Meet The Go-To: The Chic, Thoughtful Marketplace Making Gifting Fun Again

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If you’ve ever found yourself panic-searching for the perfect gift, endlessly scrolling only to land on something that feels. fine, you’re not alone. Enter The Go-To, the thoughtfully curated marketplace that’s redefining how and why we give gifts. I even used them for my own wedding, creating custom, meaningful moments that felt uniquely “us.” I sat down with the brilliant team behind the platform to talk about the art of thoughtful gifting, what’s flying off their digital shelves, the rise of the personalised padel case—and how they’ve built a brand that’s as chic and clever as the presents they stock.

Tell me everything—how did The Go-To come to be? What was the lightbulb moment? Our founder, Victoire, has always believed that the perfect gift is part thoughtfulness, part surprise, and entirely tailored to the person receiving it. For her, finding that just-right present was more than just a hobby—it was a love language.An endless treasure trove of inspired and elevated gift ideas, Victoire built the platform she had always wanted—no more endless scrolling, no more panic-searching, just beautifully curated gifts that make it easier to find something meaningful.

Let’s get into the basics. For anyone who’s new here—what is a gifting marketplace, and how does The Go-To work? The Go-To takes all the effort out of gifting better. We like to call it the home of gifting—a one-stop shop where customers can discover, personalise, and send meaningful gifts from independent brands and artisans around the world, all in one perfectly curated place. With a strong emphasis on curation, our goal is to help customers find the perfect gift as effortlessly as possible. To make that happen, we’ve thoughtfully streamlined the experience with intuitive filters for hobbies, recipients, occasions, interests, and more. Add to that a range of niche gift guides and seasonal edits, and you have a carefully considered selection of products—presented in a way that means less time looking, more time finding, and a little extra time for that handwritten note or thoughtful personal touch.

The gifting space is crowded, yet you’ve carved out something super fresh. What gap were you seeing in the market that you knew you had to fill? We found gifting had become impersonal, time-consuming, and, to be honest, often uninspired. Despite the crowded space, we saw an opportunity to reimagine the experience by creating a thoughtfully curated, design-led platform that celebrates the joy of giving all year round. We wanted to take the stress out of finding the perfect gift and make the process feel as special as the gesture itself. By focusing on quality, humour, and curation, the goal is to help gift-givers find something truly special for every recipient from a space that’s as enjoyable to browse as it is to receive from.

Bridal and bachelorette gifting is practically its own universe these days. Why do you think customization and curated experiences are so important to this category? Customization and thoughtfully curated experiences are essential when it comes to bridal and bachelorette gifting, after all, these are once-in-a-lifetime moments, and the gifts should reflect that significance. Whether a playful keepsake for the bachelorette party or a heartfelt “something blue” for the wedding day, personalisation transforms a simple “nice” gift into a meaningful experience, for both the giver and receiver, and truly marks the occasion.

Okay, spill—what are some of your best-selling, most requested items right now? What’s flying off the shelves? Our most-loved gifts all share one thing in common: humor. Since launching the platform, this has been our biggest insight. While our customers could find luxury products anywhere, what truly sets us apart is the blend of wit and personalisation. Whether it’s a funny cushion with their favorite White Lotus or Succession quote, or a standout present with a monogram, family crest, or favorite saying, that element of a personal, considered touch is what truly sets a gift apart for our customer.

You work with a ton of creators, brands, and small businesses. How do you go about curating who’s featured on the platform? This is by far our favourite part of the job. Every creator and brand we collaborate with is hand-picked because we genuinely love their products and what they stand for. It’s been incredibly rewarding to work with brands who started out with side hustles and have since taken the leap to pursue their passion full-time.We feel especially lucky to have inspired some of our closest friends to launch their brands and list their pieces on The Go-To. Watching their journeys unfold—and playing even a small part in their growth—has been both a joy and a meaningful privilege.Our goal has never been rapid expansion or flooding the platform with as many items as possible. What we hear time and again is how thoughtfully curated our selection feels – making it easier, more enjoyable, and more intentional for customers to shop with confidence.

The Go-To feels very community-driven. Was that intentional from the beginning? How do you foster that vibe? To be completely honest, building a community wasn’t a key focus when we first launched—it happened organically. But it’s been incredible to embrace that energy and make our customers, brands, and partners feel like a true part of our journey to redefine gifting. We love hearing directly from our customers about what they want more of, like cracking the code on the impossible-to-gift-for step-mum and figuring out what she actually wants to receive. On the brand side, our team is always on the move, and whenever we’re near a brand partner, we make a point of stopping by to capture behind-the-scenes glimpses of their creative process. It’s all about keeping the connection real and sharing it with our community.

I used The Go-To for my own wedding—to create custom, meaningful moments that felt uniquely “us.” Is expanding further into weddings and events something you’re exploring? Do you see a future where The Go-To becomes a destination for personal touches beyond gifting, like elevated favors, bridal party bundles, or custom event details? Absolutely! Weddings and events are a natural extension of what we love doing at The Go-To. We’ve been lucky enough to be part of some beautiful celebrations across London and Europe, collaborating closely throughout the entire process—from bridal party gifts to tablescape details. Building on this, we’re now expanding beyond direct-to-recipient gifting to help couples and planners infuse their events with the same care and thoughtful curation that defines our gifting ethos—making every detail as memorable and special as the recipient, or in this case, the occasion itself.

What’s been the most rewarding moment since launching—and what’s been the biggest challenge? Hands down, the most rewarding part has been seeing our community grow organically and hearing stories from customers about how a gift they found on The Go-To genuinely made someone’s day. Those moments are everything to us. On the flip side, the biggest challenge has definitely been logistics. None of us come from that background so we had to learn fast. Coordinating with over 200 brand partners and building systems that feel seamless and elevated – while still maintaining a luxury experience – has been a huge learning curve, but one we’ve embraced fully and are constantly working on streamlining.

What trends are you seeing in gifting right now that you’re excited about—or ready to say goodbye to? One of the biggest trends we’ve seen this year is the rise in requests for padel and golf-related gifts – people are obsessed! Our Personalised Padel Racket Case has quickly become one of our bestsellers, and due to popular demand, we’ve just launched a pickleball version too! These gifts have really resonated because they fall into that sweet spot of something you might not splurge on for yourself, but would absolutely love to receive. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to turn up to the court with a chic, monogrammed bag?

Dream collaboration—go! Who would you love to team up with next? There are so many dream collaborations on our list! We’d absolutely love to partner with iconic retailers, like Selfridges in London or the new Printemps store in New York—especially around key seasonal gifting moments. It feels like a natural fit for The Go-To. Recently, we’ve also begun collaborating with a number of hotels to curate their gift stores, which has been incredibly exciting. It’s a whole new way to bring our gifting expertise to a different kind of customer experience. We’re really looking forward to growing this side of the business with more creative, high-touch partnerships.

Finally, what’s next for The Go To? Spill the tea—new categories, pop-ups, expansion plans? We need to know! We’ve got a very exciting pop-up coming to New York this fall, so keep your eyes peeled! It’s going to be a fun, immersive way to bring The Go-To experience to life. Think personalization stations, win-a-gift machines, and a lineup of exciting events with our incredible brand partners.