Too many tabs, no gift decided? Meet Givumi

You’ve spent an evening looking for gifts. You’ve opened more tabs than you can count, spotted something your friend might love and bookmarked a few possibilities for the family.

Then life gets busy.

When you return, you can’t remember which website had that promising idea, who you were considering it for or whether it fitted your budget. You work through your bookmarks again, only to discover that the gift you liked has sold out.

Sound familiar?

That was my experience, particularly around Christmas. Buying for different friends, family members and colleagues meant starting a new search for each person, trying to keep track of ideas and spending far too long looking without making a decision.

I created Givumi to make that process easier. Somewhere to bring the people, occasions, budgets and gift ideas together, so you can pick up where you left off.

Start with the person you’re buying for

Most of us have someone we find difficult to buy for. Perhaps they already seem to own everything, have very particular tastes or simply say, “I don’t need anything.”

Givumi lets you add the people you buy for and record what makes them different: their interests, favourite things and what they would rather avoid.

Your brother might love cooking but dislike kitchen gadgets. Your niece might be interested in a particular game or character. A friend might enjoy gardening but have very little outdoor space.

Those details help shape the suggestions you see. You can edit their profile whenever you learn something new, rather than trying to remember it all when their birthday comes around.

Stuck for ideas? Try a different starting point

Sometimes browsing products doesn’t help because you don’t yet know what you’re looking for.

That’s where Brainstorm ideas comes in.

It offers creative suggestions based on the person, occasion and budget. That might give you a different direction to explore, from a personalised present to a lesson, course, day out or experience connected to something they enjoy.

Brainstorm suggestions are ideas rather than guaranteed product listings. We actively review new AI-generated ideas and look for relevant products, courses and experiences to connect them with where we can.

If you already want to browse something you can buy, Find gifts shows products from Givumi’s retail partners, matched to the details you’ve provided.

You can move between inspiration and products depending on how much help you need.

Save the possibilities and come back later

You don’t always want to buy the moment you find an idea.

Perhaps payday is a week away. You might want to compare a few options, check whether someone already owns something or return when you have more time.

Save promising gifts against the right person so you can find them again without retracing your browsing history. When you’re ready, return to your saved gifts and follow the retailer link to make your purchase.

Prices and availability can change, and saving a gift doesn’t reserve it. But you’ll know where to find the idea you wanted to revisit.

You can also record what you’ve bought, helping you keep track as your gift list grows.

Keep your budget in view

A thoughtful gift needs to suit your budget as well as the person receiving it.

Whether you’re planning a small thank-you, a colleague’s leaving present or a bigger birthday surprise, you can set a budget for the occasion and look for gifts within it.

That becomes particularly useful at Christmas, when several individually reasonable purchases can quickly add up. Keeping budgets and purchases together makes it easier to see what you’re planning.

Tell Givumi when something isn’t right

Even with useful details, some suggestions won’t suit the person you have in mind.

Mark a product Not interested and it goes into that person’s Never give list, keeping that product out of future recommendations for them.

It doesn’t mean someone else you buy for wouldn’t like it. Each person has their own preferences, and you can undo a choice if you change your mind.

Use it for one occasion or throughout the year

You might arrive with one approaching birthday and one difficult person to buy for. That’s a perfectly good place to start.

You can also use Givumi throughout the year for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, thank-you's and other occasions. Add details as interests change, save possibilities when you discover them and return when the next occasion approaches.

The free plan lets you get started with up to three people, including personalised gift recommendations, saved gifts, occasion planning and a limited allowance of new AI Brainstorm generations.

If you organise gifts for a larger circle, Premium includes unlimited people and a higher Brainstorm allowance. It costs £6.99 a month or £59.99 a year. You can compare the current plans before deciding what suits you.

A little less searching, a little more looking forward to giving

Givumi is currently available for UK users. We plan to introduce more countries and languages as it develops.

For now, my aim is to make the next gift feel less like another task hanging over you and make it easier to find something that feels right for the person receiving it.

You don’t need to organise every birthday and Christmas present today.

Start with one person you find difficult to buy for.