Top 5 Business Gifts Your Employees and Customers Want

The top 5 most wanted tech gifts this holiday season.

Remember the cellophane wrapped gift baskets filled with mementos and sweets you used to get every holiday? While they are still around – and still appreciated by many – technology has taken over as the preferred business gift of choice.

Technology spending for the 2018 holiday season is projected to reach a record-setting $96.1B in revenue in the U.S., a year-over-year increase of 3.4 percent, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

Businesses who choose to give a tech gift are taking it up a notch with customization. Customized tech boosts brand recognition and repeat exposure, among many other benefits. Compared to traditional advertising, corporate gifts showcasing your company brand can be a cost-effective advertising method for your business. Plus, you won’t have to worry about the recipient receiving the same gift twice!

Here at FUSION OF IDEAS, orders for holiday gifting are in full swing. Here are the five most popular tech gifts we are seeing:

  1. Apple iPad Pro – The latest iPad Pro, with an all-screen design and Face ID, is currently the most full-featured iPad on the market.
  2. Apple Pencil 2 – To go alongside the new iPad Pro, Apple revamped the Apple Pencil, an effective and accurate tool for handwriting, sketching and illustration.
  3. Beats by Dre – This popular headphone collection comes in several varieties and offers powerful audio performance.
  4. Amazon Echo Show – The new Amazon Echo Show features a vibrant 10.1” HD screen, built-in smart home hub, and improved speakers.
  5. Apple AirPods – Apple AirPods continue to be the most popular tech gift not just for the holidays but all year-round thanks to their instant setup and truly wireless features.

For more customizable corporate gift ideas, visit www.fusionofideas.com/gifting.

‘Operation Rudolph’ Brings Great Cheer to Phobio Employees

Phobio is a software company that helps brands create better technology experiences for their customers. The Atlanta-based business is driven by a team of individuals who are leaders and experts in their fields. In 2017, as a way to reward employees for a successful year, Phobio partnered with FUSION OF IDEAS to help create a one-of-a-kind gift for its employees to appreciate and enjoy all year long.

In comes “Operation Rudolph.” Working in stealth mode, FUSION OF IDEAS customized 75 Apple Watches to surprise Phobio’s employees at its holiday party. The watch features a detailed design of the company logo on the dial. The exterior of the watch band is embellished with a design that represents the Phobio brand, and the inside of the band is etched with the company mantra: “Be better.”

Each watch included a personalized gift tag for the recipient and was packaged in its original box covered with a custom box sleeve. Phobio chose to pull everything together with custom gift wrap, which was designed by FUSION OF IDEAS and incorporated the company logo.  

As a company that fosters a collaborative working environment, Phobio was excited to present these personalized gifts to its employees, and the response was overwhelming.

“Our ‘Phobiosapiens’ worked very hard all year and I wanted to show them my appreciation for their great work,” said Phobio CEO Stephen Wakeling. “Operation Rudolph was a huge success and everyone was blown away after opening the gift at our annual holiday party. It’s been a great point of pride among team members. They show their friends and can tell them ‘look what my company did for us!’ It’s going to be very difficult to top that this year.”

Phobio CEO Stephen Wakeling and Chief Solutions Officer Denny Juge on stage with one of the Apple Watches customized by FUSION OF IDEAS. Photo credit: 2017 PWP Studio Corporate Event Photographers
Phobio employees show off their gifts at their holiday party. Photo credit: 2017 PWP Studio Corporate Event Photographers

Customized Mobile Devices as Employee Rewards

Employers are always looking for new and different ways to reward employees and celebrate successes. A trend that has been rising in popularity with our clients is using customized devices as part of its employee rewards program.

There are many ways for an employer to use corporate gifting to build up, fuel and recognize employees. Some ideas include:

  • Creating a points-based system to reward employee performance through peers or managers
  • Building a rewards system to recognize significant service milestones
  • Setting productivity or sales goals with a highly valued prize that employees can earn when they reach the goal
  • Or simply planning a surprise holiday gift as a reward for all of your employees.

Any employee gift can be taken up a notch with customization – custom printed Apple Airpods for employees to listen to music quietly at work, a customized Apple Watch with laser-etched company name, or even a branded drone that is guaranteed to wow the recipient.

FUSION OF IDEAS has pushed the boundaries of creativity by customizing a wide range of devices, from headphones and portable speakers to game consoles and cameras. The possibilities are truly endless. What can custom-branded devices do for your business?

The Ultimate Corporate Gifts: The Gifts That Keep On Giving, The Whole Year

“Oh great, they’re handing out another company calendar,” said no employee ever.  

Getting thoughtful gifts can go a long way with coworkers or team members.  With the season rapidly approaching, this is the year for creating excitement and the “wow” factor for your company’s team or special clients.

One of our own employees tells the tale of the value they placed on two separate gifts they received.

“On two separate holiday seasons, I received gifts from my employers. One was an elaborate chocolate and fruit gift basket that was delivered to my home with a generic happy holidays message from the company.  While the sentiment was sweet (no pun intended), the gift was quickly forgotten, and I never really told anyone what I got.

The next year I received some Beats By Dre headphones. They were printed with a small company logo and the headband was printed with my name. They also were sent to my home, but came gift wrapped in retro wrapping paper with a company image repeated in a cool pattern. That made me very excited to open it. There was a personalized card with a note from my boss and the company thanking me for some of the accomplishments during the year. Whenever I wore those headphones, I had family, friends, and even strangers ask me about them. I explained that my company had given them as a gift for my hard work during the year, and I always showed off my name printed on them.  I received many “Are they hiring?” type of comments as people were impressed by the thoughtfulness that went into the gift.

While I’m sure both presents cost my employer about the same amount of money, the one that was cool, unique, and something I could talk about made the biggest impact. As Eddy from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation says, “That’s the gift that keeps giving the whole year, Clark!”   

One of the most important components of gift-giving is taking into consideration what your employees would truly appreciate. Putting a message, logo or thought on your gifts can add a layer that reminds them of you or the company whenever they use the gift.

Now, working at Fusion of Ideas, I’ve loved seeing the impact that customization and thoughtfulness can have. Some of my favorite Fusion services are gift wrapping and custom boxes and sleeves that take gifting up to a whole new level.  And on top of that, Fusion can organize and kit multiple items together (they don’t have to be devices!) so you can really add that extra pizzaz to any thoughtful gift. They can also print and write custom cards and gift tags,  and they ship anywhere around the world.  So if you want a super easy process, all you have to do is order, and Fusion will take care of the rest.”  

Fusion handles projects of all sizes and shapes and we’d love to help you with your gifting ideas. So if you want to give the gift that keeps on giving, contact us at info@fusionofideas.com or 949-453-0740 ext. 109.

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