Setting the Right Tone: Choosing the Best Corporate Gifts

Corporate gifts are essential for building and maintaining strong client relationships. By choosing thoughtful and appropriate gifts, you can show your appreciation and reinforce your business connections. Moreover, consumers have more choices than ever when it comes to the products and services they buy, and that choice doesn’t end when they sign a contract with you. Therefore, customer retention is crucial to sustainable company growth. But how do you show your clients just how much you care about their business? Besides a fantastic product and excellent customer service, the answer is gifts, of course.

Best Practices for Selecting the Perfect Gift

To ensure your gesture has the desired impact, these best practices will help you select the perfect gift every time:

• Personalise your gifts: Instead of ordering 30 wine-of-the-month subscriptions and sending them to all your clients—even the two who don’t drink and the one who has repeatedly mentioned their preference for beer—consider your clients’ likes and hobbies. Consequently, source a gift that will be meaningful to them.
• Don’t overdo it: If your client pays £200 a year for your product or service, and you send them a £300 coffee maker, that’s overdoing it. Therefore, keep gifts proportional to how much a client’s company spends with you. This approach ensures that no one feels uncomfortable about the gift.
• Think outside the holidays: Don’t relegate gifts to the holiday season. Send tokens of appreciation throughout the year. By sending presents outside of December, you’ll avoid disappearing into a crowd of break room gift baskets sitting sadly in their cellophane. Plus, gifts are meant to show your clients you care about their business all 12 months, not just when they’re up for annual review.

Top 10 Corporate Gift Ideas

Now that you’ve reviewed the basics of gift-giving, here are our top 10 corporate gifts to keep you in your clients’ minds all year.

1. Customized notebook: Have nice leather-bound notebooks created in your company colors or with a subtle logo printed on the front cover. A subtle hint about your company is key here; remind your client of your company without an over-the-top statement.
2. Coffee or Tea Blends: The selection of tea and coffee at work can be a little uninspiring. Why not send a basket of gourmet coffees or flavored teas to add some character to the morning coffee break? Alternatively, you could create your own box of beans roasted nearby for local flavor or consider a beautifully designed tea box by Niche Tea.
3. Coffee Table Book: Look for books that refer to your client’s city, state, industry, or personal interests. A book they’ll proudly display on their desk or in the office sitting area will serve as a conversation piece for years to come.
4. Gourmet Food Basket: At Bookblock, we’re breathing new life into the traditional gourmet food basket with our totally customizable corporate gift boxes. Whether your objective is to celebrate achievements internally or impress your clients, these can help pave the way to success.
5. Portable Phone Charger: Portable phone chargers or charging docks make crowd-pleasing gifts for on-the-go clients.
6. Curated Gift Box: Perhaps your client just needs a little me time to relax. In that case, a beautifully curated gift box, including ranges like Frankie Says Relax, could be the way to impress.
7. A Reusable Coffee Cup: For your clients who are out and about, taking coffee out of the office or buying one en route is never better than with a sustainable, reusable cup. Consider a high-quality, Fresher reusable coffee cup.
8. A Charity Donation: If a material gift isn’t appropriate, consider making a charity donation in your customer’s name. By doing so, you communicate your company’s values and honor theirs. It’s a meaningful gesture that lets them know what that money will achieve.
9. Succulent Garden: These trendy desk accessories not only brighten your client’s day but also remind them of the growth you can achieve together. Plus, succulents and air plants don’t require much water or maintenance.
10. A Personalised Note: When in doubt, send a card. Additionally, always include a handwritten or personalized message with your gift.

Summary of Gift Benefits