8 Things to Know About Registering and Shopping on Zola
Whether you’re getting married or shopping for the happy couple, chances are you’ve heard of Zola. The company launched in 2013 and quickly rose to fame as one of the top go-to registry sites.
Here’s what you need to know about registering on the site or just shopping on it.
1. You can add things from other sites.
Zola offers more than 50,000 products on the site. If that’s not enough for you, you can also add anything else you come across on the internet. They have a handy button that you just have to install to your browser and you’ll be good to go.
2. You can ask for group gifts. And cash.
Find yourselves coveting a bunch of expensive items? You can enable group gifting (the company suggests doing this on anything that’s $300 or more) and then people can make smaller contributions to chip in on the item.
You can also create personalized cash funds and connect your bank account, so that the money goes right in without having to make a trip to the bank. “We encourage couples to specify as much as possible what the money is going towards,” says Jennifer Spector, Zola’s Newlywed-at-Large. “Instead of registering for a honeymoon fund, create cash funds for what you’ll actually be doing on your honeymoon, like tickets to a museum, several nights in a hotel, and a romantic dinner for two. That way your guests feel like they are really giving you a memory.”
3. You can get your gifts later.
Zola lets you decide exactly when and where you want the gifts shipped. Let’s say you’re moving into a new house a few months after the wedding — you can hold off and have your presents sent after you settle in. Your gifts will never expire, but we’re guessing you’ll want them sooner rather than later.
4. You can shop there even if there’s no wedding on the calendar.
Zola is largely known as a wedding registry site, but you can shop there for a birthday gift, anniversary present, or just for stuff for your own home. Of those 50,000 products we mentioned, a few dozen are exclusive to Zola (with more and more being added all the time).
Some of Our Favorite Exclusives
5. You can register for SoulCycle.
The couple that cycles together stays together. That’s how the saying goes, right? Last fall, the two companies announced an exclusive partnership, allowing couples to register for 20- and 30-class packages, and/or one of their very own yellow SoulCycle bikes.
The site also allows you to register for things like Airbnb gift cards, Blue Apron kits, Stumptown coffee subscriptions, and more.
6. You don’t actually have to take the gift someone buys you.
Let’s say you registered for a copper berry colander, and your aunt bought it for you almost right away. But the more you think about it, the more you’re not sure if you even want it. (It’s pretty, but do you really need it?) You can digitally exchange any gift before it ships and the buyer will not find out — unless you tell her, that is.
7. Zola price matches.
If you or your guests find the same item somewhere else at a lower everyday price, Zola will match that price. (Just send them an email.) Why bother? If the gift is purchased through Zola, you can take advantage of all those things we mentioned above (choosing when your gifts ship, the ability to easily exchange things, etc.).
8. You’ll get a completion discount.
If after the wedding there are still a bunch of things you want and didn’t get, you can buy them for yourselves with a 10 percent discount. This offer can be applied to anything on your registry, plus anything else on the site. And it can be used as many times as you want for a whole year — unlike many other sites, which only offer a one-time completion discount.
More on Registries
- Wedding Registries Are a Necessary Evil. Here’s How You Make Your Peace with Them.
10 Surprising Places You Can Build a Wedding Registry
- The Second Most Popular Wedding Registry Item (After a Stand Mixer)
- 5 Wedding Bloggers Share the Best Gifts They Received When They Got Married
15 Essential Items Every Couple Should Register For