This piece was written in collaboration with Lisa Cox, Director of Marketing at Teak & Twine.
Employee gifting is at an all time high with 61% of companies reporting that their gifting frequency has increased since changing their working model to hybrid or remote. According to a Coresight Research study, they estimate the corporate gifting market to grow 6.6% year over year, and grow to a total of $312B by 2025.
At Giftagram, we are always striving to bring you the most on trend gifts by best in class brands. As one of the leaders in corporate gift boxes, we’ve partnered with Teak & Twine to bring you insight into industry trends in the corporate gifting world.
We love working with Teak & Twine to create memorable unboxing moments because they support diverse communities and positive work culture. As a woman-owned business, Teak & Twine strives to support small businesses with diverse ownership and is working to redefine what work/life balance means to their company. Teak & Twine works with organizations from Indeed to Wall Street Journal to Salesforce.
Employee gifting trends
Right now, we’re seeing a lot of great gifting trends emerging — most notably, experiential gifts! Companies are looking for unique ways to engage their employees, so gifts that entail a full experience — like a gift box made for the perfect game night with friends, or a cookie decorating kit — have been really popular.
Another huge trend in employee gifting is gifts that give back — meaning, the items within the gift are supporting a larger cause (sustainability, supporting small businesses, etc.) These types of gifts are a great way for companies to communicate and reinforce their values to their employees.
To piggyback off of that, one of the most popular trends right now is gifts that are local! This stems from companies becoming increasingly committed to supporting their local business community — and we love to see it!
Gifting occasions
Now more than ever, we’re seeing companies set aside resources in an effort to be more thoughtful and supportive of their employees' personal milestones: purchasing a new home, a wedding, welcoming a newborn — or any other big life moment! We’re definitely seeing much more human connection between employers and employees.
Companies are also embracing a lot more out-of-the-box celebrations, like National Taco Day, or Bring Your Dog to Work Day — really, just any excuse to have fun! Overall, companies are trying to be less buttoned-up, and they’re looking for creative ways to create joy and have fun in the workplace.
The impact of hybrid and remote work
Employee gifting has shifted a lot over the past few years. When the majority of corporate offices went remote, there was a huge boom in demand — companies were using gifts as a way to connect with employees from afar. Now, for those that have fully embraced a remote workforce, gifting is a regular part of their employee engagement strategy.
Of course, many companies have returned to the office, both hybrid and full-time, and we weren’t sure what to expect. But we’ve seen a big increase in employee onboarding gifts, as companies are trying their best to welcome new hires and increase employee retention from the get-go. We’re also seeing a lot of company events and retreats, which is a great opportunity for gift-giving.
On trend gifts at Teak & Twine
Our latest product launch features brand-new gifts that are perfect for these increasingly popular gifting trends. One of our product lines is Experience Gifts, which is all about creating experiences and making lasting memories. There are some super fun gifts like The Movie Night, complete with a personal popcorn popper, movie trivia, cherry cola candies - the works! My favorite gift, The Ramen, is brand new for 2023 — it has packets of ramen noodles and comes with a bowl, chopsticks, and this amazing chili sauce from Momofuku. It is SO fun!
We also introduced a new line called Gifts That Give Back, which I absolutely love. Each gift includes products from incredible small businesses, all of which are committed to different social causes and efforts. My favorite in this collection is probably The Gathering Place — not only is it so beautiful, but the stories behind the products are just so inspiring: like the coffee from Humblemaker Coffee Co. This California-based company established Ten for Autism, a movement to encourage for-profit businesses to donate up to 10% of their annual net profits to enable children with autism the opportunity to experience music, surfing, and the great outdoors. And then there’s the Double chocolate cookies by Partake Foods, which partners with organizations like No Kid Hungry to help food-insecure families get access to the food, education, and advocacy they deserve. Truly, it’s just so inspiring and amazing. It’s such a privilege to work with so many small businesses that are really making a difference.
And then because local gifts are all the rage, we launched a line of gifts inspired by cities and regions throughout the US! We have a Washington D.C. gift box, of course, because that’s where we’re headquartered! We also introduced fun new gifts like The California Coast, The Pacific Northwest, and The New York.
Top employee gifts
Our most popular gifts for employees are centred around experiences — with The Game Night and The Movie Night being two of our most popular gifts! We’re also excited about The Backyard Bash, which will be a hit this summer.
Another popular theme is wellness — there’s no better way to show your employees how much you appreciate them than by giving them gifts centred around self-care! The Growth Mindset and The Rest & Relaxation have definitely been a hit.
There’s definitely a huge emphasis on giving gifts that align with company values, so our Gifts that Give Back line is a great way for companies to shop their values.
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