When consumers prefer visual blessing frame design on gift packaging: The role of interpersonal distance

Abstract

Existing literature on gift-giving mainly views gifts and blessings as intertwined into a single entity. Our research, however, has found that visual blessing frames—visual boundaries that encircle the blessing text—can separate blessings from gifts and emphasize the blessings, thereby satisfying givers who choose gifts for interpersonally distant recipients. Across three experiments (involving a total of 1228 participants) via the Credamo platform, we explored the interplay between visual blessing frames and giver-recipient interpersonal distance on gift evaluation. Specifically, when choosing gifts for interpersonally distant recipients, givers favor gifts adorned with visual blessing frames over those without such designs; however, this effect is attenuated when choosing gifts for close recipients. Moreover, we demonstrate that this effect is driven by givers' perception that visual blessing frames strengthen blessings. These findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on visual frames and gift-giving, while also offering practical implications for gift packaging designers.