10 Tips For Giving The Best Corporate Gifts Over The Holidays

Corporate gifts are a great way to show your appreciation for others during the holidays. Clients that have spent a lot of money on your services can get a gift delivered to their office as a thank you. Employees who have worked hard all year can get a little bonus during the holidays for their efforts.

There are lots of approaches and plenty of holidays to provide gifts for. Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of the most obvious. Yet, it might be more poignant to provide employee gifts for Labor Day or to create something fun for the 4th of July. The hard part comes in creating the perfect holiday gifts that recipients will love. Here are some pointers to help you out.

1) Deciding on a budget

You need to be really careful when thinking about your budget for this. You can’t blow a massive amount of your profits on gifts, and you can be seen as trying to buy their custom either. Expensive employee gifts can also create an uncomfortable dynamic. However, you can’t go too cheap if your team knows they helped you exceed expectations for the year.

2) Physical gift or gift certificate?

There are pros and cons to both options here. Physical gifts are great because you can fill beautiful baskets with multiple items and have them arrive at an office in style. At the same time, they might be inconvenient for the recipient depending on their size and the expiration date of the products. The alternative is corporate gift certificates. You can email this to them for them to use at a suitable date. It’s practical but not as customizable or expressive.

3) Deciding on a theme

This is the big one. What type of gift do you want to go for? The obvious answer is food because there are so many different types of food-based corporate gifts out there. You can get big hampers from local farms, boxes of baked goods, and gift certificates for holiday meats. However, food gifts can be tricky to pin down because of the reasons below. So, would you rather go for a gift certificate for something in entertainment or hospitality? Would beauty products and toiletries be better?

4) Being mindful of dietary restrictions

Food-themed gifts are some of the most popular and diverse. However, you have to be careful to tailor them to the recipient. For example, if don’t want to give holiday meats and cheese boards to vegans. You can’t give alcohol to those who don’t drink. You also have to be careful with anything that could cause an allergic reaction. If you go wrong here, it might imply that you haven’t been paying attention to the people you’ve worked with all year.

5) Adding little keepsakes

The only problem with edible gifts or toiletries is they’re gone within a matter of days or weeks. Some companies will add in an extra little gift that is a more long-term keepsake. This provides greater value to the gift. It doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive. If you went for a food-theme gift, a little bottle opener might work as a finishing touch. Or, you could add a keychain, coaster, or any other practical item.

6) Being careful with the branding

Adding branding to these keepsakes and baskets makes a lot of sense. You want it to be obvious who the gift came from. So, a little company logo on the greeting card or that bonus gift can help. Personalizing the bottle opener/keychain/another gift also keeps your company fresh in their mind, which helps when they want to place a new order.

7) Adding personalized notes

This can be fun when trying to make employees and clients feel special. You can offer your thanks for something specific, such as a difficult project or big order, to show you were paying attention. You might also want to add a note wishing their family members a good holiday, so the notes don’t come across as sterile and mass-produced. Just don’t overdo it or single out one employee too much over the others.

8) Finding the right company to supply it

Having a vision of the perfect corporate gift is one thing. Finding the right company to supply it is another. Research your options to see who can provide a high-quality product with consistency and punctuality. Look at their options for customization. Check the customer reviews to make sure that all their services and gift certificates are legitimate.

9) Tracking the present

It is a good idea to track the present via the provider or a delivery company. This means you can keep an eye on where everyone’s gift is so nobody misses out. Ideally, the basket should arrive at the client’s office in time for the holiday – not a week later than everyone else’s. You might be tempted to have reps personally deliver gifts, but that could get awkward. If you’re giving duplicate gifts to employees, try and ensure it’s all at the same time and no one gets left out.

10) Not expecting anything in return

This final point cannot be understated here. You cannot give a gift to a client, supplier, or employee with the expectation of something in return. There should be no strings attached and no obligation for clients to put in a bigger order or for employees to work overtime during the holiday. It’s a token of appreciation for them to enjoy, and that’s it. The last thing you want is accusations of bribery.

There is a lot to consider when creating the perfect holiday gifts for your clients and/or employees. There is also a fine line between doing too much and not enough. You need enough consideration over the gift and its presentation to show you understand the recipient and what they mean to the company. The right level of personalization and care goes a long way. At the same time, you can’t go crazy with the budget or branding. You don’t want them feeling uncomfortable or thinking you have an ulterior motive. Think about the best options for your company, find a suitable supplier, and see how you can make the holidays a little more special.