New Nordstrom Gift Service Preempts Returns

Could this be the end of re-gifting?

In a partnership with prepaid commerce provider CashStar, upscale department store chain Nordstrom this season began offering "Product eGifting," a service that lets holiday shoppers choose a gift that recipients can alter to suit their own preferences.

The all-online service lets shoppers choose an item at Nordstrom.com without committing to a size or a color, then provide the intended recipient's email address. 

Recipients get an email with a personal message and a description of the gift, for which they choose the size and color. But they also have the option of selecting a different gift or receiving the value of the original selection as a digital Nordstrom gift card — without the sender being notified.

Nordstrom is marketing the service as a way for shoppers to know that their gifts are "exactly what they wanted."