Gifts are a tried and true strategy for showing you care about someone in both a personal and a professional setting.
Memorable gifts can strengthen bonds between people, whereas, giving gifts that don’t resonate with people has been proven to hurt relationships more than not gifting at all.
But the gesture is what counts, right?
It should be that way, however, giving meaningful gifts seems to be the only thing that really works.
“80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences.” — Epsilon
The chances are that you’ve spent significant time around your coworkers, employees, friends, or whoever it is that you’re intending to give a gift to — at least, enough time to know what they like.
That’s why building a custom gift box is likely your best option. So here’s how to build your own gift box, along with what you need to know and the useful services you can use to get it made right and on time.
Why Should You Use A Build Your Own Gift Box Service?
1) Raise Brand Awareness – Whether you’re giving a gift box to an employee, a client, or a coworker, they’ll become a natural brand ambassador.
2) Increase Sales – You can use gift boxes to make a strong impression on prospects as a part of your sales and marketing strategy.
3) Show Appreciation – Employee appreciation is essential for building and maintaining a healthy workplace and gift boxes send a crystal clear message of gratitude.
4) Improve Customer Experience – You can increase your repeat business by going the extra mile with a custom branded gift box for your customers.
5) Celebrate Wins – Instead of waiting for the holidays to kick off the gifting, give care packages and gift boxes year-round to celebrate the big and small wins.
Building Your Gift Box Tips
1) Make It Unique
Most gift box services make custom curation a walk in the park these days. Now, you can pick and choose exactly what you’d like — within a menu of options — to add to your client, customer, coworker, or employee gifts.
2) Add Your Own Branding
Add custom branding to your gift box. Whether you want to add your logo and colors to each item or the entire box, your wish can be done — with the help of a giftbox service. Simply send them the images and branding you’d like to see on the gift boxes and they’ll take care of the rest.
3) Send Out A Survey
If your team is too large to have a chance to get to know each employee or coworker on an individual basis, send out a survey to get an idea of their gift preferences and surprise them with a gift box that feels so shockingly accurate, they’ll know it was curated based on their tastes. This will go a long way towards making your employees or coworkers feel extra special in the workplace.
Best Build Your Own Gift Box Services & Platforms
1) Caroo
“End-to-end employee care”
Caroo is a full-spectrum employee care solution designed to make the workplace fun, rewarding, and bursting with appreciation! This brand lives up to its promise of ‘modern corporate gifting made easy’ through client gifting, milestone gifts, in-office snacks, and employee gifting. Whether your team is remote, in-person, or a combination of the two, Caroo has you covered.
Plus, you can customize, send, and track every care package from their mobile app. Lastly, each purchase contributes a donation towards Feeding America and other philanthropic causes.
Best for: Employee care packages
Notable items to choose from:
- Welcome Back Box
- Gifts of Gratitude
- Tech Lovers
What people are saying about Caroo:
“Caroo is AH-MAZING! We use them for our office and I love having healthy snack options. Most of all, I like that we get a variety of snacks to choose from each time versus having the same old stuff every single month.” — Texas Coplen
Get started: Caroo
2) Swag.com
“The all-in-one swag solution”
Swag.com is the perfect way to shop, store, and ship high-quality swag for your employees, clients, coworkers, and prospects. A streamlined experience makes it as easy as finding the gift box you’re looking for, uploading your design, mocking up your products, and checking out in less than a minute.
Drinkware, tech, apparel, bags, and office supplies — you name it, Swag.com can brand it for you. Onboard new hires and show your team you care with the all-in-one swag platform for build-your-own-gift-boxes.
Best for: Corporate gift boxes
Notable items to choose from:
- 16oz Asobu Flavour U See
- 24oz Fellow Clara French Press
- Moleskine Ruled Notebook
What people are saying about Swag.com:
“I was able to easily find the swag items I wanted to purchase for my company and was given a clear timeline of fulfillment. I even reached out to customer service to see if they could get me a shipment a few days earlier and they were very responsive and took care of my needs quickly. I have used them again since my first experience and have been very happy.” — Tyler H.
Get started: Swag.com
3) SwagUp
“The masters of swag packs”
SwagUp is a seasonally curated selection of the freshest swag packs, which are designed to inspire, delight, and motivate employees in the workplace and clients as they consider buying your products or using your services. Send swag to your remote employees or your in-person team effortlessly.
Additionally, SwagUp gives you a great way to make virtual events feel less detached and more human. Each assortment of high-quality branded items can be bundled together, from notebooks and sweatshirts to much more. SwagUp offers you the ability to personalize gift boxes and make each gift box truly feel one-of-a-kind.
Best for: Personalized gift boxes
Notable items to choose from:
- The Sample Pack
- Influencer Pack
- Executive Pack
What people are saying about SwagUp:
“I like that SwagUp understands my needs and accurately caters to them. It was my first time ordering branded promotional products for the office. SwagUp’s account executives provided top-notch customer service and guided me through the process every step of the way. In a way, they have ‘mastered swag packs,’ so their clients ‘don’t have to.’ I also really love their values as an organization since they are incredibly similar to mine at heart.” — Sara Y.
Get started: SwagUp
4) Packed With Purpose
“For purposeful gifting”
Packed With Purpose is the build your own gift box platform created to foster meaningful relationships. Each Packed With Purpose gift empowers women in need of a second chance, sustainability efforts, community enrichment, environmental preservation, and much more.
With a variety of corporate, holiday, and personal gifts to choose from, you can boost appreciation and recognition in the workplace and uplift under-resourced women and others with barriers to employment at the same time.
Best for: Gift baskets
Notable items to choose from:
- Black-Owned Spotlight
- Deluxe Charcuterie Board
- Gourmet Dinner Party
What people are saying about Packed With Purpose:
“I had done a bunch of looking around for a gift company that supported local communities or social good in some way and was so happy to come across Packed With Purpose. Our company tries to do our part to support social good. We too are a woman-owned small business and it is a core value of ours to support other women-led companies. I am looking forward to returning for future orders.” — Alexandra, Caravel Marketing
Get started: Packed With Purpose
5) Happy Box
“Gift a little happiness”
Happy Box is a build your own gift box solution with themed options and the chance to create a just-for-them care package. Simply, pick a design, fill it with gifts, and pick your message before the Happy Box sends it straight to your employee or coworker. Additionally, they have several bestselling gift boxes so you can be easily inspired by the popular picks.
As a bonus, each purchase contributes to BIPOC-owned, local, mission-based, small, and women-owned businesses. While most of the other solutions and platforms on this list are mostly corporate, Happy Box even has a Break-up Box!
Best for: Build your own care packages
Notable items to choose from:
- Girls Night in Box
- Condolences Box
- Work From Home Box
What people are saying about Happy Box:
“I just heard about this company a couple of weeks ago and have already sent out two boxes. I love that it’s a woman-owned small business. I love giving gifts and hate supporting Amazon. My sister received her custom gift box and enjoyed everything in it. Still waiting for my second one to ship, but I’m sure I’ll love it, too!” — Kelly S.
Get started: Happy Box
6) Etsy
“For an extra personal touch”
Etsy is the ultimate mom-and-pop counter to the e-commerce giants of the world. This family-owned feeling influences the style of the products you’ll find on Etsy. Additionally, Etsy offers more variety than just about any other gifting solution around.
Personalized gift boxes have never been easier than on Etsy, where you can ask sellers for any number of specifications like custom engravings and more so you end up with the perfect gift.
Best for: Personalized gift boxes
Notable items to choose from:
- Thinking of You — Succulent Gift Box
- Mental Health Gift Box
- Life is Tough but So Are You
What people are saying about Etsy:
“I’ve made multiple purchases from Etsy and every single transaction has been great! The selection they offer is so varied I could spend hours looking through all the wonderful items. Every purchase feels secure and all the items have been received in a timely manner. What a great place to showcase small business goods.” — Stacy of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Get started: Etsy
People Also Ask These Questions About How To Build Your Own Gift Box
Q: Are there services that let you build your own gift box?
- A: Yes, there are services that let you build your own gift box. Some of them will even let you add a logo and other custom details to the items in the box and the box itself. These build-a-box services specialize in curated gift boxes.
Q: Can my employees build their own gift boxes?
- A: Yes, your employees can build their own gift boxes. Certain gift box companies even enable employees to swap certain gifts out for others. It’s an even better way to give them a choice in their gift than using a gift card.
Q: What are some tips for building your own gift box?
- A: Some tips for building your own gift box could be to make sure that you understand the person who you’re creating it for. For instance, find out their hobbies and passions, interests, likes, and dislikes. Also, don’t only give a holiday gift and wait for the holiday season. Make unique gifts and gift packages a year-round thing.
Q: How much does it cost to build a gift box?
- A: There is no set amount that it costs to build a gift box; however, a good gift box could cost anywhere from $25 to several hundred dollars, depending on a box’s contents.
Q: Can a build your own gift box company deliver to multiple addresses?
- A: Yes, more often than not, a build your own gift box company can deliver to multiple addresses. It’s normally as simple as placing your order and inputting the addresses during the checkout process.
