Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Deep Dive
Unboxed: The $258 Billion US Corporate Gifting
Opportunity
Coresight Research and GiftNow explore the flurry of opportunities in the US corporate gifting market,
leveraging findings from our recent surveys of corporate gift givers to assess changes in the market over the
past year (including the impacts of the pandemic) and evaluate the future outlook of the corporate gifting
market.
• The gifting market is large and growing. We estimate that the corporate gifting market in the US will
reach $258 billion in 2022. This represents 6.6% year-over-year growth, indicating acceleration in the
US corporate gifting market.
• As working models (e.g., home, office, hybrid) changed, corporate gifting benefited. Among the
surveyed organizations that changed their working model, nine in 10 reported that their gifting
frequency either increased (61%) or remained unchanged.
• Corporate gifting is not confined to the holidays. Two-thirds of respondents reported giving gifts to
show appreciation, or acknowledge milestones, for employees; this is the most popular gifting
occasion, as it was in last year’s survey.
• Sentimental aspects of gifting champion all else; gift givers leverage corporate gifting to support
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). More than four in 10 (43%) respondents believe that making the
recipient feel valued is among the top three advantages of corporate gifting.
• Outsourcing corporate gifting can alleviate challenges. Organizations that manage end-to-end
corporate gifting internally face a higher degree of challenges versus respondents who either partially
or fully outsource corporate gifting (whether through a service provider or a gifting platform).
• Gift cards are driving growth as experiences gain popularity. Gift cards—both digital and physical—
are expected to dominate gifting categories in the coming 12 months.
Deborah Weinswig
CEO and Founder
Coresight Research
deborahweinswig@coresight.com
What We Think: In a market which is signaling more meaningful gifting, there should be an increased focus
on the quality of gifts and gifting platforms must strengthen their management capabilities and should be
able to demonstrate ROI (return on investment) to corporate gift buyers seeking outsourcing. Lastly,
innovating gift cards can introduce retailers and gifting platforms to a huge untapped opportunity.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
1
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................3
What’s the Story?............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Why It Matters ................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Unboxed: The $258 Billion US Corporate Gifting Opportunity—Coresight Research x GiftNow Analysis.......................5
1. The Near-Term Corporate Gifting Outlook Is Strong .................................................................................................. 5
2. Corporate Gifting Is Not Confined To the Holidays ..................................................................................................... 6
3. Gift Cards Are the Most Popular Gifting Category; Experiences Are Gaining Popularity ............................................ 7
4. The Sentimental Proposition of Gifting Champions All Else; Gift Givers Leverage Corporate Gifting To Support DEI 8
5. The Market Is Seeing Less Frequent Gifting, Pricier Gifts and Improved Gifting Budgets ........................................ 11
6. Outsourcing Corporate Gifting Can Help Alleviate Challenges ................................................................................. 13
What We Think ......................................................................................................................................................... 14
Methodology............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
2
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Introduction
What’s the Story?
Trust and appreciation are the essence of nurturing long-term relationships,
including in business. Corporate gifting plays a pivotal role in improving
professional relationships and is an indispensable tool for staying connected with
clients/partners and employees. We are seeing external factors impact the
corporate gifting market—in terms of gifting frequency, budget and occasions—
such as improved adaptability of organizations to changed working models, the
emergence of new ways to stay connected with employees or clients, and the
altered nature of corporate events, most of which have now started making their
in-person comeback.
Gift givers have a better
understanding of the
underlying value in corporate
gifting and are taking it up
more seriously, planning
better and focusing on
personalization.
We believe that the supply side of corporate gifting is undergoing a transition
across most geographies, including the US. Gift givers are starting to have a
better understanding of the underlying value in corporate gifting and are taking it
up more seriously, planning better and focusing on personalization.
In this report, sponsored by gifting solution GiftNow, we explore the flurry of
opportunities in the US corporate gifting market, assess changes in the market
over the past year (including the impacts of the pandemic) and evaluate its future
outlook. We analyze the findings of an April 2022 Coresight Research survey of
corporate gift givers in the US; respondents were from across industries such as
retail, real estate, manufacturing, travel, hospitality and health services, among
others. We asked respondents about their corporate gifting frequency, key
occasions they leverage for giving out corporate gifts and perceived benefits from
gifting. Also informing the trends we discuss in this report are findings from our
May 2021 survey of US corporate gift givers. For more analysis of data from that
survey, read Coresight Research and GiftNow’s report, titled Unwrapping the
American Corporate Gifting Opportunity.
Why It Matters
Corporate gifting is a large and growing opportunity for brands and retailers:
• We estimate that the corporate gifting market will total $258 billion in the
US in 2022, growing 6.6% year over year—surpassing 2021’s growth of
5.2%.
• We estimate that the corporate gifting market will total $312 billion in
2025, representing a CAGR of 6.5% between 2022 and 2025.
For the 2022 figures, the recent inflationary pressure may have a slight impact on
the market’s trajectory; however, we do not believe inflation to be the primary
driver of market growth and attribute a large part of the robust year-over-year
increase to gift givers’ greater understanding of emotional attributes of gifting—a
finding also highlighted in our survey results (see section 4).
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
3
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Figure 1. US Corporate Gifting Market (USD Bil.)
$230
5.2% YoY
increase
$242
6.6% YoY
increase
6.5% CAGR
$312
$258
Between 2022 and
2025, there is a $54
billion incremental
opportunity in the
US corporate gifting
market
2020
2021
2022E
2025E
Source: Coresight Research
Our survey findings reveal that gift cards are set to be the most-purchased gift
category in the coming 12 months. Although gift cards may lack the emotional
aspect of gifting, if retailers can leverage innovative technologies to make gift
cards more personalized, it can translate to a big, untapped opportunity as
corporate gift givers look for more meaningful gifts. We estimate that gift cards
will account for around 36% of the overall corporate gifting market in 2022—
totaling $92.8 billion.
We expect internal corporate gifting (employer to employee) to grab a marginally
higher share (43%) of the overall corporate gifting market this year versus 2021
(42%), totaling $110.9 billion.
Figure 2. US Corporate Gifting: Selected Market Sizes (USD Bil.)
Corporate Gift Card Market
4% YoY
increase
$92.8
$89.5
2021
2022E
Internal vs. External Corporate Gifting Market
Gift cards and
internal corporate
gifting present
substantial
opportunity in
2022
5% YoY
increase
9% YoY
increase
$101.7
$140.3
$147.1
$110.9
Internal corporate gifting
2021
External corporate gifting
2022E
Source: Coresight Research
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
4
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Unboxed: The $258 Billion US Corporate Gifting Opportunity—Coresight
Research x GiftNow Analysis
Based on the analysis of our survey findings, we present six key things that
retailers and solution providers should know about the US corporate gifting
market. We summarize these in Figure 3 and explore each in detail below.
Figure 3. US Corporate Gifting 2022: Six Things To Know
Source: Coresight Research
1. The Near-Term Corporate Gifting Outlook Is Strong
More than half of surveyed
organizations changed how
their employees work due to
the Covid-19 pandemic—and
61% of this subset expect to
increase their corporate gifting
frequency over the next 12
months.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on working models, with many
organizations implementing work-from-home or hybrid working practices. Our
survey found that 61% of organizations have changed how their employees work
due to Covid-19—and this shift correlates strongly with an expected increase in
the amount of corporate gifting that organizations will do over the next year:
• The overwhelming majority (91%) of organizations that changed their
working model due to Covid-19 expect to maintain or increase the
frequency of corporate gifting over the next 12 months.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
5
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Figure 4. Whether Companies Changed Their Working Model Due to Covid-19 (Left); Expected Changes in Corporate Gifting
Frequency over the Next 12 Months Due to Changed Working Models (Right) (% of Respondents)
61%
39%
Corporate gifting
frequency is set to
increase among
organizations that
have changed
their working
model
30%
61%
9%
Increase
gifting
frequency
No changes
to gifting
frequency
Decrease
gifting
frequency
Changed working model
Did not change working model
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US (left), 182 (61%) of whose organizations changed their working model due to the Covid-19 pandemic (right)
Source: Coresight Research
Further exploring expectations around future gifting frequency, we found that
89% of corporate gift givers won’t change their gifting frequency or will gift more
frequently “once the pandemic ceases” compared to today. We believe that this
underlines the value that organizations now place on corporate gifting—they see
that value extending to the future beyond the pandemic.
Figure 5. Expected Corporate Gifting Frequency Once the Pandemic Ceases (% of Respondents)
11%
More frequent gifting than
today
50%
39%
No changes to gifting
frequency
Corporate gift givers
are bullish on postpandemic gifting
frequency
Less frequent gifting than
today
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
2. Corporate Gifting Is Not Confined To the Holidays
On receiving gifts, the recipient
feels valued, which can be a
catalyst in forging long-term
relationships.
Corporate gifting is not limited to the holidays. Employers want to show
appreciation to their employees through the year, and gifting also acts as a strong
medium for staying connected with clients and prospects. Showing appreciation
plays a pivotal role in building trust and creates an environment of mutual
respect. On receiving gifts, the recipient feels valued, which can be a catalyst in
forging long-term professional relationships.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
6
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Reflecting this, the responses from our survey indicate the year-round nature of
corporate gifting:
• Two-thirds (66%) of respondents reported that their organizations give gifts
to show appreciation to an employee or to acknowledge a milestone, such
as a work anniversary—topping the list of corporate gifting occasions, as it
did in our 2021 survey.
• Over half (52%) of respondents give gifts for appreciating an existing client
or partner—up 3.0 percentage points versus 2021 and surpassing holidays,
which were the second most common gifting occasion in 2021.
Figure 6. Key Corporate Gifting Occasions, 2022 Versus 2021 (% of Respondents)
66%
Employee appreciation or milestone
64%
52%
Existing client/partner appreciation
49%
49%
Holidays
55%
47%
Employee retention*
42%
Events (e.g., conferences, exhibitions, webinars)
48%
39%
Prospective client nurturing/engagement
42%
2022
Corporate gifting
occasions are
increasingly spread
through the year and
present opportunities to
build client relationships
and employee
productivity
2021
*“Employee retention” not included as an option in 2021 survey
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US, surveyed in April 2022 and May 2021
Source: Coresight Research
We believe that the findings discussed above signal the maturing nature of the
market and corporate gift givers having a better understanding of important
underlying benefits of corporate gifting. Gifting for appreciating clients and
employees can play a pivotal role in generating repeat business and in fostering
trust amongst employees, which translates to them putting in best efforts in their
work.
3. Gift Cards Are the Most Popular Gifting Category; Experiences Are Gaining
Popularity
Gift cards are an easy and convenient solution to overcome challenges associated
with gifting. This is particularly true in corporate gifting, where gift givers have
limited information around a recipient’s preferences. In addition, gift givers can
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
7
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
send gift cards digitally, so they do not have to know the recipient’s address or
factor in shipping when making a purchase.
Our survey data reveal that gift cards—both physical and digital—are the most
anticipated purchase on shoppers’ wish lists. Around 53% of corporate gift givers
expect to purchase physical gift cards in the coming 12 months, while 50% expect
to purchase digital gift cards.
Experiences such as tickets to a movie or an adventure (such as a hot air balloon
ride) are gaining popularity: 39% of corporate gift givers plan to gift experiences
to recipients over the coming year—improving by 8 percentage points versus past
12 months.
Figure 7. Gift Categories That Corporate Gift Buyers Have Purchased in the Last 12 Months and What They Expect To Purchase in
the Coming 12 Months (% of Respondents)
53%
52%
Physical gift cards
Digital gift cards
50%
46%
Gift baskets (excluding edibles)
48%
51%
46%
47%
Everyday company-branded products
Experiences
31%
30%
33%
Apparel
Electronics
30%
31%
Food items
29%
33%
28%
27%
Flowers
26%
27%
Beauty and personal care
23%
28%
Alcoholic beverages
22%
20%
Home décor/DIY
Coming 12 months
39%
Gift cards are set to
be the most
purchased
categories over
the next year
Past 12 months
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
We believe that innovation in gift cards—such as adding a more personalized
touch through a video message—can open up new opportunities for companies
to connect with recipients of corporate gifts in a more meaningful way, which is
important in an environment where relationship building and personal
connections have become more important than ever before.
We believe that a focus on
relationship building and
creating a sense of value is a
robust pathway to improved
employee performance, sales
and lead conversion.
4. The Sentimental Proposition of Gifting Champions All Else; Gift Givers
Leverage Corporate Gifting To Support DEI
The essence of corporate gifting will continue to lie in sentimental meaning and
recipient gratification, which have important underlying benefits for the gift
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
8
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
giver: we believe that a focus on relationship building and creating a sense of
value is a robust pathway to improved employee performance, sales and lead
conversion.
Our survey emphasized the value that corporate gift givers place on establishing
personal connections through corporate gifting:
• Just over four in 10 (43%) of respondents cited making the recipient feel
valued as one of the top three advantages of corporate gifting, and 20% of
those respondents ranked it as the topmost advantage of corporate gifting.
• Some 42% of respondents cited improved relationship with customers and
employees as among the top three advantages of corporate gifting.
Figure 8. Key Advantages of Corporate Gifting (% of Respondents)
Total
Making the recipient feel valued
20%
15%
Improved relationship with customers/employees
11%
Improved customer loyalty
12%
11%
Improved employee productivity
12%
10%
15%
Nurturing new relationships with prospects
8%
Improved employee retention
7%
9%
Improved sales
8%
6%
Increased brand awareness
9%
8%
16%
12%
10%
43%
42%
35%
32%
10%
27%
9%
25%
8%
22%
6% 6%
9%
21%
More effective new product launches
5%
8%
20%
Improved corporate events
6%
4%
18%
Lead generation
Rank 1
7%
8%
6% 4% 4%
Rank 2
Organizations
see the value
of sentimental
meaning in
corporate
gifting, which
would likely
drive
monetary
advantages
14%
Rank 3
Respondents were asked to select and rank up to three criteria, with “Rank 1” signifying the biggest advantage; criteria are ordered based on a
weighted average of responses, where “Rank 1” carries the highest weight
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
Reinforcing the view that meaningful gifting is important to corporate gift givers,
organizations consider the quality of the product and the speed of delivery to be
key criteria before purchasing gifts: high-quality gifts can ensure recipients feel
valued and missing an important milestone can substantially undermine the
positive impact of gifting.
• Quality is the most important criteria for gift buyers—nine in 10 (90%)
respondents cited quality of the product as “very” or “extremely”
important.
• Ensuring that the gift is delivered in a timely manner to the recipient
emerged as the second-most-important criteria; cited as “very” or
“extremely” important by 86% of respondents.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
9
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Figure 9. Importance of Key Criteria Before Purchasing Corporate Gifts (% of Respondents)
Quality of the product
63%
Timely delivery to the recipient
27%
54%
32%
Simplicity of the process
46%
41%
Usefulness of the gift to the recipient
44%
42%
Price of the product
46%
38%
Variety of gifts available
46%
37%
Packaging of the gift/parcel
48%
30%
Flexibility in choice for the recipient
41%
39%
Option to customize products
43%
36%
Personalization for the recipient
43%
34%
Option to track gift shipment and receipt
Option to deliver the gift digitally
Extremely Important
38%
29%
Organizations want
corporate gifting to be
meaningful: quality
and timely delivery are
the most important
criteria for gift buyers
38%
37%
Very Important
Respondents were asked to rate each option in terms of importance, from “not at all important” to “extremely important”; criteria are ordered in the
chart based on the weighted average of responses, where “extremely important” carries the highest weight
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
Furthermore, corporate gifting can also be used as a medium to support diversity,
equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. We have identified inclusivity as one of our
key retail trends to watch, and this spans inclusion in the workforce.
Marking days dedicated to DEI, such as in Pride Month, through corporate gifting
is one means of actioning inclusivity. Our survey respondents agree—we asked
gift givers whether they leverage gifting to support DEI and found that:
• Almost half (45%) of corporate gift givers are currently supporting DEI
through the medium of corporate gifting.
• Some 30% of corporate gift givers are not currently supporting DEI through
corporate gifting but plan to do so in the future.
Figure 10. Whether Corporate Gift Givers Currently Leverage, or Will Leverage, Corporate Gifting To Support DEI
(% of Respondents)
25%
45%
30%
Three-quarters of surveyed organizations see corporate gifting
as a medium to support DEI
Yes
No, but we plan to support DEI through our corporate gifting program in the future
No, and we have no plans to do so
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
10
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
5. The Market Is Seeing Less Frequent Gifting, Pricier Gifts and Improved Gifting
Budgets
We define two ways in which corporate gifting is carried out: one-to-one gifting,
in which the gift giver purchases the gift for an individual client or an employee;
and one-to-many gifting, in which gifts are distributed to a small group or an
entire organization.
One-to-many gifting can be more cumbersome and has a higher chance of being
ineffective, as buyers tend to follow a one-size-fits-all approach: only a few
recipients may find gifts such as company-branded “swag” to be useful in their
day-to-day life. Furthermore, ensuring that recipients do not view corporate gifts
as a marketing collateral can be highly challenging for corporate gift givers.
Our 2022 survey findings reveal that organizations are conducting more mindful
one-to-many corporate gifting than was reported in last year’s survey.
Between our 2021 and 2022 surveys, we saw a total 8.0-percentage-point gain in
the proportion of organizations participating in one-to-many gifting two to five
times in the 12 months prior to the surveys—at the expense of a gifting
frequency of six and above. These findings suggest that corporate gift givers may
be turning toward more meaningful gifting, especially when viewed in
combination with amount that gift buyers are spending (see analysis below).
Figure 11. Number of One-to-Many Corporate Gifting Occasions in the Past 12 Months (% of Respondents)
33%
29%
30%
34%
19%
16%
16%
12%
8%
1%
<2
2–3
4–5
6–7
2021
>7
2%
Most respondents
gifted between two
and five times in the
past 12 months when
giving out gifts to
a group
Don't
know/Can't say
2022
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
In tandem with reducing the number of one-to-many gifting occasions,
organizations are spending more on one-to-many gifts, implying that they are
gifting higher-quality products: our 2022 found an increase of 8.0 percentage
points in the proportion of respondents spending $100 or more on one-to-many
corporate gifts, compared to the 2021 survey.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
11
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Figure 12. Amount Spent on a Per-Unit Basis on One-to-Many Corporate Gifts (% of Respondents)
18%
17%
18%
19%
16%
18%
17%
18%
15%
11%
10%
9%
7%
Higher proportions of
corporate gift buyers
are buying pricier gifts
for group gifting than
we saw a year ago
6%
2% 1%
Less than
$25
$25 to <$50 $50 to <$75 $75 to <$100
2021
$100 to
<$125
$125 to
<$150
$150 or
more
Don't
know/Can't
say
2022
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
The average amounts spent by respondents on one-to-many corporate gifting
line up with the per-unit findings and strengthens the finding of increased
mindfulness in one-to-many corporate gifting: organizations are spending more
for each gifting occasion than they did a year ago, indicating that they recognize
the value of meaningful gifting.
• A slightly higher proportion (28%) of corporate gift givers in our 2022 survey
reported that they spend in the upper end of the order value spectrum—
$4,000 and above—compared to the 2022 survey (22%).
Figure 13. Average Order Amount for One-To-Many Corporate Gifting (% of Respondents)
22% 23%
22%
14% 15%
17% 17%
17%
13%
15%
13%
9%
Less than
$500
$500 to
<$1,000
$1,000 to
<$3,000
2021
$3,000 to
<$4,000
$4,000 to
<$5,000
Organizations are
spending more on oneto-many corporate gifts
than they did a year
ago, indicating that they
recognize the value of
meaningful gifting
$5,000 or
more
2022
Base: 300 corporate gift givers surveyed in April 2022 and in May 2021
Source: Coresight Research
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
12
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
6. Outsourcing Corporate Gifting Can Help Alleviate Challenges
Organizations face multiple challenges in corporate gifting, including limited
information on buyer preferences and little control of the budget, primarily
because there is often a limited product assortment to choose from. Outsourcing
corporate gifting processes either fully or partially can help organizations simplify
the overall gifting process by overseeing stages in the purchasing journey, such as
packaging and shipping.
Gifting service providers can
help organizations simplify the
overall gifting process by
overseeing stages in the
purchasing journey, such as
packaging and shipping.
Our survey data suggest a substantial market gap and an untapped opportunity
for gifting platforms and service providers. We asked respondents about how
they manage and execute corporate gifting within their organization and found
that:
• Nearly half (48%) of all respondents do not outsource any elements of
corporate gifting.
• Only 13% of corporate gift givers outsource entirely to corporate gifting
service providers.
• An underwhelming proportion—8% of corporate gift givers—cited using an
end-to-end corporate gifting platform for managing and executing
corporate gifting.
Figure 14. Criteria Best Describing How Gift Givers Manage and Execute Corporate Gifting (% of Respondents)
8%
13%
We manage end-to-end corporate gifting internally
48%
We outsource some steps of the process to corporate gifting service providers
We outsource everything to full-service corporate gifting providers
31%
We outsource everything using a corporate gifting platform
Base: 300 corporate gift givers in the US
Source: Coresight Research
Our analysis reveals that the organizations that manage end-to-end corporate
gifting internally face a higher degree of challenges versus respondents who
either partially or fully outsource corporate gifting.
For example, 33% of corporate gift givers managing end-to-end corporate gifting
reported that purchasing gifts from multiple brands and retailers is “very
challenging”, compared to just 21% of organizations that outsource corporate
gifting reported the same.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
13
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
Figure 15. Key Challenges in Corporate Gifting: Those Ranked as “Very Challenging” by Corporate Gift Givers (% of Respondents)
Inability to purchase gifts from multiple
brands/retailers
Limited choice around attributes such as color
and size
25%
Limited range of products
24%
Not having enough funds
Limited information on recipient’s preferences
Lack of innovation in gift cards (e.g.,
personalized greetings, video messages etc.)
32%
22%
Managing gift inventory/storage and shipping
Inability to express emotions/intent through
gifting
33%
21%
22%
30%
28%
27%
Outsourcing some or
all processes of
corporate gifting can
help alleviate
challenges
27%
17%
21%
19%
26%
25%
Respondents managing end-to-end corporate gifting
Respondents outsourcing corporate gifting either fully or partially
Respondents were asked to rate each option from “not challenging” to “very challenging”; charted are the proportions of respondents that ranked
each challenge as “very challenging”
Base: 145 corporate gift givers in the US that manage end-to-end corporate gifting and 155 corporate gift givers in the US that outsource some or all
corporate gifting processes to service providers or gifting platforms
Source: Coresight Research
Outsourcing to full-service corporate gifting providers or to corporate gifting
platforms can substantially improve the overall gift-giving experience. Gifting
platforms that are integrated with company software, such as HR management
systems, and oversee end-to-end corporate gifting can help organizations focus
on the important aspects of gifting—what to gift and the assortment of gifts in a
selected campaign—rather than concern themselves with aspects such as
packaging, shipping and ensuring timely delivery to the recipient.
What We Think
Our survey findings inform three key recommendations for retailers, corporate
gifting platforms and corporate gifting service providers to better capitalize on
opportunities in the corporate gifting market.
1. Outsource/automate gifting processes: There are multiple processes such
as shipping, timely delivery and managing inventory associated with gifting.
Overseeing these processes may not be the best utilization of time or
resources for most organizations, which may benefit from outsourcing
these tasks either fully or partially. In order to gain a larger share of the fastgrowing and evolving corporate gifting market, gifting platforms and service
providers must work toward strengthening end-to-end gifting management
capabilities, including storage and shipping.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
14
Deep Dive
June 9, 2022
2. Improve the quality of corporate gifts: Retailers and corporate gifting
service providers must focus on improving the assortment for corporate
gifting, as quality is the most important factor for corporate gift buyers.
Additionally, gestures as small as not printing the company logo on
everyday products but sending along a sticker or a badge can signal a
positive message and ensure that recipients do not view products as
marketing collateral.
3. Innovate in the gift card space: Our survey data reveal gift cards top the list
of expected gift category purchases in the coming 12 months. Gifting
platforms and service providers should work toward adding personalization
features to gift cards such as video greetings or ability for the recipient to
revert using text or video. We believe this can improve retailers’ and gifting
platforms/service providers’ ability to grab a larger share of the gift card
market.
Methodology
This study is based on the analysis of data from two online surveys of 300
corporate gift buyers in the US, conducted by Coresight Research on April 7–15,
2022, and in May 2021.
Respondents in the survey satisfied the following criteria:
• Company annual revenues of any size (from companies with revenue of
under $100 million to those with revenue of over $30 billion)
• Employee count of any number (from companies with under 100 employees
to those with over 3,000 employees)
• Industries such as retail, real estate, manufacturing, travel and hospitality
and health services among others
• Departments such as administration, operations management, sales and
events management, among others
GiftNow shares this information solely for your convenience. All statements are the sole opinions of Coresight Research. Synchrony and its affiliates,
including GiftNow, make no representations or warranties regarding the content.
Deborah Weinswig, CPA
CEO and Founder
Coresight Research
deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Manik Bhatia
Senior Analyst
Steven Winnick
Senior Analyst
New York • Hong Kong • Lagos • London • Mangaluru (India) • Shanghai
Coresight.com
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research | deborahweinswig@coresight.com
Copyright © 2022 Coresight Research. All rights reserved.
15