News

We are all used to our offices filling up with gifts from clients and customers around the end of the year.  In the hustle and bustle of end-of-year gifts, cards and thank you notes often get lost and your thoughtful gift might end up as just another in a large pile of treats stuck in the break room.  

So how can you make sure your gift stands out among the competition? Consider gifting earlier in the year and sending your client gift around Thanksgiving. Still, need convincing that a Thanksgiving client gift is the way to go? 

Here are five reasons you should consider sending client gifts at Thanksgiving:

1. Christmas? Hannukah? Which to pick? When giving a gift at Thanksgiving, you can avoid a potential holiday faux pas by bypassing the issue altogether. Offer your end-of-year thank you without worrying about offending clients and customers. 
   
   
2. Avoid the Out of Office Desert. Many people save up PTO and vacation days for the end of the year, and your seemingly well-timed gift may come right when your clients are out of the office. Fewer people take vacation around Thanksgiving and your gift has a higher chance of being enjoyed by everyone on the team.
   
   
3.  Save Time and Money. Many gifting companies are happy to offer bulk discounts or deals on shipping if you get your orders in early. Funky Chunky offers bulk discounts if business gift orders are placed before the holiday rush. Contact a Funky Chunky gifting specialist for more info. 
   
   
4. A True Time of Thanks. Let's get sentimental for a moment, shall we? Thanksgiving is a time where we come together to give thanks for the bounty and plenty of the year. We take a moment to reflect on the people to whom we are grateful. This is a beautiful time to write a heartfelt card or note to the clients and customers who have really made a difference in your business this year, and pass on a gift that lets them know you're thankful for the ways in which they've impacted your life. Shameless self-promotion ahead - Funky Chunky offers personalized notecards for your customer orders. You can send us the messages and addresses and Funky Chunky will take care of the rest!
   
   
5. Which Gift is Which? Christmas and New Year are a time when offices and teams get flooded with thank you gifts. Your note might get lost in the shuffle, and your gift could get piled in with a host of other offerings. While Funky Chunky is an unforgettable gift at any time of year, you can increase the impact by being the early bird and sending your business gift out during Thanksgiving. 

Thinking of sending gifts to your clients and customers this holiday season?
Before you start your business gift hunt, check out our guidelines to help make sure you avoid some of the most common business gifting pitfalls.

Be Mindful of Corporate Gifting Guidelines

It’s not just the large corporations that have restrictions on what gifts employees can receive from clients or vendors, many small organizations also implement strict guidelines on what kinds of gifts may be accepted. It’s always a safe bet to check with the HR organization of your clients and customers to ensure you are following proper guidelines. 

In the absence of finding specific policies for each of your clients, here are a couple of general rules of thumb that may ensure your holiday business gift has a better chance of being well-received. 

Is there a Spending Limit?

Bigger is not always better when it comes to corporate and business gifting. Many employees are not permitted by their companies to accept gifts over a certain dollar amount and gifts which are too extravagant may send the wrong message. 

Often food gifts are acceptable where other types of gifts are prohibited. Food gifts are an easy option because they can be shared with larger groups. 

Who Gets the Gift?

Consider sending to groups and departments rather than individuals. While you may want to spoil a decision-maker, there are often many people behind the scenes who work with and have an opinion about your company. Including multiple people in your gift-giving plans can spend holiday cheer and raise morale throughout an entire department. Since group gifting is so popular, we carry large gift tins and gifting trays to spoil a crowd. 

To Personalize or Not to Personalize?

While the person who opens your gift may have the benefit of reading the card, when a tray of popcorn or a pail of treats gets left in the breakroom, the impact of the gift can diminish if others do not know who sent the gift. Funky Chunky offers personalized stickers, ribbons, and cars to help personalize your holiday gifts so their impact stretches beyond the unboxing. 

When to Gift?

In addition to being sensitive to the religious considerations of your clients, consider the impact you’d like your gift to have.  Some of our clients love to send gifts when autumn starts to hit and Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities begin to occur. Thanksgiving can be a prime opportunity to express thanks for the business of your clients and customers before the deluge of end-of-year gifts begin to hit.  Others prefer the opposite approach, opting to send New Year’s gifts after the rush of the holidays. Often these gifts can be timed if you know when your client is mostly like to be considering your services or reviewing their next year’s budgets to help keep your work top of mind. 

Why Food?

The impact of a trinket or memorabilia focused gift can be large right when a gift is opened, but quickly diminishes once the busy day sets in. Food gifts are the option that continues to evoke happiness in the recipient.  A handful of gourmet popcorn or pretzels during a break or passed around a meeting provokes conversation, signals stress relief and satisfaction time and time again. Combining the feelings of sharing food, satisfying a sweet tooth and having an indulgent escape for a gourmet snack in the middle of the day with the benefits of your business helps create positive emotional links between their experience and your company.  We are so often driven by our core emotions of hunger and pleasure - offering a gift that satisfies those desires creates happy memories and lasting value for you. That said, we can include leave-behind trinkets that you have - just ask!

What’s Your Time Like?

Do you have the time and resources to send specific gifts to each of your business gift recipients, or do you require efficiency and speed? Funky Chunky will bulk shift your gifts to multiple addresses, and we have gifting specialists at the ready to help craft gift packages that meet your budget, personalization needs, and timeline. 

Interested in learning more? Contact a Funky Chunky Business Gift Specialist to get started.