As the most wonderful time of the year quickly approaches, we’re here to share in the joy of the holidays with tried-and-true gifting strategies. To kick off the season and help you get ahead of the holiday rush, the OG expert himself and Cultivate Founder Tom Romine hosted our first webinar on September 27th, titled Unwrapping Holiday Gifting Strategies.
It was jam-packed with valuable data, advice, and insights to make this year’s corporate holiday gift program truly exceptional. As you prep, plan, and begin having conversations with your company about this year’s gifting strategy, we want to make you look like the ultimate Gifting Expert! Check out this blog feature for a quick recap of the key takeaways, Q&A, and more from the webinar.
Naughty or nice: the data doesn’t lie
After a decade of appreciating 1M+ people with gifts of their choice, we’ve learned a thing or two about successful gifting strategies. According to emerging research across various industries and job titles:
- 81% of employees reported being disappointed by the company gifts they received
- 64% of gift-givers admit they need help gifting
- 42% of gift-givers say getting people’s addresses is a challenge
- 90% of professionals surveyed believe their company could improve its holiday gifts
- 73% of employees surveyed report they feel happy at the thought of getting a meaningful holiday gift from their company
- When presented with benefits like bonuses or a raise, 52% of employees said what they were most looking for was tangible appreciation or recognition
- End-of-year employee gifts help reduce turnover by 31% and lower frustration levels by 28.6%
- 86% of employees surveyed said receiving a holiday gift from their employer makes them feel valued more than any other reward type
- Nearly 60% of full-time professionals receive unwanted gifts during the holidays, and 52% re-gift their unwanted gifts to others
- Data suggests that employers who gift swag to their team are 13 times more likely to hurt their professional relationships compared to those who send a uniquely picked gift
- A bad employee gift can make people feel small. In fact, 31% of surveyed employees have received a gift that made them feel distinctly unappreciated. In other words, it was worse than receiving no gift at all
We know, we know… the stats are shocking! But they get at the underlying truth: corporate gifting is hard. And because B2B gifting is hard, companies accidentally waste resources like time, money, and potential opportunities. Tom expanded on this further and pointed to the most common yet unwanted holiday gifts, thanks to pre-event survey data from webinar attendees:
1️⃣ Gift Cards: Most of the time, gift cards are forgotten. And if they are used, the moment of appreciation has long passed and the value is spent on more practical choices.
🤯 For reference, $21 Billion in gift cards go unused every year.
2️⃣ Food: Disregarding matters of preference and taste, food gifts like gourmet chocolate, popcorn tins, turkeys, and holiday hams pose a problem for dietary restrictions, vegetarians, and folks with food allergies.
3️⃣ Alcohol & Spirits: Similar to food, gifting booze isn’t a safe bet. Some recipients don’t drink for one reason or another, can’t drink for their health, and some people just have specific preferences when it comes to spirits and beverages.
While reaching for a gift card or bottle of wine might seem like the convenient thing to do, we’d like to offer a better suggestion: instead of a generic gift, invite them to select a gift of their choice that appeals to their interests and personality. When you partner with Cultivate, we handle the details and put extra thought and effort into your program, which helps you deliver a more meaningful and memorable gift that will be appreciated and cherished for years to come.
Recapping the Q&A Session
Would it even be a real webinar if we didn’t ask people to drop their questions in the chat? We didn’t think so either! Tom opened the floor for questions and the inquiries came flooding in. Check out the list of questions below to get answers to your most pressing holiday questions:
Any way we can personalize gifting?
We make it easy to customize your holiday gift program! Instead of adding a logo on all of the gifts, our Platform gives you the ability to personalize every digital touchpoint. From the email message and image to welcome message on your gifting site and more.
How can I sign up to start sending gifts online?
We’re gearing up to launch a new way for you to sign up and start gifting without any oversight. In the meantime, all you have to do is fill out this quick holiday form and a Gifting Expert will be in touch with you on the same day! Tell them you’re ready to sign up and they will make it happen.
Does the company pay upfront or for each item selected?
You only pay for the gifts people select. This ensures you only invest in appreciation that works!
How many items are in each gift collection?
When it comes to designing gift collections, we turn to the psychology of choice. According to this concept, presenting people with too many options can overwhelm them and lead to “choice paralysis.” Whereas too few choices can frustrate them and cause people to select something they’ll never use or value. To avoid this, all of our gift collections are curated with the right amount of choice. People browse 50 to 60 hand-selected, premium gifts from brands they know and love before making their decision.
Can I use the Platform to send gifts internationally?
Yes, we ship gifts internationally!
What is the minimum number of gifts we can send?
You can send one gift or hundreds. Plus, you can send them instantly or schedule them to go out at a later date — the choice is yours.
If a gift arrives broken or damaged, is exchanging easy for the recipient?
Yes! Our Guest Experience team makes exchanging damaged gifts easy. All damaged or defective exchange requests must be submitted within 48 hours of receipt.
Can I continue using the Platform to send gifts after the holiday season ends?
Yes, and we’d encourage you to do so! Gifting and appreciation shouldn’t be a one-and-done annual event. In fact, research shows that the more often employees are tangibly rewarded, the more likely they are to stay loyal, productive, and happy.
Is there a spreadsheet of who redeemed and what so we can track?
You will be able to track all activities from email opens to redemption data. Track email activities, redemption, shipping, and delivery all in one place.
Do I need people’s home addresses before sending gifts?
Don’t worry about compiling home addresses! All you need is an email address. Once someone selects a gift of their choice, they tell us where they want their gift shipped, and we deliver it to them.
Can we set parameters on when gifts must be redeemed?
Yes, you can decide how long you want to give them to select a gift — 30, 60, or 90 days.
What is an example of a $2,500 gift?
See for yourself! Click here to check out the $2,500 demo Collection.
How often are the gift options changed?
All of our gifting options are updated frequently based on redemption data, trends, and availability. Our team scours the world to offer only the latest and greatest gifts people will love, use, and remember who gave it to them.
Can we book an On-site Gifting program for a holiday party?
Absolutely! We’d love to help you make this year’s holiday party even more memorable than the last. From impressive and adaptable Pop-up Shops to On-site Staff that help people find the perfect gift, we offer turnkey service and handle the details for you. Click here to learn more about On-site Gifting!
Have another question? Ready to learn more about how Cultivate can help you deliver memorable holiday gifting this season? Explore and access our 2023 Holiday Hub! It’s your one-stop shop for NEW holiday content — also known as everything you need to plan a successful gift program — including:
- 2023 Holiday Gifting Catalog
- Expert Insights: Whitepaper
- On-demand Webinar
- … and more! Plus, new assets are launching soon
As we head into Q4 and the holiday season, we hope you’ll partner with Cultivate and remember the most important takeaway of all: "Gift with choice."
🎄🎁✨ Exclusive offer: Book your holiday program with Cultivate before Halloween to receive a premium gift of your choice, on us! ✨🎁🎄
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