Did you know that a projected $6.4 billion was earmarked for high school and college graduation gifts in the United States in 2023? The average expected spend per person on graduation gifts slightly rose to $116.19 from $114.89 in 2022.
Considering this upward trend in average spending, it suggests sustained interest in graduation gifts. For online merchants, this presents a significant opportunity in 2024. Stay abreast of graduation gift trends to maximize your profits this year.
10 Graduation Gift Ideas to Get You Inspired
Following comprehensive market research, here are the insights to guide your consideration for graduation gift ideas in 2024:
Google Trends analysis over the past 12 months indicates prevalent searches for 'Graduation gifts for her' and 'Graduation gifts for him,' with a predominant focus on high school and college students.
Notably, jewelry items like necklaces and bracelets, apparel, and personalized graduation gifts emerge as the most trendy choices.
Further examination of top-selling products on major eCommerce platforms, such as Amazon and Etsy, reveals a recent demand for graduation items in categories like jewelry, accessories, decorations, and clothing.
With these statistics and search results in mind, let's explore graduation gift ideas for 2024:
Graduation Gift Ideas for Her and Him
1. Clothing: Graduation stole
Among the top-selling items purchased as graduation gifts on Amazon is the handwoven graduation stole.
Graduation stoles serve as popular gifts for both high school and college students aiming to showcase their affiliation with their academic institution or organization during the graduation ceremony.
A personalized stole proves to be an excellent graduation gift. You can offer customization options, enabling shoppers to add details like "Class of 2024" or the recipients' names onto the stole. This is a simple and suitable customization method.
2. Decorations: Graduation congratulations cards
Congratulations cards present a straightforward and sophisticated choice as a graduation gift, whether given individually or alongside other presents.
Regardless of the graduation products you offer, consider incorporating congratulations cards into your store inventory for cross-selling opportunities with gift-givers.
3. Decorations: Graduation gifts set
A graduation gift set is an ideal concept for both high school and college graduates, presenting a potentially attractive option for your customers. This curated set offers recipients a diverse array of items, meeting various needs and preferences. It proves particularly advantageous for customers uncertain about specific tastes or essential items.
Additionally, opting for a graduation gift set can be cost-effective compared to purchasing high-quality individual items separately.
Beyond this, this gift option will enhance the overall shopping experience if you enable your customers to personally curate special gifts for their loved ones.
Explore a popular graduation gift set on Amazon to spark inspiration.
Graduation Gifts for Her
1. Jewelry: Graduation Necklace
A necklace stands out as a highly meaningful graduation gift for her. Among friends or classmates, a common practice is exchanging necklaces featuring the graduate's name.
Alternatively, inspired by the best-selling graduation necklace on Etsy, consider offering personalized gifts adorned with a graduate's cap and letter.
For those not venturing into customization, you may opt to sell distinctive necklaces, such as those shaped like an infinity heart, like this top seller on Amazon, to express love for grads.
2. Jewelry: Jewelry case/ box
A jewelry case proves to be a delightful graduation present for her, especially for a fashion enthusiast or someone with a cherished jewelry collection seeking organization. This practical and considerate gift offers enduring utility for the graduate.
Additionally, it provides an opportunity for cross-selling, particularly if your store offers jewelry or accessories.
Explore this jewelry box, listed among the best-selling graduation items on Amazon - a popular choice for graduation girls.
3: Decorations: Coffee mugs and tumble
Insulated coffee mugs or tumblers make foolproof gifts for various special occasions. Whether graduates are embarking on a new job, pursuing further studies, or setting off on a journey, a tumbler becomes an ideal gift to kickstart their day with a healthy beverage.
Explore options on Amazon for inspiration:
For creating a personalized graduation gift, consider checking this Etsy store for mugs tailored to different professions such as doctor, engineer, chemistry, and more.
4. Jewelry: Graduation Bracelet
Bracelets serve as stylish accessories and can be ideal graduation gifts for her. Graduates, whether from high school or university, can wear them as a gleaming reminder of their significant accomplishments.
Check out this example of a popular graduation gift, a graduation bracelet available on Etsy.
Graduation Gifts for Him
1. Accessories: Watches
Watches can be an awesome graduation gift for him. Graduation marks a significant transition in life. A watch can serve as a tangible reminder of this accomplishment and the journey the graduate has embarked on.
It is a gift that will never go out of style and can be cherished for years to come.
Explore inspiration from Etsy's store, enabling shoppers to craft personalized gifts by incorporating the graduate's name, messages, and wishes on the watch. This customization option can greatly appeal to your customers.
2. Decorations: Compass
A compass can symbolize finding direction and navigating life's journey. High school and college graduates embark on new chapters, they may face uncertainty and require guidance. The compass serves as a reminder that they have the inner strength and resources to find their own way.
Here is an example of a highly in-demand compass store on Etsy that you can learn from when offering high school or college graduation gifts for him.
3. Accessories: Wallets
A wallet is an essential item for any guy, regardless of his personal style or interests. It provides a safe and organized way to carry cash, credit cards, identification, and other important items.
As a graduate enters a new stage of life, often involving increased financial independence and responsibility, a good wallet becomes an incredibly valuable graduation gift for him.
Infusing a personalized touch into your offerings, such as engraving names or special symbols like hearts and infinity, would be great.
Marketing Strategies for Your Graduation Gifts
1. Create Graduation Gift Product Pages on Your Website
In the dynamic world of online marketing, establishing dedicated graduation gift product pages on your website can be a game-changer, enhancing the shopping experience, and boosting search visibility.
Crafting individual product pages for graduation gifts goes beyond mere presentation; it encapsulates the spirit of celebration and accomplishment. These pages serve as curated displays, offering customers a focused environment to effortlessly explore thoughtful gifts tailored for graduates.
The advantage lies in providing a targeted space that makes navigation and decision-making much easier than scrolling through general categories.
For optimal impact, ensure your pages are optimized for graduation-related search terms ('Graduation gifts for her,' 'Graduation gifts for him,' 'College graduation gifts,' 'High school graduation gifts,' etc.), increasing relevance and elevating search visibility.
MadeAt94 is a brand specializing in personalized products and gifts for various occasions, ranging from corporate events, weddings, birthdays, and new baby gifts to individual home decor.
Particularly notable are their well-crafted product pages dedicated to graduation gifts. They excel in constructing compelling product descriptions and optimizing each page with relevant search terms, including "Graduation gift ideas," "Graduation gifts for him," "Graduation gifts for her," and "Personalized graduation gifts,"
If the idea of creating a product page seems daunting, don't worry. We suggest exploring Foxify Smart Pagebuilder - an effortless app designed to simplify the process of crafting impressive Shopify product pages.
With a myriad of pre-made templates featuring captivating and modern designs, you'll have limitless choices. All that's required is customizing the template to align with your brand's style. Foxify goes beyond by providing you ample room for full creativity, enabling the creation of product pages from scratch. 
Discover the seamless process of bringing your vision to life by checking out how to create a product page with Foxify. Dive in and unlock the potential to showcase your products in a visually stunning and user-friendly manner.
2. Introduce Gift Wrap Options on Product Pages
Did you know that 52% of shoppers express a dislike for gift wrapping due to its time-consuming nature?
Offering gift-wrapping services can boost profits for your online store, especially during special occasions like Graduation. This not only results in a higher Average Order Value (AOV) but also enhances customer satisfaction - a proven performance seen across numerous successful Shopify stores.
Recognizing the compelling benefits of this additional service, we believe that many online merchants aspire to integrate it into their offerings. An easy way to introduce gift wrapping to your online store is by utilizing the Zest theme - a versatile, mobile-focused Shopify theme designed for the fashion, health, and beauty industry.
With Zest, seamlessly integrate the gift-wrapping service into your online store's cart and cart drawer pages.
As you implement this service, consider the following factors:
- Showcase Images: Enhance customer confidence by displaying images of beautifully wrapped presents.
- Diverse Wrapping Options: Personalize the shopping experience by offering different wrapping choices for men, women, or kids, setting your business apart with tailored options.
- "No Price Tag" Option: Accommodate customers wishing to conceal the price from the recipient for a more discreet gift-giving experience.
- Duration of Service: Strategically decide whether to offer gift wrapping year-round or exclusively during the holiday season.
- Establish fees for the service: Decide whether it involves setting a fixed price or providing complimentary wrapping for regular customers on purchases exceeding a specific threshold.
Let’s check out how to add a gift wrap option to your cart.
3. Offer Gift Cards
Whether included in your promotion or offered as a standalone purchase, you can't go wrong with gift cards. Worldwide, expenditures on prepaid gift cards amounted to $15 billion in 2022, and this figure is anticipated to reach $21.7 billion by 2027.
Several compelling reasons support the use of gift cards to attract graduation gift shoppers, and these shoppers can prefer them for various reasons:
- Recipient Autonomy: Gift card recipients have the freedom to choose what they want to purchase for themselves.
- Flexibility: Whether online or in-store, the flexibility of gift cards adds to their appeal for recipients.
- Budget-Friendly: Ideal for shoppers on a budget, gift cards enable thoughtful giving without breaking the bank.
To promote gift cards on your online store, feature banners, pop-ups, and a dedicated website section to highlight their availability. Additionally, leverage social media and email campaigns to emphasize their versatility and convenience, especially during peak gifting seasons like graduations.
Enhance the level of personalization of your Gift Card offerings
Have you pondered the idea of incorporating a recipient form into your gift card products, setting yourself apart and offering enhanced value to your clients compared to competitors?
Explore the possibilities with Megamog, the best high-converting and flexible Shopify theme for your large inventory store, empowering customers to craft a unique and personalized gift. This is achieved by allowing them to input recipient details such as name, email, and a personalized message. 
Post-purchase, a tailor-made email containing the message and gift card code is promptly dispatched to the recipient, while the customer receives a notification confirming the successful transmission of the gift card. This streamlined process not only makes sending gift cards more efficient but also enhances the overall customer experience.
Wrapping up
The graduation season of 2024 presents a lucrative opportunity for online businesses to capitalize on the upward trend in graduation gift spending.
We've walked you through our curated list of 10 graduation gift ideas, backed by comprehensive market research, providing a valuable resource for online merchants looking to optimize their offerings. From personalized graduation gifts like stoles and congratulations cards to versatile gift sets and meaningful jewelry, these gift ideas cater to a diverse range of tastes and preferences for high school and college graduation students.
Moreover, you can consider and try strategic marketing approaches to elevate your online store's visibility and enhance the shopping experience for customers.
Establishing dedicated graduation gift product pages, introducing gift wrap options, and offering gift cards are all powerful strategies to boost sales, increase average order value, and foster customer satisfaction.
