Wantful

This San Francisco-based service seeks to reinvent the experience not only of giving a gift but of receiving one. Like Wantist, the Wantful website offers an assortment of gift items to choose from. The buying part is where things diverge.

What's innovative: Shoppers select 12 items from the collection -- which is heavy on housewares, jewelry and other accessories -- that they think a recipient will enjoy. Wantful then custom-prints a photobook showcasing those 12 items and ships it to the recipient, who can choose one to receive as a gift.