Nice Things Come In Multi-Brand Packages

Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, is getting into the gift business.

The packaged goods leader is testing a Web site called MoreThanACard.com that lets consumers send gift packages for $25 or less. Users can choose from more than 300 P&G products bundled as gifts for occasions such as a new baby or new home. Six gift packs – Elegant Escapes, Away From Home, New Arrival, Lookin’ Goods, Thoughtful Simplicity, and Jump Start – carry brands including Tide, Pampers, Crest, Olay, Swiffer, Febreze, and Dryel. (The last three are relatively new products that could benefit from such subtle sampling.)

The launch is supported by two offers: free shipping on every fourth package (for registered users), and discounts on multiple purchases of Welcome Waggin’ pet care kits (Iams pet food, Swiffer dust cloths, Febreze fabric spray, a lint roller, a picture frame, and a phonecard).

P&G sees the venture as a low-cost distribution boost. “The potential market for gifts under $25 is over $30 billion,” says Craig Wynett, general manager of P&G’s Corporate New Ventures/New Business Development group. “By reshaping the way we think and redefining our market with no incremental investment at all, we’ve literally created something out of nothing.”