Christmas gifting is a great opportunity to thank the people who have supported your business throughout the year – whether that’s your customers, employees or suppliers.
But choosing the right gift isn’t always straightforward. You want something people will genuinely appreciate, that fits your budget and represents your brand well – and you need to make sure you’ve left enough time to get everything produced, packed and delivered.
So, we’ve put together this guide to take you through some of the things to think about when planning your Corporate Christmas Gifts, along with plenty of ideas to help you get started.
Pressed for time? Get the free 10-minute planner at the bottom of this blog.
What do you want your Christmas gift to do?
Before you start looking at products, have a think about why you’re sending a Christmas gift in the first place.
It might simply be a thank you to your customers for their business over the past year. You might want to reward your team, strengthen relationships with key clients, reconnect with customers you haven’t heard from for a while, or even use your Christmas gifting as a way to start conversations with prospects.
Knowing what you want to achieve can help you make better decisions about who you’re sending gifts to, how much to spend and what type of gift is going to work best.
2. Who are you buying for?
Before choosing the actual gift, think about who will be receiving it.
A Christmas gift for your employees might be very different to something you’d send to a long-standing customer or a prospect you’re hoping to start a conversation with. For example:
- Employees – a thank-you for their hard work, something they can enjoy over Christmas or a useful gift they’ll keep.
- Customers – a way to say thank you for their business and strengthen the relationship.
- Prospects – something memorable that gives you a reason to get back in touch.
- VIP customers or partners – perhaps something a little more premium or personalised.
You don’t necessarily need to choose the same gift for everyone either. If you have a larger list, it can be useful to split it into groups and set a different budget or gift type for each.
3. Decide on your budget
This is one of the first questions we’ll normally ask when someone comes to us looking for Christmas gift ideas.
Not because you need a huge budget – you really don’t – but because knowing roughly what you would like to spend helps narrow down a very big choice of products.
Remember to factor in more than just the product itself. The prices shown on our website include one standard branding method in one position, but depending on what you’re planning, your overall cost could also include:
- Individual personalisation
- Gift packaging
- Inserts or cards
- Packing and fulfilment
- Delivery to one or multiple addresses
And don’t just think about the initial cost per item. It can be worth spending a little more on something that’s going to be kept and used regularly – the cost per use can actually work out much better, while your brand continues to be seen long after Christmas.
4. Corporate Christmas gift ideas for different budgets
There are thousands of options available, and you don’t necessarily need to choose something traditionally Christmassy. Some of the most popular gifts are useful products that people can continue using long after Christmas is over.
Smaller gifts and stocking fillers – under £10
If you’re buying in larger quantities or working with a lower budget, there are still plenty of options that can make a great Christmas gift.
Our Mood notebook is always a popular choice – it’s useful, good quality and can be branded in lots of different ways.
You could also look at branded mugs, chocolates and confectionery, socks, Christmas decorations, small desk products and other useful everyday items.
Or why not combine a couple of lower-cost products? A mug, hot chocolate and festive treat, for example, can create a simple gift set without spending a fortune.
Mid-range gifts – around £10-£15
With a little more budget, you can start looking at premium drinkware, insulated bottles and travel mugs, wellbeing products, winter accessories and smaller gift sets.
A quality reusable bottle is one of those products that continues to be popular year after year – particularly if you’re looking for something practical that will be used well beyond Christmas.
This is also where the quality of the product and the branding can make a real difference. A familiar product with engraving, tonal branding or a more unusual finish can suddenly feel much more like a gift.
Premium gifts – £15+
With a larger budget, you can look at premium drinkware, tech, clothing and accessories, hampers or more substantial gift sets.
You could also combine several products to create your own bespoke Christmas gift pack, built around the recipient, a theme or your budget.
For key customers or VIPs, this is where the finishing touches can make a real difference too – individual names, premium packaging or a handwritten message can make the whole gift feel much more personal.
View our corporate Christmas gift ideas
5. Ideas that land: Christmas gifts for different audiences
Still stuck for ideas? It can help to come back to who you’re buying for and what you want the gift to do.
Open doors with prospects
If you’re using Christmas gifting as a way to start or restart a conversation, you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune.
A letterbox-friendly Christmas pack could include a festive treat, useful desk item or something a little unusual, along with a card or message that gives you a natural reason to follow up.
Think about what happens after the gift arrives too. Could you include a QR code linking to a Christmas message, useful content or a way to book a catch-up in the New Year?
Delight key clients
For customers you particularly want to thank, you might want to spend a little more or choose something more personal.
A curated hamper or gift set, premium insulated bottle, wireless charging gift or a combination of products chosen specifically for that customer can all work well.
And don’t overlook products such as premium umbrellas. They might not immediately scream Christmas, but they’re useful, can last for years and give you plenty of scope to get creative with the branding.
Individual names, a personalised message or more premium packaging can make the gift feel that little bit more special too.
Celebrate colleagues
Christmas is a great opportunity to thank your team too.
You could look at wellbeing gifts, cosy winter products such as beanies, scarves or socks, drinkware, tech or a selection of smaller products packaged together.
See more luxury corporate gift ideas
6. What will people actually want to keep?
Will the person receiving your gift actually want it? There can be a temptation with branded Christmas gifts to start with “What can we put our logo on?” rather than “What would this person actually appreciate?”
The two can absolutely work together. A quality bottle, mug, notebook, umbrella, piece of tech or cosy winter product can be useful for months or even years. If the design is good and the branding is considered, your logo still gets plenty of exposure without needing to dominate the product.
And don’t be afraid to do something a little different. A few years ago, for example, we sent our own customers a succulent and candle gift set for Christmas. The candle gave it a festive feel, while the succulent was something that could be kept and enjoyed long after Christmas was over.
It wasn’t covered in Christmas branding either. We kept our own branding fairly subtle, making it feel much more like a gift than a piece of promotional merchandise.
7. Make it personal
There are lots of ways to personalise a corporate Christmas gift without creating a huge amount of extra work. You could:
- Add individual names to the product
- Include a personalised card or sleeve
- Add a handwritten note or Christmas card
- Create different versions for different customer groups
- Add a QR code linking to a Christmas message or video
Sometimes the simplest touches can make the biggest difference. With our own customer gifts, we’ll often include a personalised note or card.
If you’re sending a larger number of gifts directly from a supplier, that doesn’t mean you have to lose the personal touches either. Depending on the product and how it’s being fulfilled, we can look at options such as personalised sleeves, printed inserts or creating a Christmas card to go in with each gift, and organise this as part of the fulfilment.
Or, if keeping things simple makes more sense, choosing something that’s genuinely useful and getting the product, branding and presentation right can be just as important.
If you’re planning a larger campaign, we can look at the different options available and find something that works for your budget, timescale and how you want the gifts to be delivered.
View our Personalised items here
8. Consider sustainability and inclusivity
There isn’t one product that’s going to suit absolutely everybody, so it’s worth thinking about your recipients before you place the order.
If you’re sending food or drink, are there dietary requirements to consider? Is alcohol appropriate for everyone? Could you offer an alcohol-free, vegan or other alternative where needed?
For other gifts, you might want to consider products made from recycled or certified materials, reusable products, UK-made options, minimal packaging or simply something good quality enough to be kept and used for a long time.
Sustainability isn’t just about what something is made from. How useful it is and how long somebody is likely to keep it matter too.
9. Packaging can make a big impact
Packaging can make a big difference to how your Christmas gift looks when it arrives.
It doesn’t have to mean an expensive bespoke gift box either. A simple branded sleeve, printed card, tissue paper or gift bag can make a fairly straightforward product feel much more like a gift.
If you’re putting several products together, we can also look at bespoke boxes and foam inserts, designed to hold the products neatly in place and give the whole gift a more premium finish.
And, of course, there’s the sustainability side to consider. Can you reduce unnecessary packaging, use recycled or recyclable materials, or choose packaging that can be reused?
It’s worth thinking about how your gift will actually arrive, not just what’s inside it.
10. When should you order corporate Christmas gifts?
Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for branded merchandise, and the earlier you start, the more choice you’ll have.
For a straightforward branded product, our usual lead time is around 10 working days from artwork approval, although this varies by product and express options are available.
But Christmas projects can often have a few more moving parts. If you’re creating gift boxes, ordering several different products, adding individual personalisation or sending gifts to multiple addresses, you’ll need to allow extra time.
As a rough guide:
- September: Agree budgets, decide who you’re buying for, shortlist products and start artwork.
- Early October: Approve proofs, confirm quantities and start collecting any addresses or other recipient information you need.
- Late October-November: Production, with packing and fulfilment arranged where required. For larger or more complex orders, you may also want to request a factory proof or pre-production sample where available.
- Late November-mid December: Despatch and delivery. Allow some contingency time – and consider keeping a few spare gifts for any last-minute additions.
For complex gift boxes or multi-address campaigns, we’d recommend building at least another 1-2 weeks into your timescale.
And if you’re reading this later than that, don’t panic! There are still plenty of products with shorter lead times and UK stock available – you may just have a little less choice.
11. How will you deliver them?
This is worth thinking about before you place the order, particularly if you’re sending gifts to lots of different people.
Are they all going to one office? Will your team hand them out personally? Are you giving them out at an event or Christmas party? Or do you need 200 individually packed gifts sent to 200 different addresses?
If you’re sending to individual recipients, you’ll need to:
- Collect names and addresses securely and check postcodes carefully
- Find out about any dietary requirements if you’re including food or drink
- Decide whether the gift needs to be letterbox-friendly to help reduce missed deliveries
- Allow extra time for international deliveries and customs, and consider non-perishable and non-fragile products
- Think about whether you’ll need tracking and a few spare gifts for any problems or late additions
We can help arrange packing, fulfilment, split deliveries and multi-address campaigns, so it’s worth talking to us about how the gifts need to be distributed when you’re choosing the products – not once everything has been produced.
If you’re looking at sending several products together, our corporate gift packs can also give you some ideas for how different products can be packaged together.
12. A couple of things worth checking
If you’re sending gifts to customers or employees, there are a couple of practical things worth checking before you place your order.
Some organisations have their own policies around accepting corporate gifts, particularly over a certain value, so it’s worth checking this if you’re planning something more expensive for customers or contacts.
There are also UK tax rules around business and employee gifts. For example, some employee gifts may qualify under HMRC’s trivial benefits rules, depending on the circumstances.
We’d always recommend checking the latest HMRC guidance or speaking to your accountant if you’re unsure.
13. What to include in your Christmas gift brief
You don’t need to know exactly what product you want before getting in touch with us. In fact, sometimes it’s better if you don’t!
Give us the basics and we can help narrow down the options. It’s useful to know:
- Who you’re buying for and why – customers, prospects, employees or a mixture?
- Your budget and quantity – roughly how much per person and how many you need.
- When you need them – particularly important at Christmas.
- How they’re being delivered – one address, several offices or individually to recipients?
- Your branding – do you want something bold, subtle, personalised or perhaps no obvious branding at all?
- Any sustainability requirements – recycled materials, UK-made products, minimal packaging etc.
- Any dietary or inclusion requirements – particularly for food, drink or clothing.
- Packaging and personalisation – gift boxes, sleeves, Christmas cards, individual names etc.
And don’t worry if all you know is:
“I’ve got £15 each for 200 customers and I’d like them delivered by the end of November.”
That’s enough for us to start coming up with ideas.
14. And finally…make a note of what worked
Did customers particularly like one product? Did you need more gifts than you originally expected? Did you get any useful feedback on the packaging, personalisation or gift itself?
If you’re sending gifts as part of a campaign, you could also track things such as QR code scans, replies or meetings booked. For employee gifts, even an informal bit of feedback can help you work out what people actually liked and used.
It doesn’t need to become a huge reporting exercise. A few notes about what worked – and anything you’d do differently next time – can make planning next year’s Christmas gifts much easier.
Read more about how to measure your branded merchandise results.
Corporate Christmas gift FAQs
What are the best corporate Christmas gifts?
There isn’t one ‘best’ corporate Christmas gift – it depends on who you’re buying for, your budget and what you want the gift to achieve.
In general, we’d look for something useful, good quality and appropriate for the recipient. Premium drinkware, tech, notebooks, wellbeing products, winter accessories, food and drink gifts and curated gift packs can all work well.
What are good Christmas gifts for employees?
Think about something that feels like a genuine thank you rather than simply another piece of company merchandise.
Wellbeing gifts, drinkware, winter accessories, food and drink, tech products and gift packs are all popular options. Adding a personal message from the leadership team can make even a relatively simple gift feel more thoughtful.
What are good Christmas gifts for clients?
Useful products that people will keep tend to work particularly well for client gifting.
Think premium drinkware, notebooks, umbrellas, tech, food and drink or a carefully chosen gift set. For key clients, you could also consider individual personalisation, premium packaging or a personal message from their account manager.
What’s a sensible budget per recipient?
There’s no set amount – it depends on who you’re buying for, how many gifts you need and what you want the gift to achieve.
As a rough guide:
- Prospects: £3-£12 per person
- Employees/colleagues: £15-£30 per person
- Key customers: £15-£45+ per person
For VIP customers or particularly important relationships, you might choose to spend more on a premium or bespoke gift set.
You don’t necessarily need the same budget for everyone either. Splitting your recipients into groups can help you decide where you want to spend a little more.
Remember to factor in any additional costs such as packaging, personalisation, fulfilment and individual delivery too.
Can you supply corporate Christmas gifts in smaller quantities?
Yes. Minimum order quantities vary depending on the product and branding method, but there are plenty of corporate Christmas gift options available in smaller quantities.
You can filter products by quantity on our website to find options that suit the number of gifts you need. Or, let us know roughly how many you’re looking for and your budget per person, and we can suggest some ideas.
When should I order branded Christmas gifts?
For the widest choice, we’d recommend starting to plan your corporate Christmas gifts in September or October.
Many standard branded products can be produced in around 10 working days from artwork approval, but bespoke products, gift sets, individual personalisation and multi-address fulfilment may need longer.
Left it a little late? Don’t panic! We can often source last-minute Christmas gifts with shorter lead times or products held in UK stock. Your choice may be a little more limited, but get in touch and we’ll see what’s possible.
Can corporate Christmas gifts be personalised?
Yes. As well as adding your company branding, a selection of products can also be personalised with individual names.
You can also personalise cards, packaging, sleeves and inserts, which can be a good way of making a larger gifting campaign feel more personal.
Can you send gifts directly to our customers or employees?
Depending on the project, we can help arrange packing, fulfilment and delivery to multiple addresses, as well as delivery to one location.
Tell us how you’d like the gifts distributed when you first enquire so we can factor it into the recommendations, timescales and costs.
Can powerbanks and other tech gifts be sent directly to recipients?
Yes, although products containing lithium batteries, such as powerbanks, can have additional delivery restrictions.
This can limit which postal and courier services can be used, so these products may need to be sent directly from the supplier using an appropriate delivery service.
If you’re considering powerbanks or other battery-powered gifts, let us know how you’d like them distributed when you enquire. We can check the available options with the supplier and factor this into your plans from the start.
Are Christmas gifts for employees tax-free?
Some gifts may qualify as a tax-free trivial benefit if they meet HMRC’s conditions, but it depends on the circumstances.
We’d recommend checking the latest HMRC guidance or speaking to your accountant if you’re unsure.
Ready to start planning?
There are a lot of corporate Christmas gifts to choose from, but you don’t need to trawl through thousands of products to find the right one.
Start with the basics – who you’re buying for, what you want the gift to do, how many you need, your budget and when you need them – and we can help with the rest.
We’ve also put together a free 10-minute Corporate Christmas Gift Planner to help you get everything down on paper before you start looking at products.
Or, if you’d rather talk through some ideas, get in touch with the Steel City team and tell us what you’re planning.
