Corporate gifting · 6 min read
How to plan a bulk gift order for employees or clients
Use a clear brief and a simple approval checklist to compare quantities, branding, packaging and delivery plans.
Let’s get started ↓
Put recipient count, budget and required date in one brief.
Compare complete quotes and quantities across suppliers.
Approve the final item list, artwork and delivery plan in writing.
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Write a brief before requesting prices
State the occasion, recipient count, budget per gift, total budget and required arrival date. Note whether you need a ready-made hamper, branded merchandise or individual components to assemble yourself. Add delivery locations and any dietary or packaging requirements so suppliers can quote for the real scope.
Identify who approves the budget, artwork and final contents. If more than one team is involved, set a date for each approval. This avoids choosing a product before the people who need to sign off have seen the details.
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Make options easy to compare
Ask each supplier to list the exact items and quantities, packaging, branding method, unit price, shipping and payment terms. Compare like with like: a gift with a printed message or individual delivery may not be comparable to a standard boxed product.
Limit the number of variants unless recipient needs justify them. If you do need separate employee and client gifts, show the quantity and budget for each group. For apparel, include estimated sizes; for drinkware and merchandise, share the preferred logo placement and colours.
Try it as you read
Sketch your gifting budget.
Start with the gift cost, then allow for packaging, branding and delivery separately.
Planning estimate only. This does not include extra charges or represent a quotation.
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Review samples and artwork carefully
Ask what a sample includes and whether it uses the final materials, print method and packaging. Check that food labels, product quantities and any included card are represented accurately. For digital artwork, review names, spelling, dates, logo proportions and colour before signing off.
Record approved changes. If a chosen item may be replaced, agree what substitutions are acceptable and whether they affect price. The final order should match the written approval rather than relying on a message or an illustrative image alone.
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Plan distribution and close the loop
Decide whether the order will be delivered to one office or packed for individual destinations. Agree how recipient addresses will be shared and when the final list is due. Ask for a realistic production and delivery estimate that accounts for branding, assembly and destination count.
When the order arrives, check the number of packages and compare the contents with the approved list. Keep the quotation, artwork proof and delivery record together; these details make a repeat order much easier to run.
Put it into practice
Your little planning checklist.
Tick off the decisions you’ve made. You can reset this checklist at any time.
