“Surprise Gift” Purchases of Small Electric Appliances: A Pilot Study

Understanding decision-making processes for gifts is of strategic importance for companies selling small electrical appliances as gifts account for a large part of their sales. Among all gifts, the ones that are surprising are the most valued by recipients. However, research about decision-making processes involved in surprise gift purchases is lacking. This article shows, for example, that design and money back guarantees are more important for the purchase of surprise gifts than other gifts. The brand name, however, appears to be less important. Also, surprise gifts are more often bought on the spot, without extended information search (similar to impulse purchases).