belongs to Santa.
To make this year’s gift catalog even sweeter, Macorner is also selling its full line of indoor and outdoor decor over the holidays, and the company says that those who celebrate holidays other than Christmas will find plenty to choose from as well. Because while this is indeed the most wonderful time of the year, there’s never a bad moment to give someone a personal gift — yourself included.
