Holiday corporate giving lets your company or organization show appreciation to your employees and clients in a meaningful way as well as celebrate the year-end with the people who mean the most to your business. The right corporate gift can bring immediate delight and, when well-thought-out, continue to have a lasting value for the recipient long after the gift has been shared. Gifting is an ideal way to strengthen office morale and nurture and deepen relationships with the customers who’ve played a role in your success over the past twelve months.

Before identifying corporate holiday giving trends in 2023, let’s explore what makes a corporate giving program for both employees and clients successful.

Creating the Holiday Giving Program

When developing a corporate giving program, there are two questions to start your gift search: how much to spend and how to make the gift stand out from all the others being exchanged this time of year.

Budgeting for Holiday Corporate Gift Giving

Finding thoughtful, sustainable, and memorable holiday corporate gift items, even with limited resources, is not a problem with the large variety of gifting options at different price points. The old axiom ‘it’s the thought that counts’ really is true.  What matters most is that the gift is of good quality. Gifts of food packages that are stale, apparel and swag that falls apart after limited handling, or tech that stops working after a few weeks of use leave a bad impression.

Making Your Holiday Gift Stand Out

Year after year gifting requires a creative approach to avoid giving the same-old, same-old. Gift givers should also consider commonly given gift ideas to help your company stand out in the crowd. The ideal corporate holiday gift should two one of two things: should have a high perceived value or be an item that would not typically be purchased but becomes indispensable to the gift receiver (thus keeping your company top of mind).

After selecting your standout gift, a recommended practice is to use white label branding to personalize gifts with your logo or branding and giving a nod to your company through each use of the item. Another creative approach is to package uniquely paired gifts in themed gift boxes that bundle premium products. This can be especially effective if the products themselves have a special feature that adds extra value. Presentation matters, and sometimes the unboxing experience is one of the most enjoyable parts of getting the gift. The experienced Marketing.com corporate gifting team can help you develop this season’s giving program from concept to professional kitting and shipping services.

Five Trends for Corporate Holiday Gifting

There’s a reason so many businesses spend the time, effort, and resources on holiday giving programs each year.  According to a Business.com survey, 46% of corporate professionals admitted that getting year-end gifts from vendors made them more likely to continue working together. In today’s world, with fewer in person business meetings and more employees working remotely, a thoughtful corporate gift enriches relationships with clients.

Here are five ways business are making their corporate giving programs more memorable and meaningful this year:

1. Personalize the Gift –Personalized gifts can build deeper connections with your clients. In addition to giving white label products, including personal notes using handwriting software adds a touch of elegance and sincerity to even the simplest of gifts. According to a recent Packed with Purpose survey, personalization was the leading component of success in a gifting strategy.
2. Stay on Brand – Just because you’re sharing the goodwill of the season, it doesn’t mean you can’t get a little brand promotion from your corporate giving plan. Your gift is not an ad, but it can reflect your corporate values and unique corporate identity. Add your logo to drinkware, backpacks, blankets, umbrellas, and other items that are practical and sure to bring a smile. When approached to participate in a Cartwright & Butler corporate gifting survey, 85% of the respondents reported that their corporate gifting strategy strengthened valuable relationships.
3. Used a Tiered Giving Approach with Clients – Not all clients are created equal, The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80:20 rule, represents that 80 percent of your revenue is from 20 percent of repeated customers or loyal customers. Pay them a little special attention by creating a multiple gifting tier that sets a gifts based on the number of years they’ve been a client or annual order amounts. According to a Coresight Research study, over 80% of corporate gift buyers said gifts have improved relationships with employees and/or clients, with 48% saying gifting delivered a substantial benefit. 
4. Make the gift useful –Clients will especially appreciate a holiday gift that makes the workday a little easier. Think about items that help them stay connected with high valued tech, such as earbuds or wireless phone chargers.
5. Gifts for a Healthier Lifestyle – Corporate gifts that help clients take care of their physical and mental health and create a better work/life balance are becoming increasingly popular. These gifts can include items such as fitness and health trackers that show you care about their well-being and want to help them achieve their fitness goals.

Not sure where to start with a corporate gift? Marketing.com can help your business on trend with the latest holiday gift giving ideas. Let Marketing.com connect the dots and provide you with the guidance and experience so your corporate giving program runs smoothly and on budget.