Every September and October, companies start asking us some version of the same question:
“What should we send our clients for Christmas?”
Surprisingly, that's usually not the first question we need answered.
After more than 35 holiday seasons helping Vancouver companies plan corporate holiday gifting for clients, employees and business relationships across the Lower Mainland and Canada, we've learned that choosing the actual gift is often the easy part.
The decisions that make a corporate holiday gifting program run smoothly happen before anyone starts debating Cabernet versus Prosecco or shortbread versus chocolate or BOTH.
So before you start scrolling through the Holiday Gift Collection, here are a few things worth thinking about.
1. Who are you actually gifting?
Clients? Referral partners? Employees? Vendors & Suppliers? VIP relationships? An entire office or individual recipients? Start with the list rather than the gifts.
You may quickly discover they don't all belong in the same gifting category and that's perfectly fine.
Many corporate programs include different gifting levels. A long-standing major client may warrant something different from a newer relationship, while both gifts can still look and feel unmistakably like they came from your company.
Our Corporate Gift Collection is also a good starting point for seeing the different styles and price points available.
2. Does everyone need the same gift?
No. Consistency doesn't have to mean identical.
Perhaps one recipient doesn't drink alcohol. Another has a gluten restriction. One gift will be shared by an office of twelve while another is going home to an individual.
You can maintain a consistent presentation while adjusting the contents or value to suit different recipients.
3. What does your budget actually include?
When someone tells us, “We'd like to spend approximately $150 per recipient,” our next question is usually:
Is that $150 for the gift—or $150 all-in?
Your total budget may also need to account for delivery or shipping, taxes, branding or customization.
There's no right answer. We simply need to know which number we're working with so we can recommend gifts that actually fit the program.
4. Where are the gifts going?
Sending 30 gifts to one Vancouver office is very different from sending 30 gifts to 30 residential addresses.
Are they staying within Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland? Travelling throughout BC? Shipping across Canada? Going to offices, homes or hotels?
Knowing the destinations early helps us recommend gifts that make sense for how and where they're travelling, not simply how they look on the website.
5. What do you know about your recipients?
You don't need a detailed profile on everyone.
But what you do know can help.
Would alcohol be appropriate? Are there dietary restrictions? Will the gift be shared with an office? Is this a long-standing client, a new relationship or someone who referred significant business this year?
Corporate gifting doesn't need to be deeply personal to feel thoughtful.
It just shouldn't feel generic or thoughtless.
6. How much branding do you actually want?
Corporate gifting and promotional merchandise aren't necessarily the same thing.
Sometimes the most effective branding is subtle: branded ribbon, a logo card, custom gift tag, branded packaging or client-supplied materials tucked inside.
Other companies prefer almost no visible branding and let the card message do the work.
A question we often ask is:
How do you want the recipient to feel when they open it?
The answer usually tells us how much branding belongs there.
7. When do you want the gifts to arrive?
Here's one people don't always consider:
Closer to Christmas isn't necessarily better.
By mid-to-late December, offices begin closing, people travel, couriers get considerably busier—and your beautifully planned gift may arrive alongside twenty others.
Many corporate clients choose late November or the first half of December instead.
If you have a preferred delivery window, office closure or company event, tell us early. We can work backwards from there.
8. Who is managing the recipient list?
Names. Addresses. Suite numbers. Phone numbers. Card messages. Dietary notes. Delivery dates. Last-minute changes.
Once you're sending more than a handful of gifts, managing a gifting program becomes a very different job from simply purchasing gifts.
That's also where an experienced corporate gifting company can take a considerable amount off your plate.
We're not only assembling baskets and boxes. We're helping coordinate the moving pieces required to get the right gift, with the right message, to the right person.
For larger recipient lists, learn more about how we easily handle Corporate Volume Gift Orders with our downloadable excel sheet.
9. What do you want the gift to say?
Before deciding what's going inside, think about why you're sending it.
Is it thank you for your business? Appreciation for a long-standing relationship? Recognition for a great year? Looking forward to working together again next year?
Because ultimately, the chocolates, wine, gourmet foods and beautiful packaging aren't really the message. They're how you're delivering that message.
Now We Can Talk About the Gifts
Once we know who you're thanking, why you're acknowledging them during the season, what you'd like to spend, where the gifts are going and when you'd like them delivered, choosing the gifts becomes considerably easier.
Some companies choose directly from our Holiday Gift Collection. Others need different gifting levels, custom contents, branded presentation or a larger volume program coordinated specifically for them.
Both work.
The important part is starting with the program rather than simply picking a basket.
Whether you're sending five gifts across Vancouver or coordinating hundreds across Canada, a little planning now can make December remarkably uneventful.
And after more than 35 holiday seasons, we can tell you that's exactly what we want for you.
Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays,
Carole