YORK, PA— Department stores have been updating their approach to registries, building on internal resources and using social media to establish a relationship with registrants and shoppers. Indeed, the registry business remains a combination of the old and the new.
Bon-Ton Stores has been considering how to keep its registry operations consistent with trends in how couples approach their weddings, and it has determined that the couples who approach the occasion often want a somewhat traditional yet more personalized experience and one in which the groom may be more heavily involved.
Consistent with trends in housewares, men have become more interested in how the registry will form a couple’s future domestic environment. Grooms may not be the initiating party in arrangements but they want to be involved so that registries reflect their tastes.
“Grooms do take a more active role now,” said Amanda Manke, gift registry director at Bon-Ton.
She said, today, registry customers embrace older wedding traditions, whether in product or how they approach the occasion, but they also are more self-assertive. Couples take more upon themselves now. She said that wedding magazines and the more traditional vehicles that help couples consider options remain vital, but today’s registrants explore the range of available options to set their marital plans and use them broadly. Social media is a vital component of how couples approach their registry options today.
Brides and grooms have taken more charge of their wedding arrangements when, in the past, other family members might have done more to set the stage. Manke said that the wedding guests who participate in registries acknowledged the primacy of the couples with the result that the preferences of the bride and groom not only are the focal point of registry purchasing but also become guidance for additional buying.
If a couple has established a style point in their relationship, perhaps a color or a theme, such as affection for dogs, gift givers often will respond. If the registry includes, say, red color dishware, gift givers may go beyond what is in the registry to purchase additional items such as candlesticks in the couple’s signature hue. Even those items that might not be central considerations reflect the personality of the couple.
Many registrants focus on gifts that reflect their mutual backgrounds. Alumni of universities often pay attention to gifts that have the stamp of their alma maters, for example, Manke said.
Beyond availability, couples today are taking advantage of customization and personalization services such as monogramming to make their registry selections more reflective of their relationship.
Trends also are important, and Manke said that Bon-Ton leans on its vendor partners for constant prompting in that regard, as they are close to market developments that have an impact on registry operations.
“We have a vendor who said: You need gold flatware,” she related as an example. “We rely on vendors to help us with things like that.”
