Gift purchases without needing the shipping address
The biggest friction in gifting isn't product selection — it's the shipping address. Most gift-givers don't have the recipient's address handy, and asking for it ruins the surprise. Traditional gifting flows require the buyer to collect the address themselves before checkout, which kills most gift purchase intent.
Text-based gifting splits the transaction: the buyer purchases via text, and AudienceTap collects the shipping address directly from the recipient. The buyer doesn't need to know where the recipient lives.
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How most brands handle gift purchases
The typical gifting flow: brand sends a holiday gift guide or promotion with a link to the site. The customer selects a product, adds it to cart, and is prompted to enter a shipping address. If they're buying a gift, they need the recipient's address — which they often don't have. They either abandon the purchase to ask for the address (which ruins the surprise) or they give up entirely.
Some brands offer "gift cards" or "digital gifting" as a workaround, but these create a different problem: the recipient has to redeem the gift card, select a product, and go through checkout themselves. It's not really a gift — it's a coupon with extra steps.
The result: brands lose gift revenue during high-intent moments (holidays, birthdays, corporate gifting) because the checkout flow assumes the buyer has the recipient's shipping information. Most don't.
Gifting flows via text
With AudienceTap, gifting works in two steps. First, the buyer selects and purchases the gift via text — "Send a bag of our Ethiopian Blend as a gift? Reply YES." The buyer's payment method is charged, and the order is created.
Second, AudienceTap texts the recipient: "You've been sent a gift from [buyer name]! Reply with your shipping address to claim it." The recipient provides their address conversationally, and the gift ships. The buyer never needed to know the address, and the recipient gets a personalized text notification instead of a generic gift card email.
This approach works especially well for last-minute gifting — the buyer can purchase a gift in seconds without scrambling to find an address. It's also ideal for corporate gifting, where a company wants to send products to clients or employees but doesn't have up-to-date shipping info for everyone.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Traditional | With AudienceTap |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer needs recipient address | Yes — must collect before checkout | No — address collected from recipient directly |
| Gift experience | Buyer enters address or sends gift card | Recipient receives personalized text and provides address |
| Purchase friction | High — buyer often doesn't have address | Low — buyer purchases instantly, address collected later |
| Surprise factor | Ruined if buyer has to ask for address | Preserved — recipient just receives notification |
| Last-minute gifting | Difficult — requires address in advance | Easy — purchase now, ship when address confirmed |
Who this is for
Any brand with giftable products, especially during holidays, birthdays, and corporate gifting seasons. Particularly valuable for brands where the buyer and recipient are in different locations or don't have a close enough relationship for the buyer to know the address.
Features that make it work
Related use cases
SMS Bundle & Kit Sales
Sell curated bundles and variety packs through text conversations — the natural format for curation.
SMS Product Drops & Limited-Edition Releases
Turn limited-edition releases into sold-out moments with reply-to-buy text drops.
SMS Flash Sales & Time-Sensitive Promotions
Run flash sales where customers buy instantly by replying — no promo codes or checkout pages.
Related glossary terms
Text-to-Buy
Text-to-Buy is a mobile commerce model where customers purchase products by replying to a text message — no links, no carts, no checkout pages.
SMS Commerce
SMS Commerce is the practice of selling products directly through text message conversations — turning SMS from a marketing channel into a sales channel.
Conversational Commerce
Conversational Commerce is the practice of selling products through messaging-based interactions — including SMS, chat, and messaging apps — where the conversation itself is the shopping experience.
SMS Gift Purchases & Gifting Flows FAQ
Yes. The buyer can provide a short message during the purchase conversation, which is included in the text notification sent to the recipient.
You can set up automated follow-up reminders. If the recipient doesn't respond after a few days, the system can prompt them again — or the brand can offer to refund the buyer or convert the gift to a credit.
Yes. You can offer gift packaging as an option during the buyer's purchase conversation, or default all gifts to special packaging.
The corporate buyer provides a list of recipient phone numbers. AudienceTap texts each recipient to collect their address. The buyer pays once, and each recipient claims their gift individually.
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