Appendix 4: Comparison of gift choices

Factor affecting choice	Cash	Gift card	Actual product
Difficulty of purchase	N/A	can be easily purchased at the issuer's store or at supermarkets or service stations	the product may only be available at some retailers and may require some search
Product characteristics	simple product that is well understood by the community	complex product that requires some consideration as to the terms and conditions that apply	can be highly complex in terms of product features that need to be considered to ensure it is an appropriate gift choice
Effort required to choose between alternatives	N/A	some effort required to select gift card from appropriate issuer	high effort required to ensure that the gift choice is appropriate to the receiver's needs
Benefit to the receiver	of high benefit as the receiver can choose a gift of their choice	likely to be of high benefit as the receiver can choose a gift of their choice, but terms and conditions apply	the benefit to the receiver is dependent on the gift choice being appropriate to their needs
Benefit to the giver	requires minimal effort, but may not be appropriate to all gift giving situations	requires some effort, and may be appropriate to some gift giving situations	may require a lot of effort, however, a well-chosen gift is likely to be well received