NEW YORK— Leading online retailers have evolved their bridal programs in recent years from simply offering young couples thousands of products from which to choose to today providing nearly-weds the ability to customize their registry experience.
Tapping into a Millennial consumer group that has grown up with hand-held digital technology and a host of social media sites, e-commerce pure-plays have developed and revamped programs to allow soon-to-be married couples the ability to not only select from a range of housewares, but also design registry pages that reflect the personalities of the future bride and groom.
Matt Curley, general manager of Wayfair Registry, noted that research done by Wayfair prior to launching its wedding registry this past September found couples were looking for an experience that was unique and personal.
“Registries at one point felt very impersonal, which is really opposite of every other aspect of wedding planning,” he said. “Future brides and grooms today want to be able to share the story of who they are as a couple.”
Curley said Wayfair’s bridal registry program allows couples to share photos, establish hashtags related to the wedding, write notes to guests and highlight their personal interests.
At Amazon, the e-commerce retailer offers a host of features in an effort to make the experience of registering for products one that is personal, said Carmen Nestares, general manager, Amazon Kitchen and Wedding Registry.
“Not only does the Amazon wedding registry provide customers access to the world’s largest selection, couples can also register for experiences via gift cards as well as anything from anywhere on the Internet with Universal Registry,” she said.
While Amazon prides itself on carrying a wide selection of products in housewares and home, the online retailer’s Universal Registry program allows couples to add items to their registry that may not be for sale on Amazon.
Bridal registrants looking to access the Universal Registry feature are required to install Amazon’s Universal Registry button to their web browser or iPad. This allows couples to locate products that are not available on Amazon and add items to their Amazon registry list.
Allowing consumers to create a unique bridal registry page is part of an effort by e-commerce outlets to differentiate from brick-and-mortar retailers, but the ultimate goal for the Wayfairs and Amazons of the world is still to entice the purchase of products.
Housewares and tabletop remain core categories for bridal registries, with Wayfair highlighting brands including All Clad, Cuisinart, Le Creuset, Lenox and Wüsthof in press releases announcing the launch of its bridal registry program this past fall.
Although the traditional housewares and homewares products remain an integral part of bridal registries, Curley noted that Wayfair is also giving young couples options to add a broader variety of products to their list. These items can range from major appliances to outdoor grills and furniture.
“For some couples, their biggest needs might not be a set of dinnerware or towels,” he said. “They may want larger items that their family members can buy for them as a group purchase.”
Nestares noted that Amazon’s bridal registry model relies on shoppers discovering items through its curated product selection as well as the various “shop by” categories such as Registry Favorites, Popular Wedding Gifts, Shop by Style and Shop by Brand.
In addition, Amazon also provides couples with the option to take several “deliberate paths” that allow for a more personalized registry.
“With millions of items, we know it can be overwhelming to sift through them all,” Nestares said. “But with our recommendations, alongside expert and blogger content and customer reviews, we take most of the guesswork out of what to register for.”
To stay connected with its bridal registrants in a digital environment, Curley said Wayfair has dedicated registry specialists that are available to work with couples throughout the duration of the process. A key feature of this interaction is the ability to develop an “idea board,” which is similar to a Pinterest board. This allows Wayfair to recommend a range of products based on feedback from the couple about their design and style preferences.
“There are a lot of product categories, many of which may be unfamiliar to a young couple,” he said. “We spend time with them to listen to their needs and then work to suggest products based on those needs. The key overall for us, at a time when there is a lot of stress, we want the registry process to be as easy as possible.”
Beyond the on-site experience Wayfair and Amazon look to offer couples, Curley and Nestares both noted the role social media plays with the development and promotion of an individual couple’s bridal registry.
“From product selection to sharing registry, social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram are highly influential during the registry process,” Nestares said. “Suggestions from a couple’s network of friends or influencers play a significant role in what items are added to a registry.”
