Etsy's Gift Mode, launched in January 2024, helps shoppers find gifts by asking a few questions about who they're shopping for. The feature uses machine learning and OpenAI's GPT-4 to match the recipient to one of 200+ gift-buyer personas and surface tailored product suggestions from Etsy's catalog.

Shoppers answer questions about their recipient's relationship type, occasion, and interests. Etsy's machine learning system assigns the recipient to a persona (for example, "The Music Lover" or "The Pet Parent") and surfaces curated gift guides. GPT-4 integration helps Etsy design and scale these personalized guides across 100+ million listings. The feature was built on Etsy's existing machine learning training and inference stack, with adjustments to prioritize items well-suited for gifting from sellers with strong customer service ratings. Etsy's CEO cited research showing 71% of shoppers feel anxious when buying gifts as the motivation for the feature.