GiftNow is a new and easy way to send a last-minute gift from stores like Target and Uniqlo without guessing what size or color they want - here's how it works

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GiftNow

GiftNow guarantees everyone on your list will love their gift.

• GiftNow is a new service that takes the guesswork out of gifting - and honestly, I can't believe it didn't exist before.
• The service lets shoppers buy gifts that don't ship until their recipients have been notified and have chosen options like size and color.
• Stores like Target, Uniqlo, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Kate Spade, Coach, and Michael Kors are currently working with GiftNow.
• To better understand the concept, I just tested it out. It's an easy-to-use, efficient way to gift - here's how it works.

Gifting is hard.

Let's face it; no matter how many gift guides you scour through, how many hours you pour into trying to find a website where their size is in stock, or how much you spend, you can never really know what someone wants - unless you ask them of course, but we're trying to be discreet here.

Choosing that unexpected, yet perfect gift that wows the recipient is a great feeling, but the other end of the spectrum isn't so pretty. A lackluster gift - or one that's really great but just not really their taste - will likely end up in the overflow hall closet, brought to a White Elephant party, or even worse, back to the store where it was purchased.

If you've ever been in this predicament, or are currently in this predicament because you couldn't land on that totally perfect gift, that's okay; we found a surefire way to solve your holiday gifting woes.

GiftNow is a new service that takes the guesswork out of gifting - and honestly, I can't believe it didn't exist before.

Essentially, GiftNow lets you instantly send someone a mold of the gift you want to get them, and then the recipient can take it from there, personalizing with their correct size and preferred color. It's a simple process that ensures your gift recipient will get something they love.

To better understand the concept, we just tested it out. It's an easy-to-use, efficient way to gift - here's how it works.

GiftNow is available at a range of retailers ranging from big-box stores like Target, to high-end department stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

To test, I went over to Uniqlo where the service is also available.

Uniqlo

Find the GiftNow option on the product page at plenty of your favorite retailers.

When you have chosen a product you're interested in, you'll see GiftNow listed with the rest of the purchase options. You don't even have to select a size or color; simply choose to GiftNow. Once you click, you'll be directed to the GiftNow window, which explains how the service works and lets you choose how you want to give the gift.

You can choose to email, text, Facebook message, or hand deliver the gift. If you're curious about which you should choose, the window offers very helpful instructions on exactly how each method differs.

Then choose from a few designs - I went for the festive and personal "Just For You." Write a custom greeting to go with the gift and finish off with the standard salutations of "To" and "From" - then your gift is ready to be given. The link is ready instantly, so you can choose when to send it to your giftee. If you're emailing it directly to them, you can have it sent immediately or schedule it for a specific date and time.

Uniqlo

Personalize messages, designs, and more before it's sent to your recipient.

The gift comes to your recipient looking as much like an actual present as an online gift can - a gift box that opens to reveal a picture of the item you chose.

Once your recipient opens the gift, the rest of the process is in their hands.

From there, they choose their preferred size and color of the product and where they want it shipped. If they don't like the product at all - sorry - they can exchange it for something else on the site. Since you're actually picking out a gift, this still feels thoughtful and personal, but it also has just the right amount of personalization to guarantee that the person gets something they actually want. Plus, it's ready in a snap, which is great news for us last-minute gifters.

So, this holiday season avoid the awkwardness of choosing the wrong size or picking out a shirt in their least favorite color. With GiftNow you can play it safe, but still manage to give a gift that has that surprise factor. That's a holiday miracle.

Shop gifts at Target, Uniqlo, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Kate Spade, Coach, Michael Kors, and more using GiftNow.

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.