Desperate for a last minute gift idea? Here’s a solution that takes about two minutes and works through text messaging:

KangoGift lets you text message gift vouchers to friends, family and anyone else whose digits you might have. Send a voucher for a cookie at a local café. The next time the recipient is there they can just show the text message and nab a free snack!

KangoGift was founded by Todd Horton and is based in Cambridge. Rising with the new trend of “mobile gifting,” KangoGift launched early this past October. Rather than intangible online gifts, KangoGift operates under the premise that mobile gifting should provide an actual, physical reward to the recipient. They’re providing you with an easy but fun way to give a friend a quick pick-me-up. As Horton put it during a recent phone interview, the goal is “to make it as frictionless as possible to send fun gifts to people from cool places.”

Bought online through the KangoGift website, gifts are chosen and then sent to a recipient’s cell number. Consumers get to give and receive gifts, and the establishments providing the gifts get guaranteed customers who show up to flash their text vouchers. You can also send virtual gifts like the ones you see on Facebook, but I’d rather get a real cupcake than a picture of one.

As Todd explained, “we tend to focus on the Harvard community right now,” but affiliated businesses are also located in Boston and Brookline. Businesses chosen have a loyal fan base, and are ones that Todd thinks are “places that people can get really excited about.” Right now the real gifts — available from retailers like Berry Line, Melt and Finalé — include flowers, appetizers, sweets, and handmade bath soaps.

Given the choices, they seem to be catering more to the female demographic at this point, but guys would be foolish to ignore KangoGift. For the romance-inept boyfriend, a KangoGift could earn some brownie points, or might be enough to save you from some serious time in the doghouse.

Plus, since you’re buying a guaranteed visit from a friend, many of the merchants involved are offering discounts on KangoGifts. Their partner list is expanding, too, so be sure to check back later if the stuff available isn’t what you’re looking for.

Now that text messaging is a common means of communication, I think a service like KangoGift could really thrive among the younger generations. Already Todd has found that “people have embraced [KangoGift] as something they are willing to try.”

For now, its greatest weakness is that the available partner list is short, but keep in mind that the platform has only been live for two months and KangoGift is looking to expand. Widgets and phone apps are planned for the future and would make mobile gift giving even easier.

In the meantime, if you’ve got a friend in the Cambridge area who likes flowers, soap, or café cuisine, KangoGift is a great way to pull out a last minute Holiday winner.

Let us know your thoughts! If you’ve tried KangoGift, please take a second to share your experience in the comments.