Research LibraryFreling, R. E., Moore Koskie, M., Freling, T. H., Moulard, J. G., & Crosno, J. L. (2024). Psychology & Marketing, 41(6), 1318–1332. DOI: 10.1002/mar.21981.
Read the original source →This is probably the single best anchor source for the GiftNav Research Library. It quantitatively synthesizes 153 effects from 114 studies across 29 papers examining how gift givers and recipients evaluate gifts differently. The authors find persistent giver-recipient mismatches, with the size of the gap varying based on characteristics of the gift, occasion, giver, recipient, and relationship. The meta-analysis also identifies important holes in the literature, particularly family gift exchange, cultural variation, unpleasant occasions, and occasions beyond birthdays and holidays.
Gift recommendation should not simply model what a giver thinks looks gift-worthy. Recipient utility and likely recipient preference deserve independent weight.
This supports a general giver-recipient mismatch; it does not mean every experimental effect in the underlying literature should automatically become a recommendation rule.
Last reviewed September 14, 2026.