If it's November and your corporate Christmas gifts aren't ordered yet, you haven't missed your chance. Last minute corporate gifting is often still possible, and we can turn some gifts round within a few days, depending on the gift and how much of it is made to order.
The target is the first fortnight of December, before offices empty for the holidays. A November brief has less room than one in the autumn, but it still has room.
How late can you order corporate gifts for Christmas?
Start from the day the gifts need to arrive and count back. Give us that date and we'll give you a straight answer on what's achievable, early enough for you to act on it.
Some of our best work has started with a phone call that began 'I know it's short notice...'
Which gifts work as short notice corporate gifts?
The quickest gifts are the ones with the least customisation. Simple branded gifts and branded off-the-shelf products on smaller orders are comfortable from 7 days after sign-off. Bespoke designs and big orders need more time, because there's more to find and pack. Gifts going abroad need longer again, and may carry import duties and customs charges. We tell you at the start which charges are likely to apply. As a guide only, allow 20 to 30% of the combined value of the goods and shipping, but for some countries this may be considerably higher or lower.
Urgent corporate gifting has the most choice when the customisation is kept simple. The less it needs or the simpler the branding, the faster we can turn it around.
On one project managed by our founder, a client's Christmas gifts were planned, packed and sent at a few days' notice. Red gift boxes with white inner mailers and red tissue held the client's own branded flasks and tote bags, chocolate, hot chocolate sets and a Christmas postcard, and went to 27 UK addresses and one in Ireland, with the import charges paid so the recipient paid nothing.
How can you speed up a last minute gift order?
Fast turnaround corporate gifting depends on decisions as much as on packing. These keep things moving:
- Give us your budget up front, as a figure per head or a total for the whole project
- Make decisions and approve proofs promptly. We send a digital proof of each branded item where we can, and a physical sample adds days for sign-off
- Keep the branding simple. A discreet logo often says more than one on every surface
- Have your addresses ready. We send you an address template, you fill it in, and we check and prepare every entry before dispatch
- Printed message cards are an optional addition, matched to each gift from the same spreadsheet as the addresses
What can be done in two weeks?
A project managed by our founder shows how much a tight timeframe can still deliver. A national media network needed 101 personalised gift boxes for a direct mail campaign tied to a live launch, with 2 weeks from brief to dispatch.
- When the chosen notebooks became unavailable in the required colour, premium leather notebooks from an alternative supplier were secured instead
- When the supplied wax seal stamp turned out to be wood-mounted, which wax sticks to, a custom brass die was commissioned within 48 hours
- 2 late artwork changes went through without pausing production on the other 99 boxes
- Every box was hand-sealed and hand-assembled in the 2 days between all items arriving and the fixed dispatch date
The client's feedback on receiving their own box: 'Everyone loves it. Thanks so much. I think we did impossible in 2 weeks. Still can't quite believe it.'
Should you brief now or wait?
Q4 is our busiest time, so the earlier you brief us, the wider your choice. That holds in November too: a brief this week has more options open to it than the same brief next week.
One late gift for one client is as welcome a brief as a hundred, as there's no minimum order. Start a brief today with the date your gifts need to arrive, and we'll come back to you with what's possible.
Common questions
Can you do last minute corporate gifts?
Yes, last minute corporate gifts are often still possible. Navy Goose can turn some gifts round within a few days, depending on the gift and how much is made to order. Give us your arrival date and we'll tell you straight what's achievable.
How quickly can corporate gifts be delivered?
Some corporate gifts can be delivered within a few days. Simple branded gifts on smaller orders are comfortable from 7 days after sign-off, while bespoke work, big orders and international deliveries take longer.
Can last minute corporate gifts still be branded?
Yes, last minute corporate gifts can still be branded. Simple branded gifts and branded off-the-shelf products are the quickest to turn round. Where possible a digital proof is sent for approval, while physical samples need extra time for sign-off.
Is there a minimum order for urgent corporate gifting?
No, there's no minimum order for urgent corporate gifting, so a single last minute gift for one client is a brief we take on too.
