As most of you would know, WISHFUL’s mission as a brand is to provide purposeful, practical and beautiful gifts that act as love and honour that can help us maintain our most important relationships in a tangible way.
So it's really no surprise that everyone in the team is obsessed with meaningful gifting and seeing the face of pure joy and happiness from our loved ones from receiving a gift we thoughtfully put together for them.
In this article, we pick the brains of Sheyvin and Quinn from the WISHFUL team on how we can make gifting processes more meaningful.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what is the best gift you have ever received.
Sheyvin: Hi, my name is Sheyvin and I’m the Creative Project Manager at WISHFUL.
One of the best gifts I have ever received was a customised mug. I like everything customised!
Quinn: This is Quinn, I am the Retail and Corporate Project Manager at WISHFUL, handling both the creative and operations of our projects.
I have been a huge fan of designs, arts and crafts since I was young! The best gift I have ever received is a handmade photo album. As cliche as it may sound, it is a gift that is extremely thoughtful and personal to me, one that could never be replaced by anything and anyone else!
2. Since working with WISHFUL, what has been the biggest insight you have gained on the gifting process?
Sheyvin: Paying attention to details! I am quite a detailed person by nature, but since I joined WISHFUL, I have learnt so much more about the importance of small details, and it's amazing to see how much thoughtful attention everyone in our team puts into each gift we curate.
Quinn: The biggest insight I have gained thus far is that a little bit of styling goes a long way. Even a simple ribbon bow and gift tag can transform a gift from being boring and basic to look so much more professional and tasteful!
Of course, the tricky part here is mastering the styling skills for different types of gift packaging and items, but that is something our team prides itself on as our secret weapon!
3. What are some tips you would give someone who is looking to get an affordable yet meaningful gift for a loved one?
Sheyvin: I guess it is to understand the person well and know what he or she needs and likes. When we take the effort to get to know our loved ones better, pay attention to what they appreciate, and then get them a gift that is aligned with that, it will definitely touch the person’s heart.
Quinn: I think choosing a gift that resonates with the recipient is what makes gifting exciting and meaningful. It could be as small as a keychain, to celebrate someone’s milestone of owning a new car. Simple things can be impactful when done with purpose and intention!
4. When it comes to corporate gifting, it could often feel cliché and boring. What has been the most creative corporate gift your team has ever worked on, and what was the process like?
Sheyvin: Personally, it was our recent Mid-Autumn collection. Despite us having set a specific collection of items on our retail front, we add value to our corporate clients by providing them with additional options like customisation.
When it comes to that, we try our best to be more creative with unique ideas that will best fit our client’s needs and expectations.
Quinn: It can certainly be challenging for us to think out of the box when it comes to curating gifs for corporate clients! However, I think the key is to understand the client and their recipients well and to cater to their unique interests and goals.
I personally really like the Welcome Kits we curated for KWSP’s employee gifting. With the team officially moving out of their old headquarters to a new “green” building that advocates for eco-friendly and low waste practices, we wanted to curate something that represents this meaningful occasion.
Our team worked together to custom-make a wooden drawer box as the welcome kits’ packaging, which the team can then reuse as a desk organiser. We also included handy eco-conscious items like reusable collapsible cups (perfect for grabbing coffee!), and an acrylic memo board with marker pens (to help reduce the usage of disposable memo pads).
We also designed the printed materials around the theme of “going on board” on this new journey with airplane boarding passes and baggage tags to make the experience seem even more exciting!
It was definitely an exciting project for us as well as our clients and their employees!
5. What is your personal favourite gift set or gift collection on WISHFUL so far?
Sheyvin: It’s so hard to choose only one! But one of the most memorable collection for me was the 2021 Christmas Collection—A Mystical Adventure! The entire collection was so magical and dreamy, perfect to celebrate the festivities!
Quinn: My personal favourite collection is definitely our latest launch, our Mid-Autumn Tsukimi Collection! The design is infused with meaningful Japanese elements that signify the blessings of Fortune (Seigaiha), Vitality (Asanoha), Longevity (Kiku) and Good Health (Susuki).
We also challenged ourselves in crafting the Longevity gift set, where we feature a colourful fan that unfolds in a wooden chest box. It is a collection that is filled with surprises yet evokes a sense of nostalgia.
6. What brings you the biggest joy in doing the work that you do with WISHFUL?
Sheyvin: What brings me the most joy is having the chance to bring together the different bits and pieces of a gift and curate it into something that expresses love and care towards the recipient.
Imagine the smile on their faces when they receive the gift… Meaningful isn’t it?
Quinn: The biggest joy comes from seeing our ideas come to life. From months of brainstorming, designing, curating and planning, to finally seeing the gift sets being captured in photographs and shared with the world! It always feels surreal to see what we can create when the whole team comes together as one.
7. What is ONE advice you can give to someone who wants to make their gifting process more meaningful?
Sheyvin: Put extra thought into the little details and elements of the gift that you know will best fit the person. That way, whenever they see or use the gift, they will think of you!
Quinn: In my opinion, nothing is more meaningful than a handwritten note, and it is a practice we’ve been trying to preserve in WISHFUL, despite the extra time and work required.
We have received plenty of compliments from our customers, saying how much it warms their hearts, before they even unbox the gift! Just like how we always say “it's the thought that counts”, it is especially true when it comes to gifting!
So the next time before you send a gift to someone, try spending a little extra time to write down how much this person means to you, or perhaps include a little backstory of how you picked this gift! Never underestimate how much more joy and warmth a heartfelt letter could bring!
And folks, that concludes our interview with the team on meaningful gifting! Thank you so much to Sheyvin and Quinn for sharing their valuable insights on meaningful gifting, and we hope that it will help you in your very own gifting process.
And at the end of the day, remember it is not about how much money you spend on the gift or how lavish it is, but rather how much thought and effort you put into to get your loved one a gift that you know they will love and cherish.
If you are still feeling lost and clueless about how you can curate a gift for any upcoming occasion, you can always reach out to our friendly team and they will be more than happy to support you on the entire gifting process—from the ideation all the way up till delivering the gift to your loved one! Reach out to us via email at contact@wishful.my or WhatsApp us at +6012 733 1672.
