North Olmsted, Ohio… Once upon a time, wedding registries were created so newlyweds joining their lives together would have all the basic essentials to establish their first home. But as technology has evolved, so too has the wedding registry. Gone are the days where registries only include dishware and candlesticks. Couples can now incorporate modern must-haves, like the latest home tech. Think connected lightbulbs and front door locks, voice assistants and smart showers that will take a house to the next level.

Leading faucet manufacturer, Moen, commissioned a survey conducted online by Harris Poll in March 2018, which investigated what smart products would top the list when it comes to millennial (ages 18-34) wedding registries and how this tech-savvy generation may be reinventing the process of registering.

The Gift of Technology

In the past, it may have been a no-no to ask for anything except traditional household goods. But young nearly-weds are modernizing bridal registries by embracing the gift of technology:

• More than two in five millennials (42 percent) would want to include smart home products on their registry if they were registering today, with digital voice assistants (66 percent), such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, topping the list of desired smart products among those who would want to register for them.
• Would-be grooms in particular seem to love the tech – nearly half (48 percent) of male millennials who would want smart home products on their wedding registry would add smart lightbulbs/light switches to their wedding registries, as well as smart thermostats (42 percent) and a digital shower (32 percent).

“Tech is trending when it comes to wedding wish lists,” says Andrea Maher, senior marketing communications specialist, Moen. “Our survey found that just as many millennial would-be brides would put smart home products on their registries (43 percent) as glassware (44 percent), with products like a robot vacuum cleaner (65 percent) and a hands-free faucet (39 percent) being some of the most wanted items among those who would want smart home products on their wedding registry.”

Why? Millennials are incorporating smart tech in their homes to make spaces more comfortable and everyday tasks more convenient[1].

“After all, with the great gear available today, why would you limit yourself to towels and serving trays?” adds Maher.

Registry Reboot

Across the country, 20- and 30-something couples aren’t just bending the nuptial gift list rules, they’re rewriting them. With the emergence of technology, it’s not just the presents that are being techified, the registries themselves are too.

Moen’s survey found that of millennials who have ever had a registry, over two in five (43 percent) registered at online-only retailers, such as Amazon or Jet.com, while 23 percent used a honeymoon registry, (which allows couples to request donations to help pay for unforgettable honeymoon experiences) and 18 percent used a universal registry, where newlyweds-to-be can seamlessly link gifts from multiple retailers. In fact:

• Over 500,000 couples have used Zola, a universal registry resource, since the site launched in 2013[2].
• A recent Pinterest report found searches for “Honeymoon funds” have recently increased by as much as 200 percent year-over-year[3].
• Of millennials who have ever had a registry, only one in five (21 percent) registered at a brick and mortar store without an online option.

“Many young people are getting married later and live with partners before tying the knot[4], meaning they already have classic household goods like glassware, blenders and toasters,” says Maher. “As a result, gifts like a hands-free faucet for the kitchen or money toward a honeymoon excursion are more in line with what couples really want and need.”

Online tools like Zola and Honeyfund, a popular honeymoon registry, have made creating a modernized registry easy. Plus, these resources can help ease the minds of traditionally-minded guests, as they’re able to see exactly where their money is going.

“From requesting high-tech wedding presents to asking for donations for snorkeling excursions, millennials are bucking many age-old gifting customs,” says Maher. “Though traditionalists may find these new registry customs strange, at the end of the day, couples shouldn’t be afraid to craft a list full of things they’ll be excited about receiving – even if they are a little unconventional by your grandmother’s standards.”

Survey Methodology:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Moen from March 01 - 05, 2018 among 569 U.S. adults ages 18-34 (223 ever had a wedding registry). This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Alexis Christlieb at achristlieb@fallscommunications.com.