Etsy names Drew Barrymore to honorary c-suite position

Etsy Inc. has recruited a familiar face to fill the role of its first ever “chief gift officer.”

Talk show host, actress, and co-founder of the Barrymore Brands health and beauty product line Drew Barrymore has been named to the honorary position of chief gifting officer of Etsy Inc. 

“Known for her sincere and caring nature, Drew has a knack for making the people around her feel special," Dayna Issom Johnson, Etsy resident trend expert, said in a corporate blog post. “As ‘CGO,’ Drew will impart this expertise to millions of Etsy shoppers around the world, helping to form better gifting habits and spur new ideas for any gifting mission."

According to Etsy, Barrymore will also be tasked with sharing tips, tricks and inspiration for finding the perfect gifts, as well as revealing her favorite gift recommendations of Etsy items from its global sellers. A dedicated page on the Etsy site features curated recommendations from Barrymore classified by gift recipient types such as “flower child,” “nature lover” and “cheese lover.” 

“Everyone close to me knows that Etsy is my happy place, and my go-to for the best gifts that truly say, ‘I see you,’” said Barrymore. “As Etsy’s first chief gifting officer, I’m thrilled to show Etsy shoppers how easy and joyful it is to make the people in their lives feel treasured through the perfect gift. Think of me as your gifting fairy godmother.”

Barrymore is also taking an active role in promoting Etsy Gift Mode, a new artificial intelligence-enabled shopping hub located within the Etsy app and on Etsy.com that combines AI and human curation to help shoppers find the perfect present for every occasion.

After a customer using Gift Mode enters a few details about the person they’re shopping for, Etsy applies machine learning (ML) technology to match gift shoppers with targeted/ unique items from Etsy sellers, categorized by more than 200 recipient personas.

Other retailers have also turned to mainstream, big-name celebrities to curate digital product assortments, including Walmart (its celebrity partners have included Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and the character of Barbie) and Amazon (actress Sarah Jessica Parker was among gift list curators during the e-tailer’s 2023 Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale).