Happy Holidays Are Almost Here!

What a whirlwind year it has been, with many events taking their tolls. However, it has not seemed to suppress the American spirit, as the economy has been on an upswing, Wall Street has been reaching healthy heights, employment is up and although businesses are more cautious about spending, they are indeed spending.

And this seems to bode well for holiday gift business from your clientele. “I feel that businesses in the parts of the country that have not been affected by the hurricanes, flooding, wild fires, etc. have probably had a very good year and will be doing holiday gift programs this year,” intones Gwen Brey of Beacon Promotions. The exception, she points out, if you are working in areas that are hard-hit by the recent natural disasters.

This has been a prosperous year for many in the current economy, says Sarah Hobson of Webb Company, who is already seeing increases in budgets and the quality of products her distributor’s clients are asking for. “Many companies have worked hard to recover from the financial crisis and now thanking their employees, customers and associates for their contributions this holiday season,” she comments.

Lynne Sterritt of Chocolate Chocolate agrees, noting, “We feel that this year the economy is strong and businesses are expanding so that means new purchases of promotional items in 2017 and even in 2018.” Sterritt also believes that the extreme weather incidents somewhat delayed many companies from thinking about creating promotional holiday gift programs, but are now for the most part back on track.

And, points out Laura High of BIC Graphic, according to the 2016 Corporate Gift IQ Survey, Incentive Magazine, July, as the economy improves, businesses are spending more on corporate gifts (up to 27.4 percent from 20.6 percent) and are actually giving them more frequently (up nearly 37 percent) comparing 2016 data to 2015. “We predict 2017 will continue that trend, and support the growth of higher value gifts, though we believe companies are being a bit more discriminating about who receives them,” she says.

Unlike a special product or trade show promotion, for example, holiday gift promotions can be anything under the sun that can be emblazoned with a slogan or logo. Therefore, distributors need a plan of action to start and steer the conversation to a mutually beneficial destination. 

From the supplier point of view, Adrienne Forrest of Bulova explains, “We suggest products according to budget guidelines from the distributor and overall popularity in our product assortment. We also ask for demographic information to make sure we propose products appropriate for the ultimate recipient audience. Watches have always been popular choices for the holidays.” 

When it comes to food items such as chocolates, Nick Caputi of Chocolate Inn advises that distributors should find out what is the budget, is the gift for one person, or how many; is it for an office, and what type of packaging is desired.

“Usually a buyer has a something in mind or at least a price range in mind, which helps dramatically in what products to offer,” Sterritt relates. “The range in items is usually quite extreme from our experience, but edible items, especially chocolate, is highly valued for its shelf life and its durability during shipment.”

There are many details that need to be gathered before a program can start, says Brey, as this will help determine who the demographic is and what kind of product(s) to offer, and quantity needed, which in turn will affect the price point of the item(s) that is/are chosen. Other details that affect the budget and that need to be established include how the product is to be delivered – in person or shipped (shipping cost needs to be factored into the budget). 

A successful holiday gift, says Hobson, should include something that doesn’t advertise, “but is enjoyed, something valuable and useful, and has gorgeous packaging and presentation.”

Gift Ideas

Bulova expanded its Bulova Curv collection, launched last fall, with its introduction of ladies’ styles. Bulova CURV, featuring what Forrest calls “the world’s first curved chronograph movement. The collection advances technical engineering with a sleek ergonomic design and a slim case previously not achieved in a chronograph movement,” she describes.

“Bulova also just introduced the Rubaiyat Collection to honor our first expression of a lady’s timepiece,” she adds. “Rubaiyat, a name with poetic significance and sensuality, was chosen by Bulova in 1917 for its first-ever woman’s timepiece. Now the Rubaiyat heritage has been reinvented. Fusing modern design aesthetics with deep roots of regal craftsmanship, the Rubaiyat Collection masterfully articulates and celebrates each pillar of empowered femininity – seductive beauty, quiet strength, delicate fluidity and freedom of self-expression.”

This season Chocolate Inn seeing tremendous interest in its Peppermint Bark Shapes and Sea Salt Caramel Pretzels, Caputi reports. The Peppermint Bark Shapes come in a variety of holiday-themed options such as Santa, Tree, Stars and more, while the Sea Salt Caramel Pretzels provide that the increasingly popular salty/sweet flavor profile. “These delicious options have been requested in several of our different packaging options throughout the season and often in our custom packaging options,” he says. Products like our Full Color DigiBags, Sweet Taste Boxes and our new 6 Cube Box Set allow the customer complete customization to create the memorable holiday gift.”

Webb Company’s newest holiday offering that Hobson says she is most excited about is a three-piece Gift Set for its All Natural US-made Lip Balms (GPRLB); the company is offering exclusive holiday flavors – pumpkin spice, gingerbread and candy cane.

Chocolate Chocolate, says Sterritt, has several new items this year, including its Advent Calendar, Luxury Sweet Box and Petite Tower; and lids, bands, boxes, product combinations, product size and flavor can all be customized. 

To help take the guess-work out of the gift giving season, says High, BIC Graphic identified five key trends for 2017.

• Barware – Deep etching on glassware such as the #35304 Double Old-Fashioned, “makes an elegant, personalized gift,” High says. These also work for board meeting keepsakes, volunteer or alumni gifts, etc.  and can feature the event name and date, or organization’s name/logo and date. For new year’s celebrations, distributor customers may want to give out the #46097 KOOZIE® Champagne Bottle Kooler.

• Tech Accessories – “These items continue to rule as corporate gifts,” High states.  Power banks, portable Bluetooth speakers and over-ear headphones are really popular and appreciated by a variety of audiences. BIC Graphic’s myCharge® brand of power banks combined with a full-color, photographic quality image and the recipient’s name will is an option, as is the handy, lower price point items like #32083 Bluetooth® Earbuds in Carabiner Case.

• Luggage – is highly welcome for those who travel a lot, such as sales team members or executives.  Stylish, high-function luggage serves as a desirable gift for a year’s worth of hard work.

• Health/Wellness – Product that show that your customers care about their employees, vendors, clients, especially with the rising costs of health insurance and rising stress levels.  High suggests the #41052 HoMedics® Portable Sound Spa as a suitable holiday gift.

Writing Instruments, especially “a classic, high-end gift pen like the #WCCR BIC© Worthington® Chrome Roller with the recipient’s name engraved, is a traditional gift for the holidays as well as graduations, major milestones, board member welcomes and retirements, and more,” High describes. “Metal writing instruments with elegant finishes allow for brand and recipient personalization.”

Name brand products through Beacon Promotions’ Corporate Gift line remain popular items for holiday gifts, says Brey, as well as “our quality Canyon Outback leather products.  Our brand line also has a number of desirable products in our techie, housewares and flashlights categories,” she points out.

Overall, being that the industry is all about “gifts” in one form or another, selecting holiday gifts doesn’t have to be a lengthy interview or weeding out process. Start the process with how your client wants to express gratitude for jobs well done or patronage, and ask your client what he or she was envisioning. Combining that information with the advice given here will help you to quickly find several products for selection to create a refined gift program that your clients, and the recipients will be happy to use in the new year and beyond.

CASE STUDIES

Lynne Sterritt of Chocolate Chocolate: “Chocolate Chocolate’s new Deluxe Sweet Box is the first food-safe box with a magnetic closure that allows custom artwork to wrap almost every square inch. With the ability to have a full message on the outside and inside, you have a lot of space to tell your story with the inside panel staying hidden until opened. That is exactly what the company Vashon Architecture did. Printed in full 300dpi, the client provided the initial blueprints of luxury home that was hand designed by its team and homeowner. Inside the Sweet Box, we leveraged a photograph of the actual fully finished home taken from the identical angle. This before-and-after visual did a superb job of showing the process that the architectural firm wanted to highlight. From there we added little touches to elevate the effect. We placed the CEO’s internal mantra, ‘Never Settle,’ on the packaging. We also etched the finished home to detail in Belgian chocolate with the Vashon Architecture logo center on our Belgian Chocolate Sugar cookie. The finished product was an all-encompassing example of what makes the company a true premium player in their market.”

Sarah Hobson of Webb Company: “Coasters have been one of our top-selling products for holiday gifts and this year with our new custom packaging line it has been a game changer.  The client wanted to give something commemorative to employees for the holidays other than an award or a basket, something that could be seen daily other than just for the holidays. The company chose to one of our granite coaster sets with a custom box.”

Gwen Brey of Beacon Promotions: “A real estate company gives out a holiday gift to all new home buyers in the past year, and likes to change up the gift each year.  The last item the company gave out was the Hamilton Beach IntelliTime 6 Quart Slow Cooker (#33564), a great product that most households find to be very useful.  The agency feels the investment in the holiday gifts is well worth it with the numberof referrals the office receives from these clients along with the good will it creates.”