Corporate Christmas Gifts: A Guide to Gifting for Employees & Clients

Christmas gifting is one of those things that's easy to leave until the last minute.

Then suddenly it's December, somebody has a spreadsheet with 80 names on it, half the addresses are missing and you're trying to find a gift that works equally well for your biggest client and the team that's spent the last twelve months keeping everything moving.

A little planning makes corporate Christmas gifting considerably easier – and usually results in a much better gift.

Who are you buying for?

The first step is deciding who you actually want to recognise.

For most businesses, Christmas gifting falls into a few groups:

• Employees and internal teams
• Clients and customers
• Suppliers
• Business partners
• Remote workers
• Prospects or key relationships

The gift doesn't necessarily need to be the same for everyone.

A long-standing client may warrant something different to a company-wide employee gift, while smaller gifts can work well when you're sending to a larger number of people.

Employee Christmas gifts

A good employee gift should feel like a genuine thank you.

That's why food, drink and carefully selected gift boxes continue to work particularly well. They're easy to enjoy, easy to share and don't require you to know somebody's clothing size, favourite fragrance or what they've already got sitting at home.

Presentation matters too.

A well-presented box arriving at someone's home or being handed out at the Christmas party creates much more of an occasion than another voucher landing in an inbox.

For larger teams, businesses can also use branded packaging, personalised messages or a selection of products to make the gift feel connected to the company without turning it into another piece of corporate merchandise.

Christmas gifts for clients

Client gifting is slightly different.

The aim isn't simply to send something expensive. It's to remind somebody that you value the relationship.

A thoughtful gift can be a simple way of saying thank you for their business over the previous year and keeping your company front of mind going into the next one.

Corporate gift boxes work particularly well because they can be adapted around the relationship.

That could mean premium chocolates and treats for an individual contact, larger hampers for an office to share, or branded gift boxes sent to several customers as part of the same campaign.

Should corporate Christmas gifts be branded?

They can be – but there's a balance.

A Christmas gift covered from top to bottom in company logos can quickly start to feel like promotional merchandise.

Subtle branding tends to work much better.

A branded sleeve, ribbon, card or message gives the gift a connection to your business while still allowing it to feel like an actual present.

Personalisation can make an even bigger difference.

Including the recipient's name or a short message from the business makes a relatively simple gift feel considerably more considered.

Planning for larger Christmas orders

If you're organising gifts for dozens or hundreds of people, there are a few things worth sorting early:

Budget

Decide whether you're working with a fixed amount per person or an overall campaign budget.

Recipient numbers

Get a realistic quantity together before choosing the final gift.

Delivery

Decide whether everything is being delivered to one office or individually to employees and clients around the UK.

Branding

Custom packaging and printed elements naturally require more preparation than an off-the-shelf gift.

Dietary requirements

Make sure you've considered allergies, dietary preferences and suitable alternatives.

Timing

Christmas gets busy. Leaving a large corporate order until December limits both product and delivery options.

When should you order corporate Christmas gifts?

Earlier than you think.

For straightforward orders, there may be plenty of flexibility. For larger quantities, bespoke boxes, branded packaging or individual deliveries, starting the conversation during September or October gives everyone much more room.

It also means the gifting can be planned properly rather than becoming another December emergency.

Make it something they'll remember

Ultimately, the best corporate Christmas gifts don't need to be complicated.

They need to be appropriate, nicely presented and feel as though somebody has put some thought into them.

Whether you're thanking ten important clients or organising gifts for an entire workforce, BoxxedUp can help put together corporate gift boxes around your recipients, budget and branding requirements.

From individual deliveries to larger branded gifting campaigns, we can manage the gifting process and help make Christmas considerably easier.

Planning your corporate Christmas gifting? Get in touch with BoxxedUp to discuss quantities, budgets and bespoke options.