As most people pick out holiday gifts for their friends and family, brand managers are finalizing their shopping lists, too.
A recent report from Coresight Research pegged the corporate gifting market at $242 billion, with the majority of that spending—around 60%—going to clients outside of each company.
Companies send gifts to clients to show their appreciation for their business. A thoughtful gift can remind clients about the value your company and services, add to their lives, and keep them thinking about you into the new year.
According to the Coresight study, 80% of respondents said that giving Christmas gifts strengthened their relationships with their clients. That isn't just a small win, either: A complete 48% said that corporate gifts "substantially" benefited those clients.
Business gifts can come in different forms. From a high-quality bottle of wine, a fun coffee mug, to even a simple gift card, there are countless gifts businesses can offer their clients.
Figuring out how to buy corporate gifts en masse isn't easy. To simplify things, here are some best practices for brands waffling on gifts for clients:
While food brands like Goldbelly and Milk Bar operate programs that give companies discounts on their end-of-year gifting, managing a high number of client gifts in the food space isn't easy.
Take gift baskets as an example. They can contain a wide variety of food items. The main issue is food raises questions around a client's diet or allergies, and it can be difficult to customize food gifts to each person at scale.
Wearable swag may sound like the perfect gift idea, but it could make your holiday-time gifting more difficult.
Anything that requires a lot of customization—like asking clients for their clothing sizes and preferred color palettes—is especially tricky to pull off.
The best gifts often reflect a business's brand messaging and point of view. When it comes to gift selection, ask yourself, "What do they know you for? What do you care about?" Amanda Johnson, CMO at Underlining and Co-Founder of Mented Cosmetics, said in a recent webinar with Chatdesk, "Having a really clear creative point of view is low-hanging fruit that everybody can do."
Big clients will be deluged with gifts at the end of the year. To stand out, companies should be sure to append their brand imagery to each gift and personalize the gift with something such as a handwritten note sharing your gratitude.
Expensive gifts aren't necessarily the end-all and be-all of showing clients your appreciation. This holds true, especially for small businesses that may not have the budget to spend big.
Here's a simple way of making your clients feel valued while sticking to your budget. Brands could consider repurposing their excess inventory as gifts to save money, especially when those products have universal appeal.
A tea brand, for instance, can quickly ship out bulk amounts of its product to clients.
Budgeting Tip: Don't forget to create a carefully-planned gift list. It will make the whole process easier.
Yet, not all gifts have to be tangible. Companies can show their clients and customers their gratitude by delivering a fantastic customer experience that will be there for them throughout the holiday.
Customer support agents at Chatdesk Teams can offer holiday-themed responses while interfacing with customers and bring a human touch to the hectic holiday season.
Schedule a demo here to see how Chatdesk can help brand managers, entrepreneurs, and business owners show their clients and customers their appreciation during the holidays!
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