Now available: Bulk physical cards with personalization!
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Now available: Bulk physical cards with personalization!
Get a demo to see physical options
Thanksgiving embodies gratitude and the importance of community, making it an ideal time for businesses to emphasize client appreciation. By recognizing and thanking clients during Thanksgiving, companies can reinforce the value they place on their partnerships, fostering loyalty and trust.
This gesture of gratitude acknowledges clients' contributions to your business's success and strengthens bonds. Celebrating client appreciation during Thanksgiving can create a lasting positive impression, encouraging continued collaboration and goodwill throughout the year.
Selecting client gifts requires understanding the client's preferences and interests to show personal connection and appreciation. Customization can enhance the gift's impact, while budget considerations ensure the gift is appropriate and sincere.
Enhancing relationships and ROI through gifting involves strategic planning. Thoughtful gifts reinforce positive associations with the brand, increasing client satisfaction and loyalty. To maximize ROI, businesses should align gifts with their brand values and client interests, creating memorable experiences. Timely and consistent gifting can further reinforce engagement and appreciation, contributing to long-term business success.
Now, let’s explore 25 Thanksgiving gifts you can give to clients this year.
When considering physical Thanksgiving gifts for clients, it's important to choose items that convey appreciation and strengthen business relationships.
Here are some thoughtful physical gift ideas that can help express your gratitude.
While physical gifts are always appreciated, digital Thanksgiving gift ideas offer a more modern and versatile way to show your gratitude.
Digital Thanksgiving gifts provide a convenient way to express appreciation to clients—especially for global companies. These gifts can be easily customized and delivered instantly through email, making them ideal for remote or international clients.
Digital gifts also offer a wide range of options that can cater to diverse interests and preferences, ensuring a personal touch even in virtual form.
Here are some top digital gift ideas you can give this Thanksgiving:
In addition to digital and physical gifts, specialty gift sets and baskets offer a unique and versatile way to show appreciation to clients.
Specialty gift sets are a versatile option for client appreciation, combining a variety of high-quality items into one impressive package. Whether it's gourmet food, luxury spa products, or a themed collection, specialty gift sets and baskets create a memorable and impactful way to express gratitude.
Here are some specialty gift set ideas to gift clients for Thanksgiving in 2024:
Gift baskets and other customizable presents offer a variety of options, but recipients may not like everything included. As a result, a large portion of these gifts may go to waste. To avoid this, it's important to know your client’s preferences or consider adding a gift card to ensure they receive at least one item they can use.
To ensure your gifts leave a lasting impression, let’s explore best practices and tips to consider.
Thanksgiving is an American holiday celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November. Originally established as a harvest festival, it has evolved into a day dedicated to expressing gratitude for the year's blessings, sharing meals with loved ones, and reflecting on what we appreciate most in our lives.
The first Thanksgiving is traditionally traced back to 162 and has become deeply rooted in American culture as a time for togetherness and gratitude.
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, setting the tradition of celebrating on the fourth Thursday of November. Since then, it has become one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the United States, marked by family gatherings, traditional meals featuring turkey and seasonal dishes, and expressions of thankfulness.
For businesses, Thanksgiving represents an ideal opportunity to pause and acknowledge the relationships that drive success. The holiday's emphasis on gratitude aligns perfectly with client appreciation initiatives, making it a natural time to recognize partnerships and express sincere thanks.
Unlike end-of-year holidays that can feel commercially driven or religiously specific, Thanksgiving's universal theme of gratitude makes it an inclusive and appropriate occasion for professional gift-giving. The timing—before the year-end rush but within the broader holiday season—allows your gesture to stand out while still feeling seasonally appropriate.
Thanksgiving also sets the tone for the remainder of the year. Clients who feel appreciated in November are more likely to reflect positively on your partnership as they make decisions about continuing relationships into the new year. This strategic timing makes Thanksgiving gifting not just a nice gesture but a smart business move.
While personal Thanksgiving celebrations center on family meals and gatherings, business Thanksgiving traditions have evolved to include client appreciation events, thoughtful gift-giving, and expressions of gratitude through various channels.
Many companies now use Thanksgiving as a checkpoint to review their most important relationships and ensure key clients feel valued. Whether through gifts, personal notes, special events, or charitable giving in clients' names, businesses recognize that Thanksgiving offers a meaningful opportunity to strengthen bonds and reinforce partnerships before the year concludes.
To maximize the impact of your client gifts, consider these best practices and tips:
Once these elements are in place, it's vital to focus on the delivery and presentation of your Thanksgiving gifts to leave a lasting impression.
To ensure client gifts make a memorable impact, it’s crucial to focus on timely delivery, presentation, and modern gifting options. Planning ahead is essential to avoid delays—especially by keeping track of shipping cutoff dates to ensure gifts arrive on time for Thanksgiving. Early preparation guarantees timely delivery and allows for any last-minute adjustments or personalizations that might arise.
The presentation and unboxing experience also play a significant role in how your gift is received. Carefully designed packaging and thoughtful details can enhance the excitement and appreciation of the gift, making it stand out even more.
Additionally, consider virtual gifting options like digital gift cards. Digital gift cards offer convenience and can be personalized to suit the recipient’s tastes, providing a seamless and innovative gifting experience that can be enjoyed instantly. Digital gift cards can also be personalized by branding the delivery email with a custom header and gift card image, along with a personalized message from the sender. Additionally, senders can offer even more flexibility by using Reward Link, allowing recipients to choose their favorite gift cards.
These strategies enhance the immediate impact of your gifts and strengthen the relationship with your clients.
Determining the appropriate budget for client gifts requires balancing several factors: the nature of your business relationship, industry norms, company resources, and the message you want to convey. While there's no universal right answer, some guidelines can help you make informed decisions.
Tier 1 clients (Highest value): For your most important clients—those representing significant revenue, long-term partnerships, or strategic importance—consider budgeting $75-$200+ per gift. These relationships justify more substantial investments that reflect their value to your business.
Tier 2 clients (Regular/Mid-level): For solid, ongoing client relationships that represent moderate business value, a budget of $30-$75 per gift strikes an appropriate balance between thoughtfulness and sustainability.
Tier 3 clients (Newer/Smaller): For newer relationships or smaller accounts, $15-$30 per gift shows appreciation without overextending. Even modest gifts convey gratitude when presented thoughtfully.
Different industries have varying gifting norms. Professional services firms (law, accounting, consulting) often gift more conservatively due to ethics rules and professional standards. Tech companies might lean toward innovative or experiential gifts. Creative agencies may choose more unique or artistic options that reflect their brand identity.
Research your industry's typical practices and observe what competitors or peers do. Significantly exceeding norms might create discomfort, while falling far short could seem inadequate or dismissive.
The budget should reflect relationship depth and history. A client you've worked with for ten years warrants different consideration than one you've served for two months. Similarly, clients with whom you have close personal relationships or frequent interactions might receive more personalized or substantial gifts than those with more transactional relationships.
Consider also the client's position. Gifts for C-suite executives might differ from those for mid-level contacts, though be cautious about creating obviously hierarchical gift structures that could offend.
Many industries have regulations or client company policies limiting gift values. Government contractors, healthcare organizations, financial services firms, and pharmaceutical companies often face strict restrictions. Always verify relevant limitations before selecting gifts.
When in doubt, go for modesty. A thoughtful $25 gift that complies with all regulations is far better than a $150 gift that creates compliance issues or discomfort for the recipient.
Remember that perceived value doesn't always correlate directly with cost. A $50 gift card to a recipient's favorite restaurant may feel more valuable than a $75 generic gift basket. Personalization, thoughtfulness, and relevance multiply the impact of any budget level.
Digital options like Reward Link provide excellent value by giving recipients choice, which often creates higher perceived value than higher-cost gifts that miss the mark on preferences.
If budget constraints limit spending, focus on personalization and presentation. A well-chosen $20 gift with a heartfelt personal note often outperforms an impersonal $50 gift. Consider:
When gifting to many clients, bulk ordering often provides cost savings. Platforms like Tango offer volume discounts and streamlined distribution that make gifting to dozens or hundreds of clients more affordable and manageable.
Consider tiering your approach—different gift levels for different client categories—to maximize impact where it matters most while managing overall budget constraints.
Experiential gifts create lasting memories and often deliver more impact than physical items. Rather than giving something clients might use once or not at all, experiences provide enjoyment, stories to share, and positive associations with your brand.
Experiences create emotional connections that physical gifts rarely match. Research shows people derive more lasting happiness from experiences than possessions. An evening at the theater, a cooking class, or a spa day generates memories that clients associate with your thoughtfulness long after the experience concludes.
Experiences also avoid common gifting pitfalls. There's no clutter, no worry about taste or preferences in home decor, and no risk of duplicating something the client already owns. For clients who "have everything," experiences offer something genuinely new.
Additionally, experiences can be shared. Tickets to events or dining experiences often accommodate multiple people, allowing clients to enjoy your gift with family, friends, or colleagues—multiplying the positive impact and reach of your gesture.
Here are some of the top experiential gift ideas that can help express your appreciation this year:
Online learning platform gift cards for services like MasterClass, Skillshare, or Udemy offer flexible learning experiences clients can enjoy on their own schedules.
For businesses with many clients, individual experience planning isn't feasible. This is where experiential gift cards shine. Rather than booking specific experiences for each client, provide gift cards or digital rewards that give clients access to experience options.
Options like Reward Link simplify this by offering gift cards to hundreds of experience providers. Clients choose experiences matching their interests and schedules, ensuring your gift delivers maximum value and enjoyment.
This approach combines the personalization and impact of experiential gifting with the efficiency and scalability businesses need when managing numerous client relationships.
By showing appreciation through thoughtful gifts, you can show your clients that their business is valued and their loyalty is recognized. This encourages continued business and fosters a sense of loyalty and trust.
The gifts you choose can reflect your company’s values and commitment to quality, reinforcing your brand’s identity and strengthening your relationships with clients. With these gestures, you lay the foundation for long-term partnerships.
Want to ensure your gift giving is timely, customized, and within budget? Book a free demo with the Tango team and learn how easy holiday gifting to your clients can be.
