Step into a world where luxury meets creativity with the Future Commerce Holiday Gift Guide for 2023. This year's selections, futurists, invite you to avail yourself of the weighty responsibility of manifesting the future of eCommerce retail; and instead to savour more worldly pleasures, such as the essence of a renowned vineyard's labor, or the embrace of a 700-fill down comfort sleeping companion — both fit for the crisp air of wilderness nights.
Our selections pay homage to the understated elegance of Japanese design philosophy and the timelessness of trendspotting. It's a collection where summer is captured in a flicker of light at any time of year, and the art of hosting is elevated to a new realm of sophistication. Dive into the pages of design history, count down to the unforeseen with artistic ambiguity, and embrace the warmth of a timeless culinary tradition.
Unveiling the Future Commerce Curated Collection for 2023
Each piece in this year’s collection is more than a gift; it's a narrative of innovation, a testament to the Future Commerce ethos of shaping experiences that linger beyond the ordinary. While we could be criticized as “very highbrow to the point we’re often alienating and sometimes even borderline pretentious,” we believe there’s something for everyone in this year’s guide.
Embark on this journey of refined taste and discerning choice, and transform your holiday gifting into a celebration of the extraordinary.
Editor’s note: By deliberate choice, we have no affiliation with the businesses featured, and we earn no commission from the products below. To support the ongoing work of commerce futurism, consider becoming a subscriber to Future Commerce Plus.
Under $25
Maldon Sea Salt Flakes (1.25 lb Bucket)
Recommended by Abby
Price: $14
If you know, you know. Maldon is the finishing salt of choice for those with more refined tastes. Assuming you’re all topped-up on iodine and don’t need to protect yourself from goiters, top off your chocolate chip cookies with this millennial delicacy, but please spare us the Salt Bae impersonation. He’s played out.
The Multiplayer Brand by Future Commerce
Recommended by Future Commerce
Price: $20 + Free Shipping (USA)
In this captivating exploration of the changing nature of brands, The Multiplayer Brand examines how eCommerce and short-form video have propelled brands into a wondrous, participatory future. Future Commerce’s first zine delves into the power consumers have to shape brands, and how their relationships with brands is rapidly changing.
The Beauty of Everyday Things by Soetsu Yanagi
Recommended by Erika
Price: $16
In art and design circles, Braun designer Dieter Rams gets all of the love. This Penguin Books reissue of the designhead classic, The Beauty of Everyday Things (Yanagi), celebrates the history of Japanese design as we know it today: anonymity, quality, simplicity and wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection.
Jose Gourmet Sardines in Tomato Sauce
Recommended by Abby
Price: $8
Hot girls eat tinned fish now. There’s no better brand to flex the trend with than Jose Gourmet. Sturdy sardines swim in a mildly sweet, juicy sauce. Firm, zestful, meaty—a dynamic duo of sleek fish and tantalizing tomato. You know it’s quality because it has three languages on the side of the box.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens ($25) paired with Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver ($19.50)
Recommended by Erin
Price: $19.50
Demon Copperhead is an Appalachian-set retelling of David Copperfield. Barbara Kingsolver’s most recent novel, a 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner, is best paired with the cloth-bound collector’s edition of Charles Dickens’ most prolific work on which it is based.
Under $100
Boudreaux Cellars 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon
Recommended by Brian
Price: $80
Future Commerce is renown for unforgettable Salon-style affairs, where conversation is plenteous, and your cup is always full. Now you can replicate the feeling of an FC Salon at home, while listening to the most recent After Dark on your favorite podcast player. The Washington State appellation by Rob Newsom is a favorite of FC co-founder, Brian Lange: “It's criminal that this bottle of wine isn't sold out yet. $80 for Rob Newsom juice from 2016 is wild.”
Summit 700-Fill Duck Down Sleeping Bag by Italic
Recommended by Brian
Price: $94
“This is a ridiculous steal for a 700-fill down bag,” says FC co-founder, Brian Lange. Bougie wine alone cannot keep you warm at night, so for those exceptionally-chill (but above-30ºF) evenings, you can reach for this sleeping bag by Italic.
Playing Cards by Ralph Lauren
Recommended by Erika
Price: $45
Instead of succumbing to allure of excessive screen time in that long week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, why not start a new family tradition? Families of four may enjoy a rousing game of “Back Alley Bridge” — colloquially known as “blooper” — as a new post-holiday tradition. Get that started with this gorgeous deck of playing cards by Ralph Lauren. Pair with the Archetypes jacquard weave blanket ($150, Future Commerce) for the ultimate in family game night grandeur.
Nonnas Grocer Fennel Candle
A Tribute to Orchid
Price: $40
Fennel is heavily-featured in Future Commerce Learning’s “Death to the Funnel” course; helping marketers rethink the traditional marketing funnel. Though host Orchid Bertelsen is deathly allergic to fennel, we powered through it to produce the first of five exclusive courses in our newest e-Learning series, Set the Table.
Yiayia and Friends extra-virgin olive oil (500ml)
A Tribute to Squeezegate
Price: $34.50
If you marked yourself safe from the olive-oil wars of 2023, this might be the choice for you. Yiayia and friends re-imagines and re-introduces traditional notions of life, superior quality food products, culinary objects and epicurean artefacts of yesteryear. The Selfridges-online exclusive features the EVOO variety, but the limited-edition collection also features basil, chili, and garlic-flavored varietals. Available in 5L, 500ml, and 250ml sizes.
Heirloom Tomato Candle
Recommended by Erika
Price: $30
Now it can be summer whenever you want. Candle brand Scandals nails the heirloom tomato trend with a hand-poured, 100% soy wax candle. Online retailer Takamichi Beauty Room offers Shop Pay so you can earn 1% back in Shop Cash.
FLORIDA! by A24
Recommended by Phillip
Price: $50
You can take the man out of Florida… and then you can also make a coffee table book about the collective insanity of the state he is from. From the production company that brought you the horrors of Hereditary comes a decisively more-disturbing tale of the Sunshine State, and everything that makes it the poster child for a nation undergoing a mental health crisis.
Chefanie Caviar Cocktail Napkins
Recommended by Erika
Price: $50
Host like a pro, and do it in style. No cocktail party is complete without these embroidered caviar cocktail napkins by Chefanie. Pairs well with the forthcoming MUSES Journal, which features the seminal food-and-wine essay, Eat, Drink, and Be Wary, by our very own Brian Lange.
Leisure Gummies by Dragon Hemp
Recommended by Erika
Price: 50
Sometimes you’ve just gotta ride the Dragon. Assuming you want to wake up and sh*tpost in the morning, you’ll need to do it responsibly. Dragon Hemp Apothecary’s ∆-9 THC comes in 5mg doses, so that you can decide whether or not you meet Alanis Morrissette cosplaying as God on a Tuesday evening.
Subu Slippers
Recommended by Erika
Price: $60
The problem with comfy cardio is that you get cold. Not a problem anymore. Experience versatile comfort with these stylish, functional slippers, perfect for indoor lounging and outdoor errands to Costco. Features soft, cushioned insoles and a durable, water-resistant nylon shell.
Ghia Sumac and Chili (12-pack)
Recommended by Abby
Price: $48
Dry January is just around the corner, and you deserve a little spice in your life. Mélanie Masarin’s prolific brand, Ghia, has just the answer. This RTD mocktail drinks best when served chilled, or over a large, clear, lump of ice in an Archetypes rocks glass ($20, Future Commerce). Stir with a swizzle, garnish with a slice of dehydrated grapefruit.
Under $300
Kehai Clock by Makoto Koizumi for Lemnos
Recommended by Abby
Price: $195
Count down the hours until your next Shopify outage with this beautifully-designed functional art piece by Makoto Koizumi. The clock, shown in yellow, features hands delicately obscured by frosted glass. Though the artist did not explicitly identify it as such, we believe the intention was to hint at the murky future for livestream shopping in the United States.
EDITIONS by Flamingo Estate
Recommended by Phillip
Price: $288 on sale for a six-works set
Refuge for the heart, soul, mind, body, and garden can be found in spiritual healing. But if that doesn’t work, you might enjoy these six books, too. Flaming Estate has collected works for home and garden written by modern day heroes Jane Goodall, Michael Pollan, Terry Tempest Williams, Alice Waters, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and the collective folk wisdom of the iconic Old Farmer’s Almanac.
$2,500 and up
Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection — Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, PR
Recommended by Phillip
Price: $8,100(pp)
Board the good ship (ahem, yacht) bougie-pop Evrima (s/r Malta) for a one-of-a-kind point-to-point luxury private yacht cruise. Explore the exotic lands of Nassau, Great Exuma, Grand Turk, and Jost Van Dyke , BVI; and maybe Fort Lauderdale, too, for seven days, six nights of proper cruising. “If you’re going to get Norovirus, might as well do it in style,” says Future Commerce co-founder, Phillip.
COTODAMA Lyric Speaker Box
Recommended by Erika
Price:$2,200
COTODAMA's Black mastermind JAPAN Edition: A globally chic, aluminum WiFi speaker boasting a transparent LCD for animated lyric displays and robust bass-reflex sound, adorned with iconic mastermind JAPAN logos. You’ve never heard Bo Burnham’s The Future in higher fidelity.
SSENSE Exclusive Purple Knost Surfboard — Stockholm (Surfboard) Club
Recommended by Erika
Price: $2,457
Bring this 6-foot, handcrafted surfboard, on your next Palm Beach vacation to the Future Commerce HQ. The SSENSE exclusive comes in a delicate light purple. Hand-shaped by Alex Knost, featuring an inlayed photograph by Daniella Murphy.
An Exclusive Journey to Patagonia with Chef Francis Mallmann
Recommended by Erika
Price: $24,900
Explore the world’s most remote regions, and take your palate along for the ride. This 8-day dining experience features open-fire Argentinian cooking, surrounded by the elements and the spectacular landscape of Patagonia. Take all of your senses on an adventure with master-chef Francis Mallmann on his private island. Just make sure to pre-download episodes of Future Commerce for the seven-hour car trip and one-hour boat ride.
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