Longtime Hollywood actor and host Drew Barrymore is the first Chief Gifting Officer for the online marketplace Etsy.
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Drew Barrymore joins the virtual conference call with an enthusiastic energy that reveals the level of excitement the actor harbours for her latest role.
“I’m such an Etsy girl!” Barrymore exclaims. “There’s really not much you can’t fulfil for yourself and other people in the Etsy world, and you’re dealing directly with people who made it.”
Noting the virtual maker’s market allows shoppers to support “all the right people and things,” Barrymore revealed the online shopping destination is a go-to when it comes time to her own gift-giving.
“For me, Etsy is such an important destination. And it’s so vast,” she says. “I love it.”
But you won’t find ‘Drew Barrymore’ as a user on the Etsy site as she noted she has “an alias” that she uses to remain incognito when perusing and purchasing on the site.
“By harnessing the power of AI, we’re able to leverage curation at scale,” Dayna Isom Johnson, trend expert for Etsy, explains. “Importantly, we incorporate inputs from our merchandising and search experts to make sure that the experience feels uniquely Etsy and human.”
Directing the outcome through a series of selections such as who the gift is for, what’s the occasion and what they’re into, such as music and food, Gift Mode reveals a curated selection of gift ideas intended to be the perfect present for a preferred recipient.
“Really, it’s all about making your gifting life easier,” Isom Johnson explains.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it seemed suitable to inquire about Barrymore’s top gifting suggestions.
“I always think that the best gifts are something that you want for yourself,” Barrymore says.
One gift that stood out to Barrymore as a good gift for loved ones — and one that stays well within a modest budget — were personalized pencils.
“If you have a Galentine’s or even a lover, the art of writing is so important,” Barrymore says, noting she got pencils for her daughters with their nicknames Frankie Foodle Noodle, for Frankie, and Olive Bear, for Olive, that were a big hit.
“It brought so much joy to me,” she says of the simple writing instruments.
A fan of thinking outside the box when it comes to gifting ideas, Barrymore pointed to other unique-to-you gifts such as art, a keychain or even a DIY gift.
“If somebody etches, engraves or monograms something, you note that it took them time, they had to think about it, they had to execute it — and it’s all about you,” Barrymore says. “It really isn’t hard, but it feels so big.”
When in doubt, the star and now Etsy CGO pointed to a gifting go-to she says will never go wrong.
“I don’t think the gift of a candle is ever a bad idea,” Barrymore advises. “It gives the best lighting. And talk about changing the energy in a room. There’s something so beautiful about that.”