Let a Frenchman sell you a box full of experiences

Model Carol Gracias and boyfriend Samuel Ziza's online gifting shop hands out experiences dolled up in pretty boxes

For Frenchman Samuel Ziza, settling in India three years ago was not just another case of the "I came to India and I fell in love with it" phenomena.

Ziza not only fell in love with India, but also gave his heart to ramp model Carol Gracias, thus sealing his stay here. He decided to launch an online venture called WittyGift, that would let people express their love for family and friends by gifting them experiences wrapped in pretty boxes.

Launched three months ago, WittyGift offers boxes labelled Wellness, Culture, Leisure, Sports and Adventure, Indulgence and Culinary among others. All you have to do is choose a box and the recipient of your gift gets to choose an experience of his/her choice from that category. Currently, every theme contains over 40 activities.

Samuel Zazi and Carol Gracias pose with some of WittyGift's
offerings that are priced at Rs 999 onwards. Pic/ Sameer Markande
u00a0
So, you can pick anything from skydiving to cooking classes to salsa lessons and cruising on a yatch. "The concept of gifting experiences has been huge in Europe. Youu00a0 usually end up giving chocolates or flowers or clothes; size and fit are a big problem with the last one," he says.

"A nice box, one experience to choose from, many choices, and one voucher to redeem your activity,"u00a0 is how 31 year-old Ziza likes to sum up the idea behind his venture.u00a0

Focusing on the Transumer
According to Ziza, consumers in India are evolving as they gain exposure to what's "out there". There is also a growing group of transumers (consumers who place more importance on the transformative experience than on material objects). They seek gifts that enhance their lives in the short term, whether it is through spa treatments, learning a skill or jumping off a cliff.

The challenge for Ziza, who worked as a journalist in France, was to figure if the idea would work in India. He did his homework by talking to people in Mumbai and Delhi to understand the nuances of gifting culture in India, and how it stood apart from that in Europe and the America. A common friend of Gracias and Ziza, Manvinder Kohli, pitched in as partner for the venture.u00a0

A model support
But the biggest support for Ziza comes from fianc ufffde Gracias, who has modelled for the website, along with close friends from the fashion fraternity. Gracias met Ziza at a football screening through friends. Ziza first engineered a trial with Gracias by gifting her a Wellness and Culture box. Gracias chose photography lessons, which she enjoyed. She recommends the Wellness Premier WittyGift and the Indulgence for Two as must-trys.u00a0 But the box that tops her wish list is the Adrenalin box.u00a0

The Big Idea
According to Ziza, the reason WittyGift is different from gifting someone a spa voucher, for instance, or taking them on a holiday, is one of choices. "If you want to gift a spa treatment, you have to research spas in your city, then choose from hundreds of treatments available and decipher the jargon, You might have to physically go and pick up the voucher. If you buy a value-based voucher which has an inherent monetary value, it cheapens the idea of a gift. You also run the risk of the recipient not liking what you picked."

With a WittyGift Box, you don't need to know exactly what the recipient wants; a general idea is good enough. WittyGift does the legwork by researching treatments, selecting providers and offering choices.u00a0Though WittyGift is currently operational only in Mumbai and Delhi, Ziza plans to thrown open the offer to customers in most Indian metros.

Log on to www.wittygift.com

4 steps to WittyGifting
The "gifter" chooses from Wellness, Culture, Leisure, Sports and Adventure, Spa, Indulgence and Culinary boxes. WittyGift, gift wraps it, adds a customised note, and delivers it directly to the "gifted".

The "gifted" chooses the experience he/she would like from the accompanying booklet, decides the date and time, and calls WittyGift on the numbers provided to book his or her experience. He/she then has to show up with the WittyGift gold card included in the box to enjoy the experience.