Sending client gifts helps boost business relationships, goodwill and brand perception and has a positive ROI.

We send corporate gifts to employees, customers and clients and in our experience, there are ten things to keep in mind when shopping:

Who to send to

Every business will have a different definition of who their client is. Generally speaking, it’s anyone who pays you for goods and services.

If you’re a one-person operation running a small business, you could send a gift to your top three grossing customers.

On the other hand, maybe you’re a large company with 10,000+ clients like a merchant bank or a law firm. You could choose to give a gift to every paying client you’ve worked with over a set period.

Other client gifts we’ve send on behalf of include:

• Memberships
• Coaching firms
• Event firms
• PR firms

Really, anyone you work with in a professional capacity (and this can include sending a corporate gift to employees) can be sent a client gift.

You could also send a gift to previous clients. Warm leads are much easier to re-engage.

Try a small gifting campaign around past clients to let them know about your new products and services and remind them of the delight it was working with you in the past.

When to send client gifts

The most common time of year is around November/December.

The Christmas/holiday season is our busiest and we tend to start receiving enquiries for corporate gifts as early as September.

We have two tips when it comes to the best time to send client gifts

1. Start early

If you want to send client gifts in Q4, send us an enquiry as early as possible. The smart companies contact us as early as August!

The earlier you book your corporate gifting; the more options are available to you. Customisation and branding tends to be cheaper the longer the lead time and you’ll be able to avoid the inventory/shipping issues that have been plaguing the world since 2020.

Your gifts could also work out cheaper. Our suppliers appreciate a long lead time and often give us early-bird discounts which we are able to pass on to you.

2. Look beyond Q4

What time of year do you as an individual receive the most gifts? Probably Christmas. Your clients are the same.

Almost everyone they work with will be sending them a client gift in December.

Think about the impact a thoughtfully curated gift will have in January! Or on the anniversary of your first job together.

A unique corporate gift sent in the new year helps your brand stay top of mind and is something smart companies are taking advantage of.

You can also send a gift:

• To thank a team during a client win
• To remind an old client of your services
• To thank a client for a job well done
• To onboard a new client
• To launch a product
• To promote an event (see an example here)
• To celebrate a client win
• To make a company announcement

A gift can be sent at any point during the business lifecycle. Think about your business goals, your client retention strategy and what you can do to stay top of mind.

Why you should be sending client gifts

Need further convincing on why client gifting is a good idea?

According to Forbes, over 80% of companies surveyed, said gifts have improved relationships with employees and/or clients, with 48% saying gifting delivered a substantial benefit.

Chief among the benefits gained was making the recipient feel valued (45% reported substantial benefits), improved customer loyalty (43% substantial benefit) and improved employee retention (41% substantial benefit).

Gifting can also help generate more leads, improve customer retention, act as subtle advertising and improve your brand’s awareness and image.

With this in mind, you should be thinking about a gift strategy (which we can help you with).

Think about when and why you want to send gifts, your budget and have a different strategy for internal (employees) and external (client/customer) giving.

Speak to our corporate team today for help creating a gifting strategy.

What to send your clients

You want to send gifts that will be loved, used and remembered. You don’t want to end items that will be stuffed in a kitchen drawer and forgotten.

1. The experience

We always centre our gifts around ‘the experience’ – how do you want your client to feel when they unbox your gift? 

Think about your clients like and dislikes and gift accordingly. Do they love plants? Send them a gift box that encourages them to spend time doing what they love.

Do they love fitness? A wellness themed gift with a tastefully branded water bottle is a great gift idea.

2. Food and drink

Food and drink are universally welcomed and we always encourage the businesses we work with to include at least two food or drink items.

Try tea or coffee and a travel mug which can be used at home and on the commute.

3. Something to keep

Try a cutting board, travel mug, keychain or socks. Remember that goodwill be mentioned earlier? Every time they use that item, they’ll remember where it came from.

4. Personalised

Is there a secret that the two of you share? Did something memorable happen that brings a smile to your/their face? Try and incorporate a hint of that in your gift. 

All our corporate and client gifts come with a handwritten note (yes, even if you’re send thousands of gifts) which helps them feel special.

What if you don’t know the client beyond a semi-regular email?

It’s important to gift carefully. You wouldn’t want to send a bottle of wine to a recovering alcoholic or include dairy in gift box to someone who is allergic.

If you really don’t know the person, stick to items like stationery, wellness products and a thoughtfully chosen business book.

Alternatively, you could send them a ShopBOXD Gift Card and give them the pleasure of choosing items for themselves.

How much should you spend on client gifts? 

That varies from company to company, and we tend to send client gifts in the £50 to £200 price range. You don’t want your gift to look cheap, but you also need to strike the balance between it feeling/looking excessive.

How to send your gifts

Sending your client gift depends on who and where your client is.

If you are gifting a team, a larger shareable gift/hamper sent to their office is a good idea.

On the other hand, if you’re gifting individuals, they’ll appreciate the gift being sent directly to their home (especially if it’s a surprise!).

If you want to send less than ten gifts, please shop directly on our website. You can choose from our curated gift boxes or you can build your own gift.

If you’re sending within the UK, free express delivery (which takes 2-3 days) is included.

If you're an international business and want to gift your employees or clients in the UK, we can help. Please contact us.

If you need large scale gifting – anything from 25 to 25,000 gifts, please contact our corporate team. We are here to help.