A thoughtful guide from the team at Belle Box Co. to help you make the season and everyone's spirits bright.
While the holidays can be considered the most wonderful time of the year they can be fraught with last-minute decisions and details for anyone tasked with executing a corporate gift-giving program.
No matter if it is your first or your 20th corporate gifting season, here are twelve questions to guide your program toward success.
1. Are you starting early enough?
We remind our customers that the sweet spot for holiday gift arrivals is before Thanksgiving. Recipients are more likely to be in the office rather than traveling and most other holiday packages will not have arrived yet. This immediately puts a spotlight on your gift, raising its visibility and making it more memorable. Another benefit to starting early? Lower shipping costs and more timely delivery. Feeling pressed for time? Check out our ready-curated Holiday 2024 offerings
2. Do you have a target budget?
Having a clear budget is essential. Corporate gifting can work at various price points, but delays happen when budgets need pre-approval or don’t account for shipping. Pro tip: separate your budget into two parts—1. product & packaging, and 2. kitting/fulfillment. A proper gifting campaign includes a fulfillment/kitting cost to ensure smooth execution and to maximize ROI. This breakdown shows how much goes to the product/packaging versus the manpower required. Relying on internal teams for fulfillment wastes valuable time and money when they could be focusing on business-driving activities during the year-end rush.
3. Is your budget evenly allocated?
Don't be afraid to take a tiered approach; strategic partners and high-value recipients deserve special recognition. Our catalog has products at a variety of price points and our gift consultants can create spin-off boxes to match with multiple levels of gifting.
4. Do you know where your recipient *really* works during the holidays?
Do they work from home but come in on Wednesdays until Thanksgiving? If so, you can ship it to the office. Do they leave immediately after Thanksgiving and use their accrued 5 weeks of vacation in one swoop? Better to have a home address or ship that one early. As soon as you know you are responsible for a gifting campaign, start to gather and organize a spreadsheet of the best addresses. Don’t want the hassle of collecting addresses? Ask about our Self-Service Address Portal, where we send recipients a link to securely submit their address and claim their predetermined gift directly.
5. Do You Know the Best Way to Ensure Timely Gift Delivery?
Once you’re ready to order from our catalog, we’ll provide you with a checklist and spreadsheet to help streamline the process of collecting addresses and managing shipping details. Planning ahead is key to avoiding delays, and by using our tools, you can ensure your gifts arrive on time without any last-minute rush or added costs.
6. Have You Aligned Your Gifts with Your Company’s Brand?
When planning your gifts, consider how they reflect your company’s identity. Review your brand guidelines and mission statement—what colors, themes, or emotions stand out? How do you want recipients to feel when they open their gift? Aligning your gift selections with these elements not only strengthens brand recognition but also creates a memorable and cohesive experience for your recipients. Our gift consultants can help you incorporate branded packaging and custom touches to make sure your gifts fully represent your brand.
7. What did you give last year?
This question is a double-edged sword. Sometimes you can play off a theme while elevating the experience. One software company gave away wild, branded socks at all their tradeshows. Everyone who attended the shows sought out that company because often they ran out of socks. A gift box for that company could very easily include branded socks but be elevated to delight with other unique desk or comfort-focused items. Other times you look back on your giving patterns and realize that you may have given a series of drinkware or office gadgets and perhaps need to look at a different category of gift. Share this information with the Belle Box gift consultant and we will steer you in the right direction.
8. What are your competitors sending?
High-value customers and prospects will be recognized by your competitors as well. Think back to the branded gear you saw your prospects sporting at the last industry event and you will have a good idea who else's gifts will be showing up on your recipient's desk. Belle Box focuses on beautifully boxed, uniquely crafted, on-theme, and on-trend gifts. This will help you stand out in a sea of branded clothing, hats, and knick-knacks.
9. Is this a current customer or a future client?
For a loyal current customer, a custom note on one of our curated holiday catalog boxes is an easy solution. A gift box for a prospect should also include something branded and lasting to help keep your company top-of-mind as Q1 and Q2 decisions are being made. Consider office essentials like branded notebooks or laser etching an item from our boxes to fit this need. Ask one of Belle Box's Gifting consultants; and they will be happy to help you discover a unique and memorable addition to the box.
10. Are you celebrating?
Not every gift's intent is to woo a customer or prospect. Thank-you gifts for partners, key vendors, stakeholders, and employees are a wonderful way to celebrate a successful initiative or a continuing relationship.
11. Does your gift have a "best before" date?
Do you know your recipient's dietary preferences? Be mindful of perishable items or items with known allergens. A campaign of fresh cookies, flowers, plants, or other items with a shelf life can be problematic when holidays make hours in-office time unpredictable. A baked decadent food item can feel like an indulgence but consider food restrictions and the office schedule. Our holiday catalog contains gifts with and without edible items for a gift that will impress everyone.
12. Do you have time to address questions 1 through 11 by yourself?
The end-of-year wrap-up is a busy time in most offices. Ordering from the Belle Box Holiday 2024 Catalog is a short path to gifting success. All you need to do is select a gift or gifts and quantity and we take the rest from there. We will send you emails with prompts for uploading addresses and logos or messaging based on the options selected. It is that easy! We look forward to making your holiday season that much easier!
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