You've got a list. You're checking it twice.
But when it comes to business gifts for your customers and team this holiday season, you might need some expert advice.
That’s why we’re sharing our top 10 tips for thoughtful, stress-free holiday gifting that makes everyone on your list feel appreciated.
- Tip #1: How Much Should I Spend on Holiday Gifts for Customers?
- Tip #2: What’s a Good Business Holiday Gift for a Large List of Customers?
- Tip #3: What Holiday Gifts Do Employees Actually Want?
- Tip #4: Build a Business Holiday Gift Set With Thoughtful Extras
- Tip #5: Consider a Gift That Gives Back
- Tip #6: Make Gifts Stand Out With Custom-Printed Packaging
- Tip #7: Printing Personalized Holiday Cards is Easier Than You Might Think
- Tip #8: Beat the Holiday Rush and Order Before Thanksgiving
- Tip #9: Make It Easier to Send Holiday Gifts to Multiple Locations
- Tip #10: How Can I Make Business Gifting Easier All Year?
Tip #1: How Much Should I Spend on Holiday Gifts for Customers?
Before you start browsing gifts, take a look at who’s on your list.
Group recipients by relationship—like longtime customers, key accounts, and prospects—then set a gift budget for each group. These gifting tiers help you choose thoughtful gifts for everyone, with room to do something extra for your key accounts and relationships.
For example:
- $25–$50: General business contacts, prospects, and smaller accounts.
- $50–$100: Longtime customers, employees, and mid-tier accounts.
- $100+: VIP customers, key accounts or relationships, and top-tier partners.
Keep in mind that not every contact needs a gift. Sending a thoughtful holiday card allows you to show appreciation to your broader network while reserving gifts for top customers and partners.
Once you’ve established those tiers, start with the largest group. Choosing one gift with broad appeal takes a big chunk of planning off your plate.
Tip #2: What’s a Good Business Holiday Gift for a Large List of Customers?
For your largest gifting tier, keep it simple: choose one well-made, crowd-pleasing gift you can give across your list. Look for items with everyday appeal that recipients can use at work, on the go, or at home.
Here are some of our top picks for crowd-pleaser gifts for everyone on your list. 
Desk & Office Gifts
- Custom calendars: Keep your brand on the desk all year with a calendar featuring your photography, artwork, or company branding.
- Wireless charging trays: Combine a phone charger and a place for everyday desk essentials in one branded gift.
- Executive pens: Give a classic office gift with a weighted barrel, smooth gel ink, and a presentation case.
Travel & On-the-Go Gifts
- Power banks: Give customers a portable charging option for business trips, conferences, and days away from an outlet.
- Insulated tumblers: Put your logo on a practical gift for morning coffee, daily commutes, and weekend outings.
- Maglite® flashlights: Consider a branded flashlight for customers in manufacturing, construction, or outdoor industries.
Home & Entertaining Gifts
- Artisan cutting boards: Add your branding to a wood cutting board for a gift customers can use in their kitchens.
- Professional BBQ kits: Bring grilling tools together in a custom-branded carrying case.
- Gourmet chocolate boxes: Finish a selection of artisan chocolates with a custom-printed belly band.
Tip #3: What Holiday Gifts Do Employees Actually Want?
For employees, the best gifts feel less like promotional products and more like something selected specifically for them. Keep the focus on appreciation and choose something they’ll be excited to unwrap and use beyond the workday.
Non-branded gifts or higher-end retail items with very subtle branding are excellent options, especially for apparel and gear they’ll use outside of work. If you include your logo on employee gifts, keep it understated with a small embroidered mark or a tone-on-tone design.
Tip #4: Custom Gift Sets With Thoughtful Extras
If you’d like to give a little more, put together a gift set with items that belong together. Build around a main gift with a few thoughtful extras, or group a few varieties of one product. Either way, choose pieces that complement each other rather than adding products just to fill the box.
Here are some of our favorite gift sets:
You can also build a set around a few varieties of one product, such as a coffee tasting set.
“For our coffee-loving clients, a curated selection of high-quality coffee beans from different regions has been a big hit. We partnered with a local roaster and included a brief story behind each coffee’s origin, which made it feel special,” said Josh Qian, the COO and Co-Founder of Best Online Cabinets.
To give a little context to the gift set, consider adding a printed insert to introduce each item in the kit, share tasting notes, or explain what makes the products worth trying.
Tip #5: Consider a Gift That Gives Back
As you compare products, consider the companies behind them. You may find a gift that supports a community cause or offers a specific environmental benefit your recipients would appreciate.
“It helps create goodwill from the company giving the gifts, as they get to help make an impact in their communities while gift-giving,” shared Kelly Belknap, co-founder of Adventurist Backpack Co, a retailer that designs minimalist backpacks and travel essentials. “For every bag sold, we provide 25 meals to families in need across the U.S.”
Look for a clear explanation of what the purchase supports, and choose something that’s still a good fit for the recipient. If the company’s mission helped you make the selection, include a short explanation on a printed insert.
Tip #6: Make Gifts Stand Out With Custom-Printed Packaging
When a gift arrives on a doorstep or a desk, the packaging is the first thing your recipient interacts with.
If you’re looking to make spirits bright from the very first glance, custom packaging is the way to go.
Sending gifts by mail? Custom packaging also protects gifts during transit and can reduce shipping costs.
- Custom-printed boxes
Bring your products together in a custom-sized box designed around your exact items, complete with a printed exterior, fitted inserts or dividers to keep everything organized, and a warm greeting printed right under the lid. - Custom-printed sleeves and belly bands
Add your logo, a festive holiday design, or even the recipient’s name to existing retail packaging.
Tip #7: Printing Personalized Holiday Cards is Easier Than You Might Think
A thoughtful card is often the part of a gift people remember longest, and you don’t have to handwrite hundreds of cards or manage separate design files for every person on your list.
With a digital printing technology called variable data printing (VDP), we can change recipient names, company names, custom messages, and signature lines within a single print run.
That means you can use one card design to deliver tailored greetings for customers, employees, and partners.
For example:“[Name], thank you for trusting us with [project] this year. We’ve loved working with your team and hope you enjoy a little holiday treat from ours.”
Before your card artwork is finalized, decide which details you’d like to personalize:
- Recipient and company names: Address the person or team directly.
- Messages: Thank customers for their business, recognize employees’ contributions, or acknowledge partners’ support.
- Project details: Refer to a specific project or milestone you completed together during the year.
- Signature lines: Sign the card from the person on your team who knows the recipient best.
Tip #8: Beat the Holiday Rush and Order Before Thanksgiving
More than 50% of companies wait until December to place their client gift orders. Give your team more room to work by making selections and placing orders before Thanksgiving.
Even if you place your order right before Thanksgiving, you’ll be in a great spot. At that point in the season, suppliers and retailers are fully staffed, fully stocked, and ready to rock for the biggest shopping week of the year. Getting your order in just ahead of the rush means you’ll get your first-choice inventory and enjoy a completely stress-free shipping timeline.
Bonus tip: Order 10% more than your current recipient list requires so you have universal backup gifts on hand for unexpected new clients or last-minute additions.
Tip #9: Make it Easier to Send Holiday Gifts to Multiple Locations
Once you’ve chosen the gifts, someone still has to match each card to the right package, assemble the contents, pack the boxes, and get them out the door.
But getting corporate gifts to recipients looks a lot different than it used to.
Gallup’s May 2026 data shows that among U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs, 52% work hybrid, 26% work exclusively remotely, and only 22% work fully on-site.
When your holiday gifts need to reach individual homes, regional branches, client offices, and international addresses instead of one central headquarters, handling the logistics in-house can quickly become a major headache. 
A marketing fulfillment partner like Artisan Colour can handle all of that work for you. We can help you choose and source gifts, produce printed materials, customize packaging, assemble kits, and ship everything directly to the recipients on your list.
Tip #10: Make Gifting Easier All Year Long
Holiday gifts are just one of the many projects your marketing team coordinates throughout the year. New-hire kits, customer thank yous, trade show materials, and team events each come with their own ordering and delivery needs.
The Artisan Marketing Portal gives your team one place to order approved gifts, swag bags, branded apparel, print collateral, event materials, and more in just a few clicks. Behind the scenes, our team handles the inventory, production, packing, and shipping.
Ready to wow your customers and team all year long? From holiday gifts and custom kits to printed materials, signage, and swag, Artisan Colour makes it easier to produce, manage, and distribute everything your brand needs across North America.
Contact our team of experts today to get started!
