John Ruhlin, founder and CEO of gift strategy firm Giftology in North Canton, OH, offers his expertise on gifting opportunities, especially during COVID, and explains why it’s still important to maintain connection at a distance this year.

Q: What’s the importance of gifting all year round, not just in Q4?

A: Gifting helps scale thoughtfulness. It’s a delivery vehicle for an emotion. It’s a tangible reputation of the value you place on a relationship. It takes strategy just like operations, marketing and finance. But it’s the red-headed stepchild (if it’s even considered at all) of business strategy. Clients often give it no thought at all, but it’s actually an area of opportunity.

Q: Have you seen an uptick in gifting during COVID?

A: Gifts are more important than ever this year. Before the pandemic, companies would spend $500 per employee on parties, with champagne and lobster. Now, Zoom and the “bring your own drink” virtual get-togethers are getting old. Major tech companies have come to us wondering what they could do for their teams. We’ve told them to double down on generosity this year, because so many people are working overtime and dealing with stressors like working from home and virtual learning.

Q: What kinds of gifts are popular?

A: With everyone spending so much time at home, gift-givers have to think about home life. Everyone’s stressed and many vacations and incentive trips are still on hold. Consider items that improve people’s daily routine. We just did $5,000 INTELLIbed mattresses for a client because they want their people to “rest well.” Another idea is kitchen tools; those companies can’t keep up with demand right now. Think about home cooking items rather than just another product. And put their first and last names or even their family name on it. They shouldn’t look cheap. There are certain basic things almost everyone can use, like cutlery. They might not work for everybody, but if you get 80% who are happy with it, that’s amazing. And include handwritten notes with high-quality items; really use the marketing budget this year.

Q: How can you optimize the satisfaction rate of a gift?

A: This year, hand-choose a gift and make sure it resonates with recipients. Try to put the odds in your favor. Think universally, but remember, something like alcohol isn’t actually universal. At any given time, about 10% of the population isn’t drinking. So “everybody drinks” isn’t true. The same goes with food, with all the diets and food allergies. Definitely consider health and wellness products – those companies are crushing it right now because people are being more health-conscious.

Q: Where do you see trends going in the next few months?

A: Office-related items will stay popular. Some people will head back to the office, but there will definitely be fewer huge buildings and fewer workstations. People will continue to expect home items and delivery services. We’ve realized we’re humans outside the office. There’s more humanity now; we’ve extended grace to kids and pets who walk past on Zoom calls. Gifting is thoughtful – we all just crave to be treated like a human being.