Business gifts take a technological turn

Many companies take the holiday season as an opportunity to show appreciation to both employees and clients through gift-giving.

While many of the classic gift ideas are still popular, society’s move toward technology is making itself seen in business-to-business gift ideas as well.

As items such as iPods and Blackberry hand-held organizers continue to permeate the business landscape, gifts related to those items are growing in popularity.

“Accessories to the hot new gadgets are in, like cases for iPods or cases to carry a Blackberry in – either the padfolio or the hip holster,” said Roger Wasson Jr., a member of the sales team at Springfield-based Elite Promotions, 1419 N. Belcrest Ave.

He added that other household gadgets are popular, especially outdoor temperature gauges that come with indoor digital read-outs.

Also making a comeback are products from Swiss Army.

“After 9/11, for a while, you couldn’t take knives on the plane, and now you can,” Wasson said. “So those items are experiencing high numbers because people want those back with their logo on them.”

Wasson said individual gifts from Elite generally run $15 to $25, depending on the quantity ordered.

Sticking with tradition

While technology creates new gift ideas, some ideas never go out of fashion. One of the time-honored classics is food.

Debbie Thomas, office manager for American Dehydrated Foods and International Dehydrated Foods in Springfield, said her company has given candies – usually chocolate toffee – to clients and employees for years. The tradition, she said, began with company founder William Darr.

“Mr. Darr years ago used to have a company out of California do large orders for him,” Thomas said, adding that the company dissolved, forcing Darr to look for a new gift source. “For years they had been giving that away not only to businesses but also to associates within the office. That was something he hated to drop because it was such a tradition.”

So the company began working with Candy House Gourmet Chocolates, which has two locations in Springfield, to keep the annual tradition going. It’s a move, Thomas said, that has been welcomed by clients and employees.

“There are times when we think about doing something different, and we always elect not to because of the tradition,” she said. “We give them away every year, and people tell us, ‘Oh, we’ve been waiting for that toffee to come around.’ It’s like Christmas – they know that it’s coming.”

Thomas declined to say how much the company spends on the toffee each year.

“It’s a minor token of the appreciation we have,” she said, noting that the gift’s small size alleviates any tax issues for recipients.

Reconnecting

Mercy Health Plans presents gift baskets to its clients each year. Administrative Assistant Rebecca Robertson said the gifts usually include a logo mug with hot chocolate, soup mixes or pastries.

“Even though it’s a really busy time of year, it’s a good time to go visit people, connect with them, even if it’s just a few minutes to give them a gift,” she said. “It gives us a chance to talk during a time of year when you might not get out to talk to everybody.”

Billy Garrigan, corporate accounts manager for Candy House, said candy or other edible gifts can work for everyone – if a company knows its clients and how they will react.

“You have to take the recipient into consideration,” Garrigan said. “We offer sugar-free candy – which is very important these days – if your recipient is diabetic, we need to know that so we can accommodate ... them. I’d say being conscious of food allergies is important, and sugar content is also important.”

In addition to assortments that start at about $6 each, Candy House also can do chocolate business cards for Christmas or other special occasions.

Garrigan said the chocolate business cards require a one-time setup fee of $195, and the cards start at $1.75 apiece, but the price declines as the volume ordered increases.

Branding with gifts

Whether it’s a pocketknife or a gadget accessory, Elite’s Wasson said some companies elect to brand their gifts with corporate logos.

“It’s 50-50,” Elite Promotions’ Wasson said. “A lot of times with holiday items, we do special packaging that says, ‘Thank you,’ with the company logo on the packaging – that way you don’t disturb the actual piece itself.”

He added that many companies who add a logo are electing to go with tone-on-tone printing or embossing, so the logo will be still be visible but also less noticeable.

Tips for business gift-giving

For clients:

• Think twice when giving gifts to the opposite sex; extra care should be taken so that gifts are not misinterpreted.

• Check vigorously for mistakes in personalized gifts. Nothing is more disappointing than a misspelled name when the employee is supposed to feel recognized.

• Don’t reciprocate automatically. But do make sure to thank the giver for his or her thoughtfulness.

• Be aware of dietary restrictions.

• Don’t forget assistants. They’ll appreciate that you remembered them – and so will their bosses.

For employees:

• Don’t play favorites – when giving gifts to all employees, consider them all equals.

• Remember everyone, including cleaning staff and other regular contractors or part-timers.

• Make returns easy. No one wants to have their gifts returned – but those who make it easy to do so are always appreciated.

• Be discreet if you’re not giving gifts to everyone. It may be a good idea in this circumstance to give the gifts outside of the office, especially if there’s a chance it will come across as favoritism.

Source: Yahoo! Small Business