Best Practices and Ideas for Corporate Holiday Gifts

The holidays are approaching, and it's never too early to start thinking about the perfect gifts for your employees and corporate clients alike. Holiday gifts for employees and clients are good for morale and for business. In the office, holiday gifts help employees feel like a valued part of the team. Giving holiday gifts to corporate clients, on the other hand, can strengthen your business relationship and remind them why you're worth doing business with.

A great corporate gift is thoughtful, tailored to the recipient, and arrives at the right time. But with all the logistics, rules, and considerations around corporate holiday giving, it can be challenging to stay on top of everything.

This helpful guide to employee and corporate holiday gift-giving will turn the experience from a hassle into a breeze.

Whether you're planning gifts for a small employee team or your whole roster of corporate clients, holiday giving requires planning—so start early. Here's what you should remember to keep your holiday gifting on track.

During the holidays, stocks can run low on popular gift items—and gifting branded items can require lead times of a few days to a couple of weeks. Combine that with shipping times and people's hectic holiday schedules, and it's best to begin tackling holiday gifts in September to ensure you're not panicking in December.

It might seem like punctuality is of the essence with holiday gifts, but surprisingly, our data shows us that gifts that arrive a little early or late have the most impact. Most corporate clients will be inundated with gifts as they leave for the holidays and will be too overwhelmed or distracted to appreciate them, but getting a gift before the holidays get going—or a thoughtful gift on their desk when they return—will stick in their memory.

When it comes to employee gifts, time them around a holiday party or right before the break, so they head into vacation feeling appreciated.

Keep an eye on regulations. Depending on your recipient, there might be ethical regulations governing what and how much you can give. For example, most corporate clients do not allow gifts over $150 dollars, and it is often illegal to give gifts to government officials—while doctors can only receive small, branded items, moderate meals, or gifts related to their work. Gifts to employees, on the other hand, can be considered income and deducted from their paychecks, so it's best not to give cash or items valued over $100.

Gifting companies like corporategift.com have pored over the rules so you don't have to, and can help guide you through the dos and don'ts. The devil is in the details here, but sending your client a gift they can accept will make it more than worth it. If you're unsure about the rules governing corporate gifts, you can check out this helpful breakdown.

Your employees work hard for you day in and day out, and each person is a unique and invaluable part of your team. Your holiday gifts should let them know you notice what they do—and what they like.

Generic gifts are the worst! They're forgettable, they don't make employees feel special, and they usually end up in a landfill—and no one wants that. But a gift that matches the values of your workplace with the passions of the people who work there makes a perfect present.

Are you a wellness company with a passion for fitness? How about gifting your employees a subscription to a yoga app along with a branded mat? Do you work in food services? Skip the typical gift basket and give your employees a monthly themed cheese basket or wine-of-the-month club. 

To build team morale, give employees something useful—perhaps a branded fleece jacket and a custom mug so they can stay toasty while roasting chestnuts over an open fire with family.

Opt for experiences or quality, high-use objects over one-time food or alcohol options (or combine both for something that will stay with them after the food is gone), and tie your gifts back to your office culture to build solidarity. And remember, the best gift you can give your employees is often the gift of choice. While one employee might love to hit the gym and would relish a fitness kit, another one might hate that idea and gravitate toward an online cooking class —so don't shy away from e-gifts that allow your team members to choose from multiple experiences.

Ask our team about CorporateGift.com's gift collections and let your recipients choose from a curated set of options fit for any budget and occasion.

Giving holiday gifts to corporate clients is a great way to put yourself on a client's radar and remind them that they're valuable to you—and you're valuable to them, too. Clients get a lot of gifts during the holidays, so a well-thought-out and relevant gift will help you stand out from the crowd—and even secure future business.

When it comes to the content of holiday gifts for clients, it's important to keep your audience and the relationship in mind. Obviously, you don't want to send sugary treats to dentist offices or a cocktail mix for a religious association! Consider your client’s preferences and industry when thinking of the perfect gift. Last year, for example, one of our clients in the tech space ran a campaign with a pizza theme just before the holidays. Instead of lots of small generic gifts for all their contacts at top-tier client accounts, as a holiday gift, they sent their clients' office a branded pizza oven paired with a card that prompted them to "Avoid cyber risks and hunger in the new year, and to invite me over for their next pizza party to discuss our future business".

A gift is a great way to grab your client’s attention — and foster a good relationship. But your clients aren’t really interested in your company swag. Instead, give them something they’ll love and use often, like a picnic basket or a cocktail shaker, branded with your logo. This way they’ll be reminded of the gift — and your company — each time they head out for a park picnic or make an evening nightcap.

Once you're clear on the gifting rules, lean hard in the direction of both ease and experience. When in doubt, a donation gift card to an organization they believe in is a great and memorable way to give a meaningful gift—without having to worry about a bunch of legal questions or regulations. And an experience-based gift is more memorable than giving chocolate or gift baskets, ensuring that your client will remember you long after the experience.

Both employees and corporate clients have been through a lot in the past few years—and the next few months might also be turbulent. Many employees and clients want to know that they matter and that their employers or vendors are there for them.

Giving gifts helps to forge bonds and reminds people that they're valuable, which can help preserve critical relationships in uncertain times. Investing in giving might seem imprudent when times are hard, but it's a wise investment in the long run.

Whether you're giving to employees, corporate clients, or both this holiday season, remember to start early, give thoughtfully, and give for the long term—building strong bonds that create valuable relationships in good times and in bad.

See how we can help make corporate holiday gifting simple. Contact us today.