The Art of Luxury Corporate Gifting

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Published on: Tue Dec 17 2024

Updated on: Tue Dec 17 2024

The giving of gifts is a basic form of human expression that must have been going on since caveman days. Yet in the business world, it was left behind sometime in the 20th century, trampled in the stampede of the dog-eat-dog world, where sentiment and commerce were regarded as incompatible.

The world is constantly changing, though, and in business circles in the US corporate gifting has emerged as an industry in itself, taking this very human social idea and giving it a pragmatic edge that makes it not just acceptable but desirable. High-quality corporate gifts are now established as an excellent way to oil the wheels of industry.

Offline engagement is an expression often used to describe the new phenomenon, and it is a revealing phrase. It tells us that the online revolution that has taken over the world has a downside as well as its more obvious positive aspects. Sure, it makes doing business simpler by putting the power to get things done in the hands of the buyer. We can browse, choose, order, and pay online without once having any meaningful interaction with another human being.

But sheer practicality goes against our natural needs and wishes as human beings. It eliminates the simple good feeling of expressing and receiving gratitude. When we enjoy great service from another professional, yes, it’s probably all in a day’s work, but that doesn’t mean there was no one at the other end, using their know-how to get it done. And it is good to say thank you.

That is why America is turning more and more to personalized executive gifts. Looked at in the most basic way, these allow us to say we appreciate what has been done – or is still being done if this is an ongoing process.

For the recipient, such a gift reminds them that what they do all day is valued by someone, not just taken for granted. We like to feel useful. We like to know that someone somewhere understands what went into a successful job. And equally, both parties like to know that the same thing can happen again in future. As a customer, we appreciate that we received a good service and we want to feel that if we need such a thing again, we know where to come. For the recipient, there is the good feeling that their reputation has been enhanced and the customer is likely to speak favorably about them to friends and contacts.

What Exactly Are Premium Business Gifts? And What Not to Choose

The precise nature of high-quality corporate gifts is impossible to generalize about, except for the high-quality element. After that, it is all about what is appropriate – and that is where the specialists come in. This is not something that should be handled in-house. Just as there are many ideas that can have the desired effect, there are countless others that will be wrong in one way or another.

You can’t, therefore, just delegate someone in the office with time on their hands to go into town and buy a gift for this important client. There are too many variables to consider, and they can turn what should be a pleasurable task into a stressful one.

Pitfalls can include inappropriate items – that all-encompassing i-word that can trip us up, however well-meaning we are. There’s the seasonal factor, which is closely related to religious beliefs. You can’t send just anyone a Christmas present or even a card anymore. The USA has moved on, becoming a multicultural society where Christianity, while still to be respected as a world religion, is just one of many. In addition to that, some people find the very idea of organized religion offensive and troublesome. Executive Christmas gifts, then, may be right or wrong, and it pays to find out in advance. Corporate holiday gifts in 2025, that’s a different matter.

Then there are ecological matters. If an individual has strong views on climate change and potential damage to the planet, you can’t send them a gift that clearly contributed to some carbon footprint or other. That is when words like rare and exotic become tainted by factors that would not have been considered in the not-so-distant past.

There are sexuality and gender to be taken into account now. There are allergies and dietary matters that again may be related to religion. That can be a problem if you were thinking of luxury corporate hampers as an innocent gift where you can’t go wrong.

All in all, it’s difficult to know what to choose and it’s no surprise that companies struggle with putting hampers together. With an experienced, resourceful company, you can give them some important details about your client and see what they come up with that will not only avoid striking the wrong note but actually hit a great one. You can arrange a schedule if this is to be a regular occurrence. Then you write personal messages for the recipients and leave it to them. You can have a look at the packaging that is to be used and ensure it makes for a good unwrapping experience, a concept that many people have never even thought about.

Looking on the Positive Side

Let’s say you have settled on a general idea that should be acceptable to a certain client. You may be thinking of customization and branding, to bring your company into the picture. But are custom luxury corporate gifts really appropriate? Do luxury branded gifts and corporate gifts with logos fit the bill or should you keep things generic? This is something to discuss with your chosen gifting expert.

Also, how expensive should you go? Excellent quality is a given, but if a gift is obviously worth a lot of money in comparison with the value of the contract, it can make people uncomfortable. With an experienced person to bounce ideas off you can make an informed decision.

The positive answer, then, is to partner with a professional gifting company so you can make sure you get it just right.

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