Technology. It's Not Just For Christmas.

Somehow, it’s that time of year again. The holiday shopping season is upon us and with that comes the challenge of finding meaningful gifts for the ones we care about. With the landscape so vast for bluetooth trinkets and WiFi kitchen appliances, what’s the secret to not having your purchases regifted by June?

It’s estimated that this season we’ll drop around $142.5 billion on technology purchases. A record 191.3 million adults plan on purchasing technology or a technology accessory this year to bestow upon those they care about.

This is partially driven by the fact that people are finding more and more value in technology, so it’s only natural that we use this as a springboard for gifting inspiration. The person you’re buying for is likely to have a smartphone, so they’re likely to enjoy a smartphone accessory from Santa. You can make fewer assumptions about their habits when pursuing something special to wrap.

The things is, we do end up throwing an awful lot of these well intended but ill-considered gifts away. The US generates close to 7 million tons of electronics waste every year, with equipment and accessories which have never been used contributing to that figure. The majority of this waste, around 75%, is never recycled into anything else. So whether we’re purchasing gifts for ourselves or others, it does pay off to be mindful about understanding what we’re buying and its usefulness.

So how does one avoid accidentally wrapping a white elephant? A great way I’ve found to help guide my tech gifting decisions is to buy a product which I’ve already been using myself. Obviously you still need to consider the person’s interests; your awesome set of bluetooth meat thermometers aren’t much good to your friend who considers cereal haute cuisine. The important thing is, you’ve already tested the product and can affirm that it’s nice to own and pleasant to use. Using online reviews as a gauge of quality is great, but you can’t beat your own personal experience with something.

Another way we can gift responsibly is by making sure we understand exactly what we’re buying. This isn’t a factor when our loved ones have Amazon-linked us directly to a product, but for stocking stuffers or un-prompted gifts it absolutely helps. A little research - “Will this work with their smartphone?” “Does it require internet?” will help your purchase actually see regular use and enjoyment rather than a polite thanking before checking for a gift receipt.

I like to avoid things like cables for this reason too, as there are a few different connector styles floating around for any given manufacturer and you can bet they aren’t compatible with one another.

The humble gift card may now be added to this particular group text. There is no shame whatsoever in simply throwing your hands up and saying “I didn’t understand the options, please buy yourself exactly what you want.”. It’s often considered that gift cards are thoughtless and lack a bit of the meaning of a regular gift, but in the right context I think they’re much better than having your incompatible present of choice end up on eBay. They’re equal to having the person send you exactly the make and model of something, which is also a great option.

It’s no secret that I’m a technology advocate. The delight which comes from giving a person important to you something which brings continued joy as they reap the benefits it affords through ownership is unmatched.

Saying “That will do, I guess” when clicking buy or handing over your credit card only deepens an individuals feelings that technology is a chintzy, disposable thing. Fill someone’s heart, not their garbage can.

Richard Noble is the founder of Want For Tech, an IT company based in Glasgow.