If you've been responsible for your company's holiday gifting strategy for the last few trips around the sun, you've probably noticed the marked increase in emerging options. Between having more stuff to choose from (not just mugs, pens, and tote bags any longer) and more customization choices (brand colors, fonts, sizes, and more), the options are endless and can be slightly overwhelming.
The more strategic way to think of this abundance of options is that you have been given the gift of authenticity and intentionality. According to experts, the best corporate holiday gifts are not the mass-produced tchotchkes of the past. Instead, they are high-quality gifts that are intentional and thoughtful.
In a recent survey of 2,000 Americans, nearly every kind of generic gift was less likely to impress compared to gifts that were considered “heartfelt” and “personalized.”
- 66% of the respondents said they’d be much more likely to remember a heartfelt and personalized gift over something more generic and store-bought.
- 58% said they are more likely to tell others about a gift if it was more personal.
- 55% reported that they keep personalized gifts much longer than generic ones, up to a full year longer.
- 40% said they would keep a personalized gift forever.
There are many ways to make these highly regarded gifts a reality, from personalizing luxury items with recipients' names to offering customized experiences to providing recipients with a menu of gift choices. The result is that you've leveraged the gift of choice to stand out from the crowd of gifts every business leader and employee receives during the holidays.
Start Crafting Your Holiday Gifting Strategy Now
Of course, the strategy of holiday gifting choice does not happen overnight. There is work to do right now. First, decide on your strategy. What road would you like to take to holiday gifting greatness? Here are some examples to consider.
Custom High-End Products
Keep it simple yet memorable by choosing a unique gift or two from a name brand everyone knows and loves. Here are some ideas:
- Upgrade the standard water bottle to the highly coveted Yeti bottle or the usual branded pen to a Montblanc
- Everyone loves good quality chocolate like Godiva or custom-labeled wine.
- Your logo looks even better on a Ralph Lauren polo or Bugatti messenger bag.
This approach shows you value your customers and employees enough to lavish them with the best quality gifts available. Giving custom high-quality products as holiday gifts is a fantastic way to show appreciation. It allows you to combine the personal touch of customization with the allure of high-quality items.
Curated and/or Bundled Gifts
When you give gifts based on a theme or story important to your customers or employees, you show them that you understand what is important to them. Curating a gift means that you have taken the time and effort to consider their wants and needs. You provide a meaningful experience rather than an impersonal transaction. Curated gifts can also create a sense of surprise and delight for recipients because you exceed their expectations. It can leave a lasting and positive impression. Some examples of curated/bundled gifts are:
- Sun Bum Day Tripper Kit
- Executive Travel Kit
- Savory Lunch Box Set
- Serene House Relaxation Kit
- Wine Tool Set
The key to curating a gift for a corporate client or your employees is to select high-quality, professional, and personalized items that reflect their tastes and preferences. The gift should convey appreciation, thoughtfulness, and a desire to strengthen your relationship.
Branded Holiday Shops
You can partner with a branded gift supplier like Phase 3 to create a holiday gift shop online with a curated selection of customizable gifts for your customers or employees to browse and choose the perfect gift. It is a customized and integrated platform that offers a curated selection of gifts to enhance the customer's shopping experience.
A gift portal should provide a cohesive branded experience. Key features of a gift portal may include:
- Curated Gift Selection: You create a thoughtfully curated range of gift options tailored to your target audience, the occasion, and your budget.
- Personalization Options: With certain gift choices, customers can personalize their gifts by choosing colors or sizes or customizing the items with names or initials.
- Shipping and Tracking: Customers can have their gifts shipped directly to their home or office and track their gift orders, providing transparency and peace of mind.
- User-Friendly Interface: A good gift portal provides an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, with search functionality, filters, and detailed product descriptions to assist customers in their gift selection process. This enhances their experience with your brand and deepens your relationship.
- Year-Round Functionality: Your holiday shop can become a year-round gifting portal for all kinds of events and special occasions like employee onboarding, internal meetings, external conferences, employee birthdays and anniversaries, and more.
Embedded gift portals allow you to enhance customer engagement, provide a personalized shopping experience, and streamline the gift-giving process. They are particularly beneficial during the holiday season when your time and attention are limited, yet you want to do everything possible to make your customers happy.
Speaking of limited time and attention, that is an important consideration when building your holiday gifting strategy. None of the ideas above will be successful if you ignore the infrastructure it will take to get the right gift into the right hands at the right time. Let's look at some of those important elements now.
Building the Infrastructure of a Good Holiday Gifting Strategy
Offering thoughtful choices to your most important customers and employees means more specialized services like customization in printing, kitting, packing, and mailing. A good promotional gift partner provides the infrastructure that gets the job done without burdening you with a huge investment in staff, equipment, warehousing space, and more.
For example, through Phase 3's integrated gifting services, we can source the best gifts for your customers and employees, build a custom user-friendly online shopping experience, monitor orders for you, and kit, pack, and distribute each gift in time for the holidays. We can even create custom packaging and messaging for your recipients. Media:Link, Phase 3's proprietary and customizable web-to-print procurement system, eliminates the bottleneck of every manager ordering and shipping holiday gifts through your office. Instead, they order and ship their gifts through the platform, no matter where they are. Our print system allows you to offer custom gifts but still maintain control of your brand standards. You'll reduce warehousing expenses and wasted items because we'll pack and ship only the gifts your recipients order.
Offering choice in holiday gifting recognizes the importance of authenticity, individuality, and your customers' and employees' preferences. It enhances the gifting experience, strengthens your business relationships, and ensures your gift is well-received and enjoyed. It's worth the investment and effort.
We promise to make thoughtful holiday gifting easy. With Phase 3, your holiday gifts will stand head and shoulders above the crowd. With our years of experience and an extensive list of qualified suppliers with preferred pricing, you can create a unique and memorable gift. The holidays will be joyful with us.
From sourcing, ordering, customizing, printing, kitting, and shipping, we'll take care of the details so you can enjoy the holidays. Contact us today to start strategizing that perfect employee or customer gift.