Users can select gifts ranging from food and drink, wellness and more from among 60 partners--including the Glow and Fischer eateries and Ferber hair salon, among others--which are then redeemable for seven or 90 days, depending on the gift. The recipients then can redeem the gift vouchers in person, allowing vendors to have a unique digital storefront and entrypoint but also to capitalise on foot traffic to their outlets. 

Giftable, according to its CEO and serial entrepreneur Michel Hoffmann, aims “to bring the community together and support local businesses, especially in these difficult times.” 

Since the soft-launch in September 2020, which has already seen an uptick in users, the SMS messenging has also been enhanced for a more personalised experience, as lead business developer Anca Marinescu explained to Delano. 

She added that for 90-day redemption gifts, the buyer pays in advance, whereas for the seven-day option, the sender only pays once the gift is collected. Gifts are redeemed via a QR code. 

Giftable, part of The Kindness Group, uses gamification elements in the app--available on Apple and Google Play--to encourage kindness and community building. Hoffmann added that the app was launched during the covid-19 pandemic because “we are convinced that it is specially in these difficult times when kindness and community strengthening are most needed.”