It always feels so much better and nicer to give than to receive, if you are relish the act of giving yourself. But then there is nothing worse than that act of ripping off colorful fine wrapping paper to unveil some gym socks, a ubiquitous CD box set of any kind or that oh-so-obviously re-circulated scented candles. Well, it can be just enough to make you seek a lump of coal, know why!

Of course, an array of online tools have long been there to let you cobble together a quick list of things that you would love others to gift you.

Pinterest

• As its name suggests, this service indeed acts as a virtual pinboard wherein users can save items that have caught their eye online.
• The site is developed with the basic understanding that  surfers in their zigzag across the online realm are constantly stumbling across interesting books, cute trinkets, pieces of furniture, iPad cases and other objects. It lets them save all these items and organize them into specific sets, including holiday wish lists.The service allows users to follow others’ lists to come up with enhanced gift ideas.

Evernote

• It’s a note-taking service that lets users add tags to the photos and notes they save. Adding a ‘holiday gift’ tag to those items will create a list of desirables.
• It has teamed up with ShopAdvisor that analyzes gift ideas in your account and searches the Web to look for matching products. It sends information about where to find them - online as well as offline.

HavetoHave

• HavetoHave allows people to clip and to save products from across the Web and then assemble them into handy shopping lists.
• The website allows members to find and to follow their friends as well as browse through the items that they have saved, either as a way to get gift-giving ideas or as suggestions to add to their own wish lists.
• As a bonus, it has put in place a built-in blue-light-special alert to tell people when an item they have flagged has actually gone on sale.

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In the west a food hamper is the most preferred gift and corporates choose their hampers with great care, it is usually a  and other accompaniments. Unfortunately this trend has not yet caught up in India given the fact that most stores such as Godrej – nature’s basket or RIL’s Fresh, shoppers stop and spencers do not cater to the corporate gifting market. There is an opportunity here for someone with an artistic ability to pack and put together a beautiful hamper that the receiver will cherish. What is important is the packing to give it the kind of panache it requires.

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Always remember word of mouth is the best method of advertising. Companies do not have control over consumers, especially in this era of social media.

Employees form the backbone of a company. If they are happy, the positive buzz is not going to be missed by your clients. And if they are disgruntled, the negative vibes are only going to be obvious. That’s why it becomes so important to keep your staff happy. Beyond applying the performance metrics and carrying out regular assessment, make it a point to appreciate their efforts. Do not make the mistake of underestimating or undermining them, at least publicly, at any point.

The idea on your part should be to build a creative and contrastive environment. Once you do so, you can leverage it to create a positive impact of the brand to your target audience as a whole. In other words, the process of brand building should start with your own people. In this context, this article will try to explain the importance of gifting to the employees.

As we discussed above, a favorable brand image or company identity is so very vital. Keep the basics of gifting to your employees in mind. If a firm is large, with people spread across departments and sections, it won’t be possible to customize your gifts.

Of course, budget is another key consideration. In such case, you may run a personality contest for them, or even institute an award for your best performing employees, asking them to choose a gift of their choice from the available options. This will encourage other employees to do well, making them feel a part of the organization.

As an offbeat idea, employee in a senior managerial role or with a higher designation should be allowed the privilege of visit to a health spa making him or her feel that the company really cares about the person’s physical and mental well-being, well realizing the need for a timely break.

Niche gift or promotional items, especially for your female employees sure would add a new touch to the whole program.

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There is no doubt about the fact that personalized gifts make a memorable and unique choice. However, the selection process and the ultimate act of choosing a gift that would appeal to the person cannot always be as simple as it looks.

In one of our recent posts, we focused on a unique venture of highly creative Nidhi Agrawal who makes gifts, which suit the receiver’s personality. As we found out, you just need to hand over a picture of your choice to her and she converts it into a dramatic present to reflect the person’s interests by applying her imagination.

There is another comprehensive resource more suited for corporate world when it comes to personalized gifting, merchandising and promotions. We are referring to ekco that stands out is their solid service and innovative ideas.

ekco implements entire product promotional campaigns for their clientele from across different businesses/ industry segments like FMCG, financial institutions, advertising agencies and pharmaceutical firms, among others on a turnkey basis.

ekco serves under the loyalty programs for which they work closely with right from the basic concept to the complete execution of the campaign all across India. Their specialization lies in providing innovative and concept-based gifting solutions.

They supply everything from chocolates, sweets, idols, designer candles, silverware to fancy Hampers. They also deal in items like windcheaters, umbrellas and diyas for various festivals like Diwali, Christmas and of course, the New Year.

Customization and personalization of gifting solutions is the forte of ekco. They undertake the gifting and promotional projects starting from manufacturing to personalizing products like T-Shirts, caps, mugs, clocks, watches, ceramic/ porcelain items, etc. They also execute customized print jobs like printing tattoos.

Some of the categories they deal in are Awards and Recognition; Branded Products; Eco friendly Products; Festival Gifting; Games; Handicrafts; Household Products; Office & personal products.

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For an added personalized touch to make your gift truly innovative and indeed unique, we suggest you one of its kind avenue! Gifted Lifestyles offers you a selection of mouth watering chocolates, jewelry or flowers to enhance the aura of your present.

Also on offer are wonderful wrapping services to enhance the beauty of your gift. Personal consultation is another value-add to the gifting service. Tarana Khubchandani, Kanchan Khubchandani, Armaiti Bhagwagar and Rashna Talati launched Gifted Lifestyles with the very purpose.

They all have combined their passion and professional skills in conceiving Gifted Lifestyles in November 2007. It’s a full-fledged boutique that has on offer a wide array of charming gifts that can be perfect for every occasion – social or personal.

Their collection of gifting items has been an outcome of proactive search and in-depth research done over two years after traveling to a host of fairs and events apart from visits to internationally acclaimed markets of Paris, Hong Kong, Florence, Barcelona, Dubai Milan, etc that has gave rise to this fabulous range of gifts.

Gifted Lifestyles is indeed a treasure trove of exciting gifts like mahogany desk boxes, silk mannequins, filigree lamps, golden fortune cookies and hand embroidered lap trays. What you get on the shelves of this cozy, captivating store is a range of exclusive home décor products and amazing accessories, as well as personal luxury items plus a distinctive display for men.

Another admirable aspect is the constant revamp of the extensive merchandise on offer to suit the different moods and seasons like Diwali and Christmas. The creative team gives inputs to come up with gift hampers, to match any occasion.

If you are searching for a unique gift that would suit your budget and also reflect the recipient’s personality and tastes, Gifted Lifestyles is your best option.

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Companies look forward to celebrate Diwali in every unique way possible to make it a remarkable festive season for employees to cherish it all their lives. As companies  across India give their employees a Diwali bonus as a usual practice every year, companies usually pay the bonus in cash. This year the trend of gifting bonuses has evolved into a completely new way. Companies have started giving Diwali bonuses in kind as well.

Since you as an employer might want to give a Diwali bonus in kind, you can make use of the offers from various brands that offer special Diwali gift vouchers during the Diwali festive season. As employees look forward to shop around for the coming new year, a gift voucher that will enable them to shop for the accessories they were about to shop as a matter of fact would be ideal.

Ultimately, making your employees happy this Diwali would surely be your objective so as to welcome the new year with a bang and ensure your company reaches its pinnacle point.

Make sure you give a voucher that enables the employee to shop across a variety of items at a supermall.

Make sure you give a voucher of an amount equal to at least 20 - 30 % of the employees salary as the voucher you will gift will be in respect of the bonus that you would be offering.

Make sure you do not forget to offer a box of mithais/sweets as it is termed auspicious to exchange sweets during Diwali. 

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