Sending company gifts is a great way to create a touchpoint with clients, employees, and prospects through the simple notion of gift-giving.

These gifts can be physical, non-physical, or personalised items.

Whatever the type of gift may be, the point behind it is to build a sense of connection between the gifter and the giftee.

It creates a positive association with the brand or person and secures better relationships with both existing clients and potential prospects.

Company gifts are more often used as part of a business’s marketing efforts. They’re also used to enhance employee engagement, boost morale, and build a feeling of belonging.

The Psychology Behind Company Gifts

Company gifts are no longer only handed out during the holidays. There’s a rising need for businesses to become more reachable, approachable, and relatable, and the best way to do that is through gifts.

When done right, it becomes more than just a promotional gimmick. It becomes the conduit through which prospects, clients, and employees can get a positive impression about your business, which can exponentially drive response.

The response can be an increased level of employee engagement, making a referral or purchase, or company loyalty. The best gift ideas are those that can lead a business to grow and succeed both internally and externally.

To achieve this, companies can’t slap their logos on a mug and call it a day. In recent years, the idea behind company gifts has shifted.

The best type of corporate gifts need to be personal, intentional, and functional. When a company humanizes its brand, it makes it more relatable, which serves as a reminder that there’s a whole team behind that logo tirelessly working to make sure you, their customer, are satisfied with the product or service they’re offering.

Below are the three main groups that can benefit the most from company gifts. Take a look at how each one can be inspired by the simple act of receiving a gift.

Prospects

Sending the right gift at the right time can be just what a prospective client needs to take action and become motivated to turn into a loyal customer. Whether it’s making a discovery call, signing up for a service, or making a purchase, all it takes is just the right type of gift sent at the right time.

Clients

A well-timed gift box can let clients know that they’re valued by the business. It’s a smart business move that helps build trust and reciprocity between the customer and the client and boost their loyalty.

Employees

A quality, personalised, and functional gift can help employees feel valued by their employer. It helps foster a sense of connection and camaraderie with fellow co-workers.

This translates into how employees go about their tasks and the quality of service they provide to clients, prospects, and stakeholders.

Company Gifting Tips

Check out these tips to help you come up with the most influential and compelling company gift ideas:

• Plan ahead and place orders in advance to avoid shipping delays, inventory shortfalls, and price increases.
• Use personalised messages to make your gifts feel more authentic and heartfelt.
• Choose high-quality, tasteful gifts that recipients would actually want to use.
• Remember that the way the gift is presented says as much about the sender as the gift itself.
• For maximum impact, make sure that the gifts are customized to the recipient rather than being mass-produced.
• Gifts shouldn’t be handed out only during the holidays but at any important milestone for either the company or the recipient.

Company Gifting Statistics

For as long as history can remember, corporate gifting has been part and parcel of how business gets done, and it doesn’t look like that’s about to change any time soon.

Overall, the use of direct mail marketing strategies will continue to grow, with a particular focus on the B2B sector.

One example is LiveRamp, which relied on direct mail to boost its outbound marketing results. Response rates increased to over 30% with a 35% conversion of cold contacts into real-live meetings.

A second company, Alleyoop, uses physical gifts to boost its phone connect rates by 20%. Their strategy is to send a small gift, such as fun-themed, brand socks, or coffee eGift cards, before a scheduled call.

Management was so pleased with the results that it began using the same tactic via direct mail for their clients. In response, the company soon saw a 25% conversion rate and a 45% reply rate.

Here are a few more statistics as they relate to company gifts:

• Nearly 75% of people either read their mail or at least skim it
• Almost 80% of consumers prefer reading mail and find it more convenient than going online
• Campaigns that include direct mail in their marketing strategies are nearly 30% more likely to deliver top-ranking sales performance compared to campaigns that don’t use mail.
• 38% of people say that physical mail influences how they feel about the sender, and reinforces the brand’s message and value more profoundly.
• 80% of consumers say they’re more likely to do business with a company if it offers its clients personalized experiences.
• Consumers with an emotional connection to a brand have a 300% higher lifetime value

Future Trends

There are certain areas expected to see slight changes. Others, on the other hand, are predicted to see higher growth rates.

For instance, business and finance experts anticipate that employee and prospect gifting programs will integrate into one single brand initiative. This move can improve how the brand is recognised and perceived by target audiences.

Another prediction is that improved automation will be at the forefront. It can be utilised to help the process of selecting gifts become more functional, inclusive, and well-thought-out.

Also, the expansion of company gifts is expected to reach beyond conventional marketing applications. In fact, it’s already started to move into other departments, such as HR and customer care.

A Final Note

As you’ve seen, company gifts play a major role for both senders and recipients. The benefits far exceed a simple gift present to a person or a business.

Taking stock of everything company gifts have to offer can help sales teams, HR personnel, marketers, and others create compelling corporate gifting policies and campaigns.

The result will be a successful business that’s forging ahead in the right direction where everyone comes out a winner.

Contact us today to start ordering your company gifts.