You send dozens of corporate business gifts to your business partners and don’t get anything but formal ”Thanks”. Why does it happen, and how can you turn gifts-to-throw-away into a powerful tool for new opportunities?
At Swag42, we specialize in personalized business gifts for partners. Creating 500K+ gifts for partners annually, we helped hundreds of clients (most of them are from iGaming) select and add a personal touch to their swag. Let’s explore why your swag doesn’t bring new opportunities and leads and how you can change it.
Key highlights:
– Avoid generic, impersonal gifts. Swag should feel like a genuine gesture of appreciation, not just another marketing campaign.
– Choose high-quality, functional items, such as premium tech gadgets, stylish office supplies, thoughtful wellness products, practical travel accessories, and well-made branded apparel, all of which strike the perfect balance between practicality and memorability.
– Invest in the experience. Enhance your gifting experience with beautiful packaging, QR codes, or NFC tags that link to personalized thank-you messages. Or provide gamified corporate business gifts and giveaways through magic links to a custom-branded shop.
– Work with a reliable merch provider that uses only high-quality materials and can manage everything end-to-end, from creating catchy designs to handling logistics and ensuring on-time delivery.
Why partner gifts matter
In industries like iGaming, collaboration and networking between game developers, affiliates, and B2B companies is central. Partner gifts are essential for maintaining strong connections. By providing your partners with thoughtful and well-timed corporate gifts, you demonstrate care and understanding of their needs, which is critical for building long-lasting business relationships.
A good example of a thoughtful gift campaign is the Google Cloud Platform exclusive program. Google sent Chromebooks to influencers and partners, enclosing an invitation to hop on a call with a Google Cloud Specialist. This gesture helped them build relationships with tech enthusiasts and generate new leads and opportunities.
On the contrary, the energy firm E.On sent customized socks to their customers along with “ridiculous” advice to survive cold weather. The only problem was that this happened against the clients’ concerns over living costs amid rising energy bills. The company’s CEO had to apologize to the offended customers publicly.
The infographic below shows the thoughtful vs. unthoughtful company gifts’ impact on your business and the gifting industry statistics.
Find more gifting insights and trends that we recapped after visiting industry events.
So why don’t your gifts work?
To help you understand why your company gifts might not be making the desired impact, we’ve created a checklist for thoughtful gifting. Consider whether your gift has any of the following issues:
- Is it generic and impersonal?
- Inappropriate to the recipient’s cultural, social, or personal context?
- Easily forgettable or widely available?
- Useless?
- Made of low-quality materials?
- Failing to reflect your brand message?
If you answered “yes” to any of these, it’s time to rethink your approach to gifting.
Good corporate business gifts: 5 ideas that make an impact
1. Functional tech gadgets
Tech gadgets, such as wireless power banks, chargers, and Bluetooth speakers, are gifts your business partners will use regularly. They help them stay connected on the go while keeping your brand top of mind. Our catalog includes options like Sony wireless headphones, branded power banks, and sleek Bluetooth speakers.
2. Wellness corporate gifts
Wellness-focused corporate business gifts are quickly gaining popularity. A branded neck massager or a luxury self-care set shows that you value your partners’ well-being and care about them beyond business transactions.
3. Eco-friendly corporate business gifts
Sustainable swag, such as reusable water bottles, eco-friendly lunch boxes, or apparel made from organic cotton or bamboo, demonstrates that you’re a thoughtful business partner who cares about the environment.
4. Branded items from premium brands
Many of our clients choose gifts from premium brands like BOSS, Lenco, Stanley, The North Face, etc. These items feel premium from the moment they’re unboxed, offering a great packaging experience, excellent quality, and durability.
5. Travel swag
Since many business partners travel frequently, thoughtful travel swag can make their journeys smoother. Consider items like a Cabeau travel pillow, a 3D sleep mask, a high-quality toiletry bag, or leakproof containers.
How to boost gift impact
Reliable merch provider
First, choose a merchandise provider with extensive experience in corporate gifts for partners and a strong reputation for quality and creativity. They should not only do the task but also assist you in researching and selecting products that meet your partners’ unique needs.
At Swag42, we help you select personalized business gifts that are:
- Inclusive and respectful to all recipients;
- Personalized and occasion-based;
- Unique and functional;
- Represent your company status and values;
- Have memorable and creative branding;
- Made from high-quality fabrics;
- Made by reputable brands.
Thus, Swag42 delivered exceptional gifts to prominent industry players, including Spotify, Soft2Bet, Wargaming, and BGaming.
Read the Growee and Swag42 success story.
Our catalog includes premium products from renowned brands like HUGO BOSS, Rains, Crocs, JBL, SONY, and many others. We also offer high-quality designer garments with creative branding options.
Memorable gifting experience
How you gift the branded swag is crucial in making a lasting impression and keeping your brand top-of-mind. What if your partners could choose the gifts themselves? The ability to select gifts increases satisfaction and ensures that the items they receive are desirable.
68% of people prefer choosing a corporate gift instead of obtaining a standard one. (Entrepreneur magazine)
With this idea in mind, Swag42 offers an innovative way of distributing partner gifts — through a custom swag shop based on the Swag42 Platform. By providing a link to your merch store and bonus points, you give your partners the freedom to select the items they truly value.
Perfect timing
Surprising сorporate gifts for specific occasions are the most memorable because they add a unique personal touch. Whether celebrating a partner’s first baby, the start of a successful project, or thanking them for a valuable referral, a well-timed gift shows you’re attentive and appreciative.
Therefore, keep a selection of branded gifts on hand to ensure you’re always prepared. Respond quickly to essential moments, reinforcing your connection and showing that you value your partnership beyond business communication.
Planning holiday corporate gifts early
Looking ahead, the winter holiday season offers a great chance to strengthen these bonds. It’s a perfect time to show appreciation, but with the high demand, preparing thoughtful partner gifts can be challenging. Additionally, logistics can get overloaded during the winter holidays.
Swag42 created and delivered 6K+ winter holiday gifts for Wargaming.com.
Therefore, early planning is crucial to avoid last-minute stress. Swag42 has already opened pre-orders for holiday gifts, allowing you to secure the best prices and ensure product availability.
By ordering your holiday gifts in September, you can sidestep the December rush and provide your partners with premium-quality items that convey your gratitude and reinforce your relationship.
Conclusion
If your partner gifts aren’t driving new opportunities, rethink your approach. With our expertise and premium swag solutions, we are ready to help you open doors to new business opportunities.
Take action today
Fill in the form and get the collection of winter holiday corporate gifts for business partners:
