The business Gift Packaging 101

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. However, let’s be honest. We all make assessments using those crucial first impressions.

The same applies to business gifts. No matter how much thought goes into selecting the item or experience vouchers inside, if the delivery arrives in a jiffy bag or a plain brown envelope, it loses some of its edge.

Do you remember as a child the thrill of waiting for Christmas and birthdays and the thrill of seeing brightly wrapped presents? That feeling lingers long after your recollection of the items you actually received fades away.

There is still a kid in all of us. The anticipation and excitement when we receive a gift can be as thrilling as actually using the item. In fact, if the present is a bit useless or a duplicate of something we already own, the anticipation is everything!

Outer layers matter

It means that for strategic gifting, considering packaging is important. It’s also another chance to get your corporate message across.

A beautifully wrapped gift or an item in an exciting box tells the recipient that your organisation pays attention to detail, cares about them and knows something about quality.

A tatty plain box that fared badly in transit could send the opposite message!

Elevate the contents

There is also a degree of “kid-ology” involved in using luxury boxes, packages and wrapping for business gifting. Something in a fabulous and well-created outer wrapper could well be perceived as having greater value than its true worth.

Do note though, layers of gold tissue paper and a flurry of glitter in your lovely gift box will still make a keyring look disappointing!

Use packaging for personalisation

The packaging could be the best place to personalise your gift item too.

For example, a generic item in a box with your customer’s name on the top would look a lot more personal and is likely to be more appreciated.

Creating brand awareness

Having your brand identity and a brief message on the packaging can also be a better option than adding obtrusive logos to the gift itself. Blatant marketing on the item itself could be perceived as devaluing it.

Having branding on packaging to connect with your recipients can also work out less expensive than commissioning personalised gifts using engraving, printing and embroidery, for example.

In fact, the packaging could well be the perfect place to do some robust brand awareness and show that you care.

Imagine you could include a photo of your team with a handwritten message on it, saying thank you. Little personal touches like that can add great sentimental value to gifts, ensuring they are received warmly and kept for longer periods of time.

Even just including a handwritten note can lift strategic gifting from a purely businesslike endeavour to something more personal and friendly.

The right person for strategic gifting

On that “note”, when arranging gift delivery for your corporate gifting, make absolutely sure that the right contact details are on the packaging!

A lot of the kudos evaporates when you spell the client’s name wrong. Or, it never even gets to them!