Our Corporate Gifting Kit includes everything you need for flawless execution to make this season profitable. It includes email templates to spark interest and urgency, social media copy to spread awareness, and CTAs for your website to incentivize early orders.
Download your free copy here today!
Do you need some helpful tips on using the kit and planning your holiday marketing strategy for corporate gifting customers?
Scroll on to learn more.
Navigating a Changing Market
As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to reflect on the challenges impacting our industry in recent years. From shipping delays to rising costs and fluctuating inventory levels, navigating the rush has been anything but easy.
With increased competition for available products, meeting customer demands requires careful planning and proactive communication.
Some of these challenges have stabilized, but uncertainty remains. Supply chains are improving, but delays and shortages still pose risks.
As a business owner, you know how often you’ve had to sub out a product in past years, whether that was T-shirt blanks, ink colors, heat transfers, or any other raw material.
Getting around this hurdle means planning is more crucial than ever.
Your customers continue to rely on branded apparel and promotional products to connect with their audience, especially during the holiday season. Their expectations remain high, and maintaining those connections is vital to their success.
This is where your business can shine. By preparing early and guiding your customers through the planning process, you can help them avoid last-minute headaches and ensure they have the gifts they need when it matters most.
Corporate Gifting: A Timeless Strategy
Corporate holiday gifting is a powerful strategy for boosting morale, fostering retention, and strengthening connections for organizations of all sizes. Whether the branded gifts are for employees, partners, customers, or volunteers, the impact is undeniable. These gifts convey gratitude, increase brand awareness, and build lasting loyalty.
Here’s a look at how corporate branded gifts impact people across different categories:
- Employees: Branded gifts make them feel valued and appreciated, inspiring greater engagement and loyalty.
- Partners: Gifts are a subtle yet effective way to spread brand awareness, reinforcing partnerships without words.
- Vendors & Suppliers: Gifts strengthen relationships, making vendors and suppliers feel like part of the team.
- Customers: Branded gifts enhance recognition and loyalty, creating positive associations with your brand.
- Volunteers: Show appreciation for their time and effort, encouraging continued support.
- Sponsors: A reminder to sponsors that they are valued as a partner and a way to keep brands top of mind.
Steps to Success: Plan, Customize, Choose
To ensure your customers order on time for timely delivery, guide them through the following process:
- Plan Early: Encourage customers to plan their holiday gift orders well. Many savvy businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, place orders by late summer or early fall. Communicate the risks of delaying so your customers understand the urgency.
- Communicate Quickly: Planning and customization are essential, but action is critical. Remind customers to approve designs and finalize their order details while it’s still early in the season. This approach also gives your team some buffer time if the customer design or order changes.
- Customize Early: Once they’ve identified their audience, budget, and timeline, educate them on the customization process. Showcase the latest product trends and highlight new packaging options to inspire early decision-making.
- Tip: Custom packaging and gift-wrapping services are excellent differentiators and opportunities for additional revenue.
- Tip: Bundling is your strong suit. For example, if your customer wants a branded T-shirt, find a way to bundle it with a hoodie, embroidered polo, and hat. If they want a branded tote bag, suggest a high-end tumbler, tech cases, or personalized pouches that complement the accessory.
- Tip: Custom Online Stores offer another high-value service, allowing gift recipients to personalize and redeem their gifts seamlessly.
Upselling with Online Stores for Corporate Gifting
To further your efforts, consider offering your customers online stores. InkSoft Stores provide a simple, professional solution where your customers can choose which products to feature in the store, apply custom branding, and designate shipping preferences.
They can also self-manage their online store, freeing up your time so you and your team can focus on printing and growing your business.
An example of gift bundles in an online store for corporate customers.
From the first conversation, emphasize that your shop offers an end-to-end solution for peace of mind. You provide a seamless, high-quality, stress-free gift-giving experience from design to delivery.
If you need some inspiration, check out this example store that shows the full potential of a corporate online store.
Going the Extra Mile
If set up correctly, corporate holiday gift-giving is an excellent area for your shop to attract recurring, high-paying customers. Position yourself as the expert who anticipates challenges, goes the extra mile, and ensures satisfaction.
The past few years have shown us that while the market may fluctuate, the demand for custom-branded merchandise remains strong. Businesses that can deliver and exceed expectations will succeed despite material costs, supply chain delays, and other challenges.
So, start promoting sooner, communicate better, and sell faster. Grab a copy of the Corporate Gifting Kit to get started today!
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