The new year brings new opportunities to develop more meaningful relationships in business. We’re always looking for physical ways to represent the many stories shared between two people and the brand personalities of the companies looking to nurture their relationships.

In this blog, we'll explore the hottest gift trends for 2024 and discuss how they could be used in business to make your clients, prospects and team members feel connected. 

Expressive Wall Art:

Expressive wall art is a trend that's growing, particularly among younger consumers. Wall hangings, wallpaper, stickers, coverings, frames, and shelving are all part of this trend. These items serve as fantastic gifts for someone moving into a new space or anyone looking to personalize their home. 

How to Use it in Business:

• Can be used with the storyline of milestone acknowledgement.  The milestone of new home purchase is meaningful to the recipient.

• Use the DIY storyline and find something made by local artists. It’s got the story of made for them and reflects local pride.

Sustainable and Eco-friendly Products:

It’s 2024 and consumers are increasingly conscious of environmental sustainability. They’re looking for products made from natural, sustainable materials and look for third-party certifications like Fair Trade or B-Corp. 

How to Use it in Business:

• Use the Gift Acquisition storyline to create your messaging around items sourced with sustainably made materials. It’s a feel-good story, especially for those who find this important. You’re acknowledging and validating their interests. 

• If you’re creative, upcycling an item yourself would provide an extremely meaningful gift. 

Handmade Candles:

Candles have evolved in 2024. They come in various colors, scents, sizes, and functions, with some even transforming into body moisturizers. You can even find hidden surprises in some. Candles are the most popular home fragrance product.

How to Use it in Business:

• Transition can be used as a storyline with candles. If you’re looking to express care in the form of relaxation, renewal, or personal wellness, your messaging can provide encouragement to take some time for self-care and transition to a place of good health and wellbeing. 

• Today’s candle market highlights labels for just about any scenario, mood or occasion. Select a suitable motivational labeled candle and you can use the storyline of Goal Acknowledgement. Your message would tie in the motivational phrase while calling on the goal you know they’re working toward. 

Men's Personal Care Products:

The men's personal care market is growing rapidly. There is a focus on high-quality ingredients and masculine scents. Men's luxury bath products are also becoming popular, featuring ingredients like coffee grounds, sea salt, charcoal, menthol, SPF, and vitamin C.

How to Use it in Business:

• Transition could again be used for this type of gift experience. We’re more used to women being associated with self-care products, so this is a chance to tie in messaging about men taking time to renew and relax. The transition is from a stressed state to one of wellbeing. This storyline will create a strong feeling of being understood and cared for. 

• Depending on where the items come from, there could be a great Acquisition storyline. If the scent or form is something that the recipient might have mentioned enjoying, the gift becomes memorable because you went out of your way to get it. Or if maybe you have a funny story about the product, again, this creates the lasting connection. 

Calendars:

Paper calendars are making a comeback as they offer a tactile experience and a break from screens. We all know calendars are about keeping people organized, and a physical calendar can be collaborative. 

How to Use it in Business:

• One way to create a memorable experience using calendars is to create something custom related to the relationship you share with the recipient. Relationship related stories could reflect that you’re part of a community (business), or maybe even a specific location. It could also reflect this person’s membership in a particular organization. Tapping into that relationship reminder creates a positive association with each use.  

• Because calendars are organizational products, you can also tap into the storyline of transition. If people hired you to work with them to get their finances in order or maybe their business in order, the calendar can symbolize the on-going transition. 

• The Storyline of Goal Acknowledgement could also be used here. If the person has hired you for a specific amount of time to work toward a specific outcome, a message about that future goal works well. Tie into the use of managing against the work to achieve that goal and now they think of you as they use the calendar. 

Dips, Sauces, & Rubs:

Crossover flavors and fusion recipes are on the rise. People are looking to experiment, reconnect with childhood foods, and even try the latest ideas from across the globe. 

How to Use it in Business:

• The storyline of Tradition can play a huge role in this experience. Create gifts that share a bit about you and your family by highlighting some of your favorites around the holiday season. People will feel like they know you at a more human level and are part of your world. It opens the door for conversation about the items shared as well. 

• Providing recipes along with consumables in your gifting brings in the DIY storyline. You’re creating this unique experience by hand and curating it for the recipient. 

• Perhaps you’ve traveled with the business recipient in the past. Or maybe you attended an event together at a unique location. If you send consumables related to that memory, you’re tapping into the Shared Experience storyline. It was likely a positive memory and will stir up those emotions as they experience it through the gift. 

• If you send something that you recall they shared as a favorite item, you are leveraging the Acquisition storyline. They will think highly of you for recalling that they shared their interest, and you went out and found it. 

Creative Gifts:

Creative gifts are all about adding fun and functionality to everyday routines. These gifts can include clever accessories and items that creatively encourage everyday routines like hydrating. 

How to Use it in Business:

• Creativity is the core of the best stories. Any item that has unique functionality or a unique twist to the everyday, provides a business with the opportunity to share why the item is a perfect gift. If you’re a coach and you already teach creativity to achieve goals, these types of gifts allow you to provide examples of how you will collaborate to accomplish the unimaginable. 

• Anything fun can give you the chance to bring up shared experience storylines as well. Your message can share why the gift reminds you of past experiences together and bring up those happy memories for another good laugh each time they use the item. 

Expressive Tea Towels:

Tea towels with funny or witty sayings have gained popularity over the years. They offer humor and practicality, making them a hit across different generations. Tea towel topics range from mom humor and snarky phrases to pet lover themes and niche interests.

How to Use it in Business:

• These types of gifts allow you to showcase your deep listening skills. Perhaps you’ve talked about your client’s hobbies enough to know they would enjoy a joke about that particular subject. Or maybe you noticed that a prospect recently shared that it’s pet day in the office. You can use these towels to simply personalize your outreach and stay top of mind. You’re impressing them with your understanding of what’s important in their world. 

• You can even use the Acquisition storyline with this product if you customize a towel on their behalf. Maybe you are a favorite brand to someone and create a fun design that would make their day to own some swag that no one else has.

Socks:

Socks are a gift that everyone can appreciate, regardless of age or gender. They offer a fun way to show off your personality. Even as a brand!

How to Use it in Business:

• One of the most common ways we’ve seen this gift executed well is with events. A brand will buy socks related to the theme of the event, or custom branded, as a way to send home the positive feelings associated with the event.  This is using Shared Experiences as the storyline of this gift. 

• Another opportunity is to find some fun motivational phrases and use them with the storyline of Goal Acknowledgement. They’re either given when the goal is achieved or as a motivator toward achieving the goal. 

Wellness Gifts:

Wellness is a top priority for many in 2024. One that’s been growing for a couple of years now. There is a focus on products that nourish the mind and body. Spa-like products such as robes, slippers, soothing scents, essential oil roll-ons, and weighted blankets are all trending.

How to Use it in Business:

• Wellness can be a goal or a transitional acknowledgement. Either story works for use in gifting any associated products.  

• You can also build a story around tradition. Maybe you have a tradition you use for self-care and that can be a powerful experience to share. It’s one that will create a lot of engagement as people open up and share their own stories or ask more questions. 

• Perhaps you purchase a product or scent that you know is a favorite and the story of gift acquisition comes into play. You can speak to remembering them talk about this or going out of your way to find it just for them. That becomes a bond.  

Pet Gifts:

Pet owners are increasingly prioritizing pet care, making pet-themed gifts a popular choice. There's a wide range of options to cater to pet lovers.

How to Use it in Business:

• When you pull in gifts for the pet, you are showcasing your understanding and validation of what’s important to that person. This is the foundation of any lasting relationship.  

• Pet sympathy acknowledgements speak volumes to the recipient. 

• Welcoming new employees or clients by also including their pets in the overall experience showcases your full understanding of their family. 

• Sending care packages when you learn that a client, prospect, or team member adopted a new pet also shows that you’re listening and that you acknowledge what’s important in their life. 

 Message Gifts:

Message gifts allow people to express themselves through words. These gifts can take various forms including fun statements stickers to journals with empowering quotes. Positive affirmations are particularly popular these days as well. 

How to Use it in Business:

• The best storyline to use for these is Goal/Milestone acknowledgement. You would find phrases or words that align with the work you do so that the gift stays present in their space and always positively reminds them of you. 

• You can also use your branding in very soft ways with these gifts.  Maybe you have phrases you use in your everyday efforts.  Relationship related storylines come into play if you send these types of gifts because it symbolizes being part of your community.  

• You can also gamify something like this. Maybe the work you do should be repeated annually.  Having some type of sticker or pin that the person is given upon completion almost makes this a collection piece. Like the way badging works online. 

Hopefully, these trends, along with the suggested use cases will spark some inspiration for your year ahead. Keeping your brand top of mind in meaningful ways can be priceless when done strategically.

If you would like additional help putting these ideas to use or to talk through a strategy that makes sense for your brand, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can join us at one of our upcoming community Q&As to discuss ideas and get your questions answered. Or you can schedule some time to talk with us directly.