Uncommon Goods stores: The online shopping experience, and the regularity that we partake in it, is growing at a rate that would have been unthinkable just a decade or two ago. We all shop online, and some of us pretty much do all our purchasing via our PCs or mobile devices, and that has led to the overall marketplace continually evolving to meet our needs.
Within this seemingly limitless field, there are occasionally sites and ideas that gain remarkable traction and become household names and online behemoths, and Uncommon Goods is one example of just such a success.
What is Uncommon Goods
In the online shopping sphere, gift websites have become a lifeline for those of us who are not creative or motivated enough to come up with our own ideal choices for our friends and family on special occasions, and Uncommon Goods is among the leading players in this particular niche.
The company started way back in 1999 in Brooklyn when its founder, Dave Bolotsky, took inspiration from visiting a craft show and decided the world needed an online marketplace to bring makers of products closer to those wishing to buy unique items.
The chief reason for their success comes from the fact that, as their name suggests, Uncommon Goods deals in unique and unusual gifts. It’s easy to sort through their system to find items ‘by interest’ as well as by categories of potential recipients.
All of this makes the job of finding a great gift so much easier, and that’s a big bonus for those of us who find the whole process of shopping for a seasonal holiday, special occasion, birthday, or anniversary to be anxiety-inducing.
The fact that items on offer are somewhat off the wall and quirky is a great selling point as it adds an additional layer of value to the item you give to someone. These gifts are conversation starters and talking points and can also be very effective when it comes to the fine art of shopping for sentimental or romantic gifts, a task that is usually fraught with danger.
The site’s interface is smooth and expertly designed in order to lead a customer to a likely purchase. Offering items across all manner of types and categories, the options are seemingly endless.
How Popular is Uncommon Goods
Uncommon Goods are now one of the leading businesses in their field, and with a staff of 200 plus, they are expanding in terms of their overall size, both in terms of employees and sales via their website.
Interestingly, over two-thirds (68% of their customers are female, and the largest age group who visit their site are in the 25-34 bracket, typically young professionals with a decent amount of disposable income.
In other words, Uncommon Goods have tapped into something, and they are thriving, but they are by no means the only option in this market, and a number of alternatives are seeing similar success in the niche.
Five Great Alternatives to Uncommon Goods
The stores below offer similar goods to Uncommon Goods though their overall ethos may not be the same.
Etsy
Etsy is very similar in its approach, and they specialize in handmade crafts, much like Uncommon Goods, and they, too, are growing rapidly as the market continues to expand. .
Etsy is an excellent platform for sellers, and the size of its audience is vast, with an estimated 96 million active buyers.
Kikkerland Design
Founded in 1992, Kikkerland Design sells all manner of interesting and unique items, some of which are made by designers from around the world and others created by their own in-house team.
They are very environmentally conscious in their approach, which is actually a theme that you’ll see across most of the industry. They don’t have anything like the level of inventory of Etsy or Uncommon Goods, but they are still a very good option to consider.
Amazon
While Amazon isn’t strictly in the same field as Uncommon Goods, they certainly offer users a similar service, albeit this being a fraction of their entire offering. Clearly, Amazon is a well-known online marketplace and not necessarily one you’d associate with bespoke, unique, and eccentric gifts, but obviously, if you dig deep enough, you can find just about anything.
It goes without saying, but an additional selling point comes in the form of very reliable and speedy delivery schedules.
Packed With Purpose
This relatively new company, which launched in 2016, curates its own collection, and their high-quality products are on the more expensive side of things, but it’s a business model that is clearly working well for them.
They work a great deal with businesses in terms of employee presents in bulk and client gifts within the B2B sphere, so they are a little different in their approach to the others we’ve named.
MoMA Design Store
MoMA is more for gifts of an artistic nature, which makes sense as it’s affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art. They sell plenty of interesting items but perhaps not as unique as Uncommon Goods or other options we’ve highlighted.
Their range is quite broad, including office supplies, prints, books, and some tech items. Overall the value is pretty good but don’t expect to pick up a bargain here.
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