GoWish App Sees Record Numbers Ahead of 2025 Holiday Season
As recession fears loom, the wish list and shopping app GoWish is defying the odds with record-breaking numbers leading up to the 2025 holiday season. With over 13.6 million registered users, the app achieved its best day yet this week, reaching the No. 2 spot on the U.S. App Store.
While GoWish has experienced similar trends in previous years, this year has been a standout success. User numbers have doubled from last year, with hundreds of thousands of new daily users in November alone.
In the United States, GoWish boasts nearly 6.2 million users, with an additional 1 million users in the U.K. In Denmark, the app has achieved over 50% market penetration with more than 3.5 million registered users.
The Unique Origin Story of GoWish
Despite its current status as a tech company, GoWish has an interesting origin story. Originally launched in 2015 by the Danish-Swedish national postal service PostNord as “Ønskeskyen” (Danish for “wish cloud”), the app started as a seasonal wish list gimmick. However, its founders recognized its potential for growth.
In 2020, Danish VC Dotcom Capital, owned by founder Casper Ravn‑Sørensen and CEO Mads Dahlerup, acquired GoWish. They transformed it into an independent tech company and introduced an international version of Ønskeskyen for Denmark and Norway.
According to Ravn‑Sørensen, “We might be the first state-founded tech platform to go global as a privately-owned scale-up.”
Features and Partnerships
GoWish allows users to create multiple wish lists for themselves, family, and friends, as well as for various occasions. Users can easily add products to their lists by copying and pasting URLs, searching for items, or browsing inspiration feeds with millions of products. When ready to purchase, a simple tap in the app directs users to the retailer’s website.
The company has established around 65,000 affiliate partnerships and over 700 brand partnerships, with many integrating “GoWish” buttons on their websites. This successful model has led to net profits after tax of $1.7 million in fiscal year 2024, which are being reinvested for growth.
Increased adoption this year is credited to marketing efforts on Meta, TikTok, Google, and Snap, with Snap highlighting GoWish as a success story during its Q4 earnings call.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, GoWish plans to incorporate AI into its platform to enhance user experience, though specific details are not yet disclosed. The company’s mission is to “fix gifting” by fulfilling users’ wishes and eliminating double-gifting and returns. Additionally, GoWish aims to become the “global genie” of social shopping, predicting future consumer trends across generations.
Based in Copenhagen, GoWish consists of a 90-person team and is backed by Capital D, a London-based private equity firm. The app is available on iOS and Android, with a Chrome extension for adding items to wish lists from a computer.
