How To Find Great Gifts For Women: 3 Easy Steps to Success

Finding that perfect gift for a woman, no matter the occasion, can be daunting and sometimes very stressful.

In fact, we talked to over 2000 women, and we confirmed that most of them have high expectations when receiving a gift.

Moreover, whether she likes a gift or not can positively or negatively impact the relationship with the gift giver.

Bottom line? If you want to find great gifts for her, some proper preparation is a must.

In this guide, you will learn how to give her the perfect gift in 3 easy steps. On top, you can also find detailed lists with the best gift ideas of the moment.

Ready to become a gift-giving guru? Let’s dive right in!

Summary Infographic About How To Find Great Gifts For Her
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The Gift Hacker Technique

Our gift-giving advice is based on the insights we gathered from talking to more than 2,000 women, 25 lifestyle experts, and university professors.

We created a simple 3-step technique that makes the art of gift giving an easy thing.

In the next few sections, we will take you through the process step by step.

Women In Survey Ideal Gift For Her Gift Hacker 650 X 350 1
Full 3 Steps Infographic Gift Hacker Technique

Step 1:

Finding A Great Gift For Her


Hack Icon Meaningful 300 X 300

Hack 1:
Add Meaning

Hack Icon Hobbies 300 X 300

Hack 2:
Her Passions

Hack Icon Work 300 X 300

Hack 3:
It’s Useful

Hack Icon Beauty Fashion 300 X 300

Hack 4:
Beauty & Fashion

Hack Home Decoration 300 X 300

Hack 5:
Home & Comfort

Hack Icon Tech 300 X 300

Hack 6:
Gadgets & Tech

Hack Icon Classics 300 X 300

Hack 7:
Go Classic

Hack She Has It All

Hack 8:
Has It All?

Hack 1:

Add Meaning To The Gift


We interviewed over 2000 women.

And we found that over 76% of women agree that a successful gift should have meaning.

Moreover, this sentiment is even stronger with younger women.

The Perfect Gift For Her Is Meaningful

The reason why women are so fond of meaningful gifts should not come as a surprise.

It’s because you show her you take an honest interest and involvement in her life.

Keep on reading…

Prof. Lee Anne Fenell

Giving a gift is all about people participating imaginatively in each other’s lives.

Lee Anne Fennell
University of Chicago

So if you want to see a beaming face when she opens your present, you should add some meaning to your gift.

But finding such a meaningful gift will take a lot of time and effort right?

Absolutely not!

Here’s the deal: there are two concrete ways to get this right.

1. A great meaningful gift is one that is personalized.

A personalized gift shows a woman that you care enough about the relationship you two have to make the effort to find an item that is tailored to her in some way.

But aren’t there millions of personalized gift options out there?

True, but our research shows that even giving her something that has the first letter of her name or her zodiac sign already has a significantly higher value than the same item without any customization.

Still, it seems too daunting? No worries, we already did the work for you and identified the best-personalized gifts for her in 2022.

2. Add meaning by giving her a sentimental gift

Try to find a gift that reminds her of a positive memory or feeling.

Our survey results showed that gifts that remind her of precious memories make her happy, and by extension, also make her feel more positive about the gift giver.

Bonus: the data shows she is 3 times more likely to share the fact that she received a meaningful gift with her friends and colleagues. This will increase your image as a thoughtful person in her inner circle.

An example of such a meaningful gift could be a photo frame holding the pictures of that great trip you did together, or a lovely keepsake box.

Do you think she would love a meaningful gift? Then check out our most heartwarming sentimental gifts for women in 2022, which are guaranteed to make you look like a considerate and thoughtful hero.

Full Meaning Infographic

Hack 2:

Her Hobby & Passions


Last holiday season, more than 60% of US consumers returned at least one gift.

This shocking data point from the US National Retail Federation shows how easy it is to get gift-giving wrong.

Women Return Gift Cartoon

One way to increase the chances of your gift not getting returned is to give her something that is connected to her passions or hobbies.

But watch out, if you are unsure about her passions, you will want to stay clear of this route!

Our data also shows women dislike gifts relating to specific hobbies that they are not interested in.

Hobbies Passions Form A Great Starting Point To Find A Great Gift For Her

At this stage you will find yourself in one of two situations:

Honestly, I don’t really know what her latest passions or hobbies are. It seems to change quite often.

No worries, then this hack, might not be so relevant for you. Just skip to the next one.

Yes, I think I know what she loves spending her free time on!

Great! Let us explain how you can leverage this for a great gift.

As you can imagine, there are tons of specific hobbies & passions. We will discuss the most popular ones and explain how you can identify great gifts for her relating to them.

Giving her a gift that is related to her passion isn’t just considered useful; it shows you know her and you care about her interests.

YOGA: BIGGER THAN A HYPE

With more than 3 billion people worldwide practicing Yoga this ancient and spiritual discipline is hotter than ever.

However, practicing yoga, unfortunately, does require a lot of equipment.

Enter: the opportunity for a truly relevant gift.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, it is a bit more complicated than that.

Firstly, our research shows that she wants to look her absolute best during yoga class, so not just any item will do.

Secondly, there are many items to choose from. Did you know that more than $80 billion in yoga merchandise is sold each year?

But don’t worry, we already did the work for you and analyzed and compared countless options to identify the hottest Yoga items of 2022. Each of them is bound to make her enjoy her class in style. So if she loves this spiritual discipline, definitely check out the list!

Infographic About Yoga Gifts

FITNESS & WELLNESS

Doing some form of exercise isn’t just good for the body and overall health, it also relieves stress.

This means that sports make her look beautiful and happy. So giving a gift that enables her to do more of this is bound for success.

But again a word of caution, if she is not into any form of physical exercise, our data clearly show that these gifts are not appreciated at all.

So, is the women you are buying for into fitness or other sports such as running or hiking?

Then you will find some great gift ideas in this list of the bestselling fitness gifts for her, capturing all the latest fitness trends!

Watch out: although you can score great points by giving a fitness-related gift if this is truly her passion, you should under no circumstances give a woman a gym membership as it, in general, is interpreted as a hint towards her being overweight. “

Icewater Smart Water Bottle

TRAVEL

Holidays are inherently connected with positive feelings.

Get a travel gift right, and you will be forever connected to the great memories that are made during the trip.

Here are two concrete ways you can do exactly this:

Firstly, you can give her a gift that will come in handy when she leaves on her trip.

This could be the latest trending piece of travel luggage or another useful gift for travelers in 2022.

Secondly, you could give the gift of travel itself, however here you need to be careful.

She might not like everything already being planned, or she might not even have holidays left.

A better approach could therefore be to gift her an experience during a trip that she was already planning.

Alternatively, give her gift cards for accommodation or flights with companies like Airbnb or Skyhour.

Infographic Great Travel Gifts For Her
Prof. Cassie Mogilner Holmes

Experiences lead to greater levels of happiness than material goods do as it requires a disconnection from the routine and the mundane of the day-to-day.

Prof. Cassie Mogilner Holmes
UCLA’s Anderson School of Management

FOOD & DRINKS

Unsurprisingly, most women we talked to said they love food. And hence receiving a gift related to food & drinks also scores very high in the ranking.

However, you do want to keep a couple of things in mind.

For starters, the women in our survey indicated that, out of all food-related gifts, they prefer to receive an experience.

This is because the excitement linked to going to that fancy restaurant or to that hip new cocktail place will provide her with as much joy as the food itself.

Infographic About Great Gifts For Foodies

Also, cooking books, kitchen gadgets, and trendy accessories are appreciated by foodies.

However, note that women aged 55 and above actually tend to appreciate cooking books much less, and helpful gadgets much more. This is because at that age they know already many great recipes, and prefer kitchen appliances to make cooking easier.

Finally, you can also score points with classic gifts such as a box of chocolates but stay away from big no-nos such as diet books, or specific foods she hates.

With all of these things in mind, we created this top 25+ list of best food-related gifts for her in 2022.

OTHER PASSIONS & HOBBIES

Of course, there are many more hobby gifts out there, depending on her specific passion. Although we do not have the time to cover each one separately, we did also create these lists with gifts for paintersgifts for women who love to draw, and gifts for female kayakers.

If you are looking for a gift for a woman who’s into other hobbies like dancing, gardening, jewelry, or photography, then this list is the one for you!


Hack 3:

Useful & Work Related Gifts


Do you think that giving her a gift related to her work life is a stupid idea?

Wrong! She will spend over 60% of her time at work.

Providing her with a useful gift that enables her to perform at her best at work is well appreciated.

Such a gift can be an item linked explicitly to her job, but can also be an everyday-use item. Note that, in general, we see that gadgets that are also easy to carry score very high.

A great example could be a trendy portfolio to hold her laptop and notebook.

Besides gadgets, stylish items that will make her look fashionable at work are also considered a great gift.

Keep on reading…

Infographic About Useful Work Related Gifts

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: This lipstick-sized premium aluminum Power Bank has been bought a staggering 30.000 times! It’s super useful, and she can proudly take it to any meeting or presentation.

Do you believe the woman you are buying for falls under this category?

Then you will want to discover the most popular useful & work-related gifts for her in 2022.

Lipstick Power Bank

Hack 4:

Beauty & Fashion Gifts


Whether she is at work, with friends, or just out shopping, she will always want to look her best.

We immediately hear you thinking “But there are so many options, where do I start?

Well, thanks to our in-depth research, we not only found that 68% of the women who are interested in beauty or fashion products would love a gift relating to it, we even got insights on the best products to buy.

Beauty Fashion Infographic

Although most beauty & fashion products seem to be appreciated, age does play an important factor.

For example, jewelry and accessories such as scarfs, gloves, and hats are more appreciated as women mature.

So if you are buying for a woman below 35, you might want to focus on other items.

Great, now you have inspiration on the specific product categories! But to go one level deeper also have a look at these five additional tips on getting beauty and fashion gifts right:

Go for sets of beauty products

70% of the women we talked to confirmed they appreciate the opportunity to test different products or scents. Also, your chances are higher that she will like at least one of the products if your gift includes multiple ones. 

Buy a beauty brand that she already uses

It shows that you know her and that you care enough to check around what her favorite products are. If you hear her bragging about a specific beauty product, you definitely should remember the brand.

Buy her a different scent/color from her favorite brand

Want to go a bit more exotic? Look for a different scent or color of one of her favorite beauty brands. Do a bit of research on other best-selling variants, and you are all set.

Buy a fashion item she mentioned before

Buying a fashion accessory that she has mentioned or hinted at previously is a huge winner. More than 90% of the women agree that they will like it more, and it shows you listened!

Handbags are a good choice

If you are buying clothing, it can be very tricky to get the size right. So if you want to avoid returns, we recommend purchasing a handbag or purse. It’s loved by women whether she is into fashion or not.

Is she indeed a beauty lover or fashionista? Great! In case you want even more inspiration check out our hottest beauty & makeup gift sets of 2022 as well as this list of great gifts for a fashionista.

However, beauty products that can be used for some pampering and relaxation score extremely well. Therefore, we decided to create a dedicated list of the top relaxation & pampering gifts for her.


Hack 5:

Home & Comfort Gifts


After a hard day of work she just wants to relax and truly be herself at home.

That is why a practical, unique, stylish, or funny decoration gift that makes her home cozier and more “her” will be highly appreciated.

Home décor items are not just great as housewarming gifts but also as Christmas presents or birthday gifts.

Besides decoration gifts, women also very much enjoy products to pamper themselves. Just have a look at this list of comfort and sleep-related gifts for her.

Full Home Pampering Relax Infographic

Is she also interested in beauty and fashion? Then she will love pampering gifts even more (84% vs. an overall average of 79%).

But also when she is passionate about yoga or fitness, you can be reassured she will like these gifts as the scores are almost as high (82%).

This makes sense as she probably wants to treat herself to some pampering after building up a good sweat.

Do you want to surprise her with the right gift so she can adequately pamper herself and fully relax? We captured the must-haves for any girl right here.

Or are you curious to see which are the trendiest home decoration items of the moment? We combined them all in this 2022 update.


Hack 6:

Gadgets & Tech Gifts


Technology is constantly evolving, making our day-to-day lives more comfortable and more connected.

Although most of us like this trend, some people are true junkies and can’t get enough of the latest technological gadgets.

Let’s also break a stereotype: most people think of men when talking about tech lovers.

However, there are a lot of women who are into technology and gadgets as well.

In fact, our survey showed that 63% of women would enjoy receiving a tech gift.

Ok, so everyone likes gadgets. But aren’t tech gifts expensive?

Keep on reading…

Infographic About Tech Gifts For Women

Tech gifts can be expensive… but not necessarily!

Yes, most people would love to receive the latest iPhone this Christmas, but spending a grand on a gift is a bit too much for many of us.

Instead, we’ve done our homework and identified the best tech gifts for her for Christmas 2022, ranging from $10 to $500.

Some of these gifts have already been on the market for a few months; others, however, are part of start-up ideas and hence are genuinely innovative gifts for any techie.

Intrigued? Check out the full list now!


Hack 7:

The Classics


Admittedly, one of the stereotypical classic gifts is probably not the most creative present you can give a woman.

But, the saying “you can never go wrong with a classic” is also partly true when it comes to gift-giving.

Only partly true you say?

Yes. You see, 71 % of the women we talked to indeed confirmed that they would enjoy receiving a classic gift such as flowers or a box of chocolates.

But there are some rules related to the specific occasion and circumstances, as well as who exactly is giving the gift.

Keep on reading…

Infographic On Giving Classic Gifts

Firstly, she will for sure be happy when receiving flowers from a friend for her birthday.

But if you are her partner, she will expect something more and long-lasting on top.

Never JUST give her flowers for her birthday. But add them to a more significant gift, and you will be scoring big time!

Secondly, also for important occasions such as Christmas, she will be happy with a nice box of chocolates, but only as long as it is ONE of the multiple gifts she receives.

Still with us? Great!

Are you looking for an extra classic touch to your main gift?

Or perhaps you are just looking for a small gift to give her as an everyday surprise?

Check out our following list: the ultimate list of classic gifts for her.


Hack 8:

If She Has It All


After reading all the above, you still think, “but she already has all of these things”?

Don’t feel bad. This does sometimes happen!

But no need to panic! For those of you who are still lost, we have two more lists up our sleeve.

We searched the globe for those gifts that are so unique, funny, and/or practical that she can always use them no matter what she already has.

Click here to discover our top gifts for the woman that has it all.

Or if you say the budget isn’t an issue when it comes to making this woman happy, you will definitely find something truly unique in our over-the-top luxury gifts for when the budget doesn’t matter.

Apple Watch By Hermes

Step 2:

The Story Behind


The art of successful gift-giving is bigger than just finding the right gift itself.

In STEP 2 and 3 we will talk about how to make the overall experience truly memorable for her.

Let’s dive right in!

First of all, the best gifts are those that come with a story.

This step is no rocket science: just tell her why you decided to give her that specific gift.

Did you give her a meaningful gift? Remind her of that meaning or special memory, the happy feelings linked to this will make the moment even more impactful.

Or perhaps you gave her that gift because you know it is related to her passion, work, or because it is so “her” and would fit perfectly in her home?

By explaining the reasons behind a gift, you show her you understand her, listened to her, and remembered those personal things she has mentioned before.

Tell Her Why You Bought This Gift V3

A gift from the heart, given with genuine feeling, is worth much more than an expensive last-minute afterthought.

Cassandra
Survey Participant

Step 3:

The Perfect Execution


So wait, there is more?

Yes, but stay with us. We’re almost there.

Remember, what we are trying to do here is make the overall gift-giving experience more impactful and memorable for her.

This last step can almost always make the difference between a good gift and a great one for her!

Though often neglected, it’s more important than you might think.

4 out of 10 women confirmed that original or beautiful gift wrapping does make a significant difference, and almost 7 out of 10 believe a gift is better if it comes with a personal card.

A Perfect

So you would like to make a lasting impact with your gift?

Go for a nice wrapping, potentially adding a cute bow.

For the creatives among you, you can even add additional layers by for example going for ‘dummy’ wrapping, misleading her about the shape of the present by using a bigger and different sized box.

If you are looking for some inspiration or creative wrapping solutions, check out this nice gift box.

A card is a waste of money, and nobody reads this anyway

Wrong!

Our survey clearly showed that adding a beautiful card to a gift is appreciated.

On top, you can emphasize the overall intention of your gift by writing some meaningful or funny words on a themed card.

Need help finding a great card to add to your perfect gift? Check out this great assortment of birthday cards or this amazing assortment of Hallmark Christmas cards!

Extra:

Bonus Tips

Before we close this ultimate guide, we wanted to leave you with some final interesting conclusions from our survey.

In this section you will find out:

  • How much should you spend on a great gift for her?
  • Whether gift cards and cash are OK
  • What should you never buy her?
  • Material gifts vs. experiences
Kisspng Salaryman Seasonal Bonuses Job Bonus 5B2Fe0Bc0Fb3B3.3901537215298643800643

How Much Should I Spend On A Gift For Her?

The general rule of thumb is to choose presents with more or less the same value as the presents you receive yourself. 

If you spend much more on the gifts you gave her compared to the ones you receive from her, you might leave her behind with either a sense of entitlement or a sense of the need for her to reciprocate. 

It’s OK to spend a bit more if it gets her that amazing gift you wanted to buy her. But if you do so, you should try to downplay the actual costs. You want to look savvy, not pretentious.

We also know women do not want expensive gifts for Valentine’s day! Less than 10% of the women want you to spend more than $50, and 15% do not even want a gift for Valentine’s day. Want to learn more? Here is the list of ideal Valentine’s gifts for her in 2020.

With regard to her birthday or Christmas, it is accepted to buy her something a bit more expensive.

How Much Should You Spend On A Gift For Her

INSIGHT: 50% of all women in our survey indicated that the amount you spend on a gift does not matter!

Are Gift Cards As A Gift Okay?

In general, the answer is yes!

When we asked women if they would be happy receiving a gift card as a gift, more than 85% agreed this would be a great gift. 

These results were consistent for all age groups. 

However, we see the results for gift cards are slightly lower in case the gift giver is her husband or partner. In these cases, gift cards are sometimes considered as lacking real effort.

In any case, if you decide to give her a gift card, make sure it’s linked to her hobbies & passions!

Starbucks Gift Card

Gifts You Should Not Give Her

Below you find our list of the worst gifts you can give to her based on our survey results.

We are also providing you with the disapproval rate for each of these items and the reason why it’s a bad idea to give those gifts. If you still decide to go for it, you must know her very well… And good luck!

Never Give Diet Cook Book Gifts
  1. Diet Products or Books(72%) It will always imply that you believe she’s overweight and it will be considered a rude gift in most cases.
  2. Baby or Child-related Gifts: (67%) She is already a mother, 24 hours a day. You should focus on giving a great gift that is just for her!
  3. Anti-Aging products: (53%) You should never point out to a woman in any way that she is aging.
  4. Tickets to a Sports Event: (50%) Unless she is a die-hard fan of a team, it’s not seen as a very appropriate gift.
  5. Gym membership(48%) It could imply you believe she is out of shape. Unless she’s very sporty or it’s an upgrade of her existing membership, don’t go down this road.
  6. Sex-related Gifts(45%) Many women prefer to buy those items themselves, want to talk about it first, or do not want them at all.

Material Gifts Or An Experience

Experiences as a gift tend to have a slightly higher approval rate than materials. 

In general, 2 out of 3 women would prefer an experience over a material gift. But preferences seem to shift with age. 

When asked women under 25, we see 3 out of 4 have a preference for experiences, while women over 45 have indicated a 50-50 split.

If you go for an experience as a gift, we would always recommend starting with her hobbies and interests.

Travel Experience Balloon Trip Compressor

So there you have it!

I hope you find all these hacks to find great gifts for women useful and you are now set to surprise her with the perfect gift! If you have comments or questions, feel free to post them below. If you would like to subscribe to our gift reminder mailing list, you can click the button below. If you want to see the top gifts list click that button.

Last Updated on September 6, 2023 by Emily Scott