Choosing the right branded client gift isn’t about finding the most expensive or unusual product. The best gifts are useful, relevant to the recipient and a good reflection of your brand.
From thanking long-standing customers to welcoming new clients or marking a successful project, personalised promotional merchandise can help businesses strengthen relationships and stay front of mind.
With thousands of products to choose from, though, where do you start?
What makes a good branded client gift?
A good corporate client gift should feel like something you’d genuinely be happy to receive yourself.
Think quality, usefulness and relevance before novelty. A well-made notebook, insulated bottle, travel mug, umbrella or tech accessory that gets regular use can have far more impact than something unusual that ends up forgotten in a drawer.
It doesn’t need to have a huge logo either. Often, subtle branding can make a gift feel more considered and increase the chances of it being used.
Choose the gift around the recipient
Before looking at products, think about who you’re buying for.
Is it a thank you for a long-standing client? A gift for a whole team? Something for visitors to an event? Or a more premium gift to mark a significant project or milestone?
Your business gift selection should reflect the relationship and the occasion.
For larger groups, practical branded merchandise can work particularly well. For key clients, you might choose something more premium or create a personalised gift box combining several carefully selected items.
Starting with the recipient rather than the product makes narrowing down the options much easier.
What branded merchandise do people actually use?
Useful products generally have the greatest staying power.
Popular options include quality notebooks and stationery, insulated bottles and travel mugs, umbrellas, bags, clothing, tech accessories and reusable products.
For businesses in Aberdeen and across Scotland, it’s also worth thinking practically. An insulated travel mug or decent umbrella for the golf course might get considerably more use here than a product designed with sunnier weather in mind!
But useful doesn’t have to mean predictable.
A familiar product can still stand out through great design, an interesting branding technique or clever packaging. The aim is to find the balance between something people need and something they’ll remember.
How much should you spend on corporate client gifts?
There’s no single figure that works for every business.
Instead, think about the value of the relationship, how many people you’re gifting to and what you’d like the gift to achieve.
If you have a limited budget, it’s often better to choose one good-quality product rather than several cheaper items. With a larger budget, you can explore more premium personalised corporate gifts, bespoke products or coordinated gift sets.
Minimum order quantities can also affect your options, so it’s worth knowing approximately how many gifts you need before choosing a product.
Make the branding part of the gift
There’s much more to branded merchandise than putting a logo on something.
Depending on the product, branding options can include print, embroidery, engraving, embossing and direct-to-object printing. You could also incorporate a campaign message, company values, anniversary branding or bespoke artwork.
At XIC, we can also combine merchandise with our in-house print and creative capabilities to develop presentation boxes, sleeves, cards and other printed elements.
Sometimes the packaging is what brings the whole idea together.
Consider sustainability and longevity
Sustainability is understandably becoming a bigger consideration when choosing custom promotional products.
Recycled and recyclable materials, reusable products, responsible sourcing and reduced packaging can all play a part.
Longevity matters too.
A quality product that someone uses for several years can be a more considered choice than several lower-cost products with a short lifespan.
It’s worth asking a simple question: will the recipient actually use this?
If the answer is yes, you’re already on the right track.
What about branded diaries and calendars?
Branded diaries and calendars remain a popular choice for corporate gifting, particularly when they’re well designed and useful.
They can keep your brand visible throughout the year and offer plenty of scope for customisation, from covers and paper stocks to personalised pages and finishing.
There’s a lot more to consider with these products, so we’ll cover branded diaries and calendars in a separate guide.
How far ahead should you order branded merchandise?
The earlier you can start, the more choice you’ll have.
Lead times vary depending on the product, quantity and type of branding required. Bespoke products and packaging will generally need more time than standard items.
If your gifts are for Christmas, an exhibition, an anniversary or another fixed date, planning ahead also gives you more opportunity to create something tailored to your business rather than simply choosing from what’s available at short notice.
Need some ideas?
With so many products available, choosing can sometimes be the hardest part.
At XIC in Aberdeen, we help businesses across Scotland source and create branded merchandise that fits their audience, brand and budget.
You don’t need to know exactly what you’re looking for. Tell us who it’s for, roughly how many you need, your budget and when you need it.
We’ll help you narrow down the options and create something people will actually want to keep.
You can contact the team using our request quote button.
