2020 changed everything. Personal lifestyles, work culture, entire industries and how we do business. All areas of life were affected by the global pandemic, lockdowns, and unprecedented levels of uncertainty. Can corporate Christmas 2020 be any different?
While this year is starting to wind down and we look toward the approaching holiday season, questions about winter festive celebrations are coming into focus. Gift Baskets Overseas has collected its years of expertise in corporate gifting to try and predict what this side of corporate life will look like this year. . . and maybe moving forward.
Corporate Christmas 2020: What to Expect
Virtual events to rescue holiday spirit
First and foremost, I would like us to think about the spirit of a holiday. Despite the social distancing rules imposed globally that this year, or maybe because of them, people want to be together on Christmas (or during the holiday season) more than ever. I strongly believe that, while respecting corporate policies and guidelines, leaders should meet this demand for togetherness.
How to do that safely? Newly acquired experience in moving in-person events online can be a key. If conferences, meetings, and seminars are doing well in a digital new normal, then why not have a “Corporate Christmas 2020” party? Some fun activities with games, contests, jokes, and surprises can lift up team spirits and set a good tone for the year to come.
In his recent article at MarketingProfs, Accenture Interactive’s managing director and agency lead Jason Michaels recommended sending gifts to your webinar or conference attendees to delight and engage them. All of the recent experience of Gift Baskets Overseas’ corporate clients with digital events states the same. Gifts delivered to participants in time and seamlessly is a strategy that makes events stand out and be remembered.
Health and Fitness Gifts to Be the Most Popular
So, you decided on a particular lineup of online activities to hold for your employees or customers. Now it’s time to select gifts that are remarkable, appropriate in quarantined times, and deliverable. If it comes to a smaller local team, you probably know well what your guests might enjoy. Adding a personal touch is always a good choice.
For this year, we predict a higher demand for healthy gift sets with focus on wellness and fitness. To make sure that your team receives the best depending on their preferences, we recommend Vitamin Gift Baskets, Health and Fitness Gift Baskets, and Virtual Events Gift categories.
On the other hand, when your team is international, or your customers are located worldwide, it might present a challenge to ensure that gifts are culturally acceptable and will delight their recipients. For such cases, the Gift Baskets Overseas team analyzed a vast amount of data on product popularity from all over the world and published a report: Most Popular Corporate Gifts by Country [Research]
Holiday Preparations to Start Early
Most international delivery companies already experience delays in their service during the holidays due to huge demand. After all, majority of the population in developed countries have moved even their grocery shopping online these days! It is hard to predict how exactly holiday deliveries will be affected, but it is better to plan for the worst.
With delays in mind, we would recommend that you start your event and gifts preparation at least two weeks earlier than you normally would. While usually we advise our corporate clients to send their bulk orders early in November, this year probably it’s better to stick to October at the latest. The same goes for event planning. Because of the logistics, expect delays when ordering printed and collateral materials.
Corporate Christmas 2020: Wrap Up
This year has tested us a lot. Corporate Christmas 2020 might be no different. But in order to try and start a new 2021 on a positive note, corporate leaders can use the holiday season as a good starting point. From an international gift expert’s perspective we at Gift Baskets Overseas recommend:
- Using the power of online events to keep your teams and customers engaged and uplifted.
- Focusing on wellness and health while surprising them with gifts.
- Starting preparation as early as the beginning of October.
We wish you good luck, and a happy and healthy festive season ahead!
Director of Digital Marketing and Strategy for GiftBasketsOverseas passionate about all-things digital, travel, and wellness. Natasha covers some corporate topics and data analytics and research for the GiftBasketsOverseas blog.