Merchandise trends for corporate gifting in 2025 (featuring Jenelle from BrandFactor)
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It’s getting close to the end of 2024 + whether we like it or not, we’re beginning to look forwards into 2025! In this episode of Marketing + Margaritas, Jade is joined by Jenelle from BrandFactor to discuss merchandise trends for 2025.
Jenelle has a degree in Business Management + is a financial planner by trade, though next year marks 20 years that she has been in the merchandise business. What is it that got her interested in merchandise? It’s the excitement of working with clients to make a plan that will help them reach their goals + of course, nailing the brief. For Jenelle, there’s something about finding the right product for each business + matching it to the reasons for giving.
Now, what we’re all here for – trends to watch in 2025!
Sustainable products
Sustainable products as corporate gifts are on the upwards trend, this includes pens, notepads, water bottles, cups, bags, hats + clothing. These items can be made from organic cotton, recycled plastic, steel or aluminium + have you seen the water bottles that are made from sugar cane waste?? What a brilliant idea!
As with anything, sustainable products have their own set of challenges, such as:
Recycled plastic doesn’t have the same durability as regular plastic. In this case, Jenelle recommends you get a sample first, so that you know what you’re getting.
Some products don’t suit all businesses + may not align with the business offering.
Sustainable products are generally more expensive – so you need to weigh up the cost vs what you’re trying to achieve / what message you are trying to send.
A sustainable product doesn’t just mean that it must be made from sustainable materials, it could be that the way the product is manufactured. For example, the production factory may have solar power or some other form of renewable energy, they could be using inks that aren’t so harsh to the environment, or sometimes you can buy merchandise where a portion of the profits go towards a charity organisation.
If you like the idea of sustainable products but aren’t keen to compromise on durability or don’t have the capacity to up your budget, Jenelle recommends pens + notebooks that are made from recycled material.
Technology
As with any gift, you want to make sure that the product is of good quality + this especially applies to tech. Here’s some examples that Jenelle highly recommends:
High powered power bank – if you’re going to gift this, you’ve got to make sure that it has the capacity to charge someone’s devices.
All in one charger / adaptor cable – these are at a good price point, and they are actually useful, people love them.
Insulated water bottle with a Bluetooth speaker in the bottom (this one blew Jade’s mind!).
A beanie with Bluetooth speakers in it – perfect for long flights, it gets cold up there!
Finally, Jenelle’s wrap up tip
Have a plan. Think about who your audience is, know your purpose (your reason for giving gifts) + do your research! Think about what products could be useful that will help your business be memorable + top of mind.
By the way – Jenelle gives her seal of approval for Jade’s previous episode about corporate gifts. If you’ve left yours to the last minute, check it out here 👉https://www.rebelnation.au/podcast/my-take-on-corporate-christmas-gifts-soundbite