The holiday season has a way of arriving quickly, especially when you’re managing gifts for employees, clients, customers or partners. 

The good news? Corporate holiday gifting doesn’t have to become another end-of-year scramble. A little planning now can make the entire process easier, from choosing gifts and gathering addresses to finalizing your budget and determining when you want each gift to arrive. 

If corporate gifting is on your year-end to-do list, here’s how to work backward from your preferred delivery date and cross this item off your list. 

Start with your preferred delivery date.

Before choosing a gift, decide when you’d like your recipients to receive it. 

Do you want gifts to arrive early in the holiday season? Before a company celebration? Ahead of an office closure? Or closer to Christmas? 

Your preferred arrival date gives you a starting point for the rest of your corporate gifting timeline. From there, you can work backward and give yourself enough room for internal approvals, recipient information, gift selection and shipping. 

If your company needs to use remaining budget before the end of the year, planning ahead can also help you coordinate gifting with internal purchasing or spending deadlines. 

Determine who is on your recipient list.

Next, determine how many people you’re shopping for. Your list might include: 

• Employees or team members
• Clients and customers
• Business partners
• Vendors
• Remote employees
• Multiple offices or departments 

Having a reliable recipient count early makes it easier to establish an overall budget and choose a gift that works for your group. 

The Creamery offers Group Gifting to make it easier to send gifts across teams or recipient lists. Orders of 25 or more curated boxes receive 10% savings. 

Set your budget.

Once you know how many people you’re gifting, determine how much you’d like to spend per recipient. 

Remember to think about more than the cost of the gift itself. Shipping, upgrades and other selections may affect your total. 

Starting with both a recipient count and a target budget makes it much easier to narrow down your options and request an accurate estimate. 

Choose a gift that feels thoughtful.

A business gift may be sent on behalf of a company, but it should still feel personal. Food gifts offer something recipients can enjoy themselves or share with family, friends or coworkers.

The Creamery’s curated boxes bring together cheese and other complementary treats in ready-to-gift assortments, helping take some of the guesswork out of choosing what to send. Simply select an option that fits your budget, recipient list and the impression you’d like your gift to make. 

Gather addresses early.

For many group orders, choosing the gift is the easy part. Gathering everyone's information can take longer. 

Begin collecting and reviewing shipping addresses early, especially if gifts will be sent directly to individual recipients in multiple locations. Make sure to check your list for incomplete information and outdated addresses. This step can help make the ordering process much smoother. 

Decide on gift messages and customization.

Think about how you want recipients to know who their gift is from and what you want to say. 

A short holiday message can add a thoughtful finishing touch, especially when you’re thanking employees, recognizing clients or celebrating another year of partnership. 

If your gifting plans involve additional customization, include those decisions in your timeline rather than saving them for the final step. 

Leave room for internal approvals.

If multiple people need to sign off on the gift, budget or recipient list, build that into your planning. 

You may need approval from leadership, finance, purchasing or other stakeholders before placing the final order. Getting those conversations started early means you’re less likely to find yourself waiting on an approval as your preferred delivery date approaches. 

What to provide when requesting a Group Gifting estimate.

Ready to start planning? Having these details on hand can help simplify the process: 

• Approximate number of recipients
• Target budget per gift or overall budget
• Preferred curated box(es)
• Any customization needs
• Preferred delivery timeframe
• Recipient shipping addresses
• Gift message
  
• Internal approval or purchasing deadlines 

You don't need every detail finalized before starting the conversation. Even an approximate recipient count, budget and delivery window can give you a helpful place to begin. 

Make holiday Group Gifting easier.

The best time to start thinking about corporate holiday gifts is before the holiday rush is in full swing. 

Planning ahead gives you more time to build your list, make thoughtful decisions and choose a gift that genuinely reflects your appreciation. And whether you’re thanking 10 employees or sending gifts to a longer list of customers and partners, The Creamery can help simplify the process. 

Planning your holiday gifting? Request a free Group Gifting estimate and start building a plan for your team, clients or customers.