How Kept picks a gift
Here's everything Kept looks at before it sends you a gift idea.
Kept looks at the same seven things every time
Example: Priya, a friend whose birthday is June 2.
- PersonWho they are, and everything you've told Kept about them.For Priya: A friend for ten years. Started making pour-over coffee this spring.
- RelationshipHow close you are, and what people usually spend on that kind of person.For Priya: A close friend: most people spend $40 to $75.
- OccasionWhat the day is, like a birthday or a holiday.For Priya: Her birthday, June 2: something personal, not just useful.
- LikesWhat they're into, and what to avoid.For Priya: Likes pour-over coffee, hiking and sci-fi books. Nothing scented.
- Past giftsWhat you've given before, and what they liked.For Priya: Loved last year's trail map. Already has a French press.
- BudgetHow much you want to spend, all in.For Priya: $60, all in: the gift itself can cost up to about $44.
- TimingHow long shipping takes, so it arrives before the day.For Priya: Kept starts about a month ahead, so it arrives with days to spare.
Which leads to
Hand coffee grinder
Why: she switched to pour-over this spring, and a grinder is the piece she doesn't have yet.
$57.12 delivered, within her $60
More example picks
These are written examples: something you might know about a person, and the gift Kept would pick. Prices include shipping, tax and Kept's fee. In your account, every pick names the real product and links to the shop.
Cooks dinner every night with the dull knife that came in a block set.
Kept’s pickA chef's knife
From a small knife maker · $78 delivered, within a $100 budget
He cooks every single night. A sharp knife makes every one of those dinners easier, and he'd never buy it for himself.
Taught you chess. Now plays online on his phone every night.
Kept’s pickA wooden chess set
From an independent woodworker · $92 delivered, within a $100 budget
Brings the game he plays alone on a screen back to a table, where he can teach it to someone again.
Reads at every lunch break. Halfway through a mystery series.
Kept’s pickThe next two books in her series
From an independent bookstore · $42 delivered, within a $50 budget
She'll buy them anyway, so this is the gift that's sure to be read, and it shows you noticed which series it was.
Started climbing in March. Goes three times a week and won't stop talking about grip strength.
Kept’s pickA hangboard for training at home
From a climbing gear shop · $64 delivered, within a $75 budget
Lets her train on the days she can't get to the gym, for the thing she talks about most.
Has mentioned twice that her garden shears are rusted shut.
Kept’s pickPruning shears
From a garden tool shop · $41 delivered, within a $75 budget
Replaces the exact thing she's complained about, for the garden she's out in every weekend.
Signed up for her first half marathon in the spring.
Kept’s pickA hydration pack for long runs
From an independent running shop · $79 delivered, within a $100 budget
Carries water and her phone on the long training runs ahead, the piece most first-time runners don't think to buy.
See every step, from adding someone to the gift arriving
This page shows how Kept picks. The next one shows everything else.