A gift registry is a particular type of wish list in Western countries.

Description

Typically, when a recipient compiles a list of items they wish to receive and then distributes it to family and friends, they have created a wish list. A registry, on the other hand, is made public, and the retailer or registry system provider removes items from the list as they are purchased. Registry managers will often not divulge who has purchased the registered items. In the United Kingdom, a gift registry is frequently referred to as a "gift list" and has become an established part of British weddings, with the service often provided by most department stores.

Retailer-specific versus multiple retailers

Traditionally, registries were limited to the stock of a given retailer, which maintained the list for the registrant and ensured that items were removed from the list as they were purchased. However, online gift registries that are not specific to any retailer have become an increasingly popular alternative to retailer-specific registries, as the former offers more flexible means of adding gifts and coordinating purchases, as well as social networking capabilities. In 2004, North American shopping centers (notably Galleria Edina) began to extend this concept by offering registries that had access to multiple shops within individual centers.

Goals

A managed registry system has several goals:

Examples

Gift registries are often used for a variety of occasions, such as anniversaries, baby showers, birthdays, civil ceremonies, graduations, and housewarming parties.