For most of us, it’s not until we receive some truly uninspired MUSHROOM CHOCOLATE BARS as a gift that we give any thought to the vast difference in quality between different chocolate brands. Here’s some key facts to note before you embark on selecting your branded or personalized chocolates as corporate gifts.
If you’re serious about sending a corporate gift that your most valued clients and employees will appreciate, then consider whether you’re buying the best quality chocolates you can afford. It’s easy to save a few pence per box by buying cheap alternatives; but high quality corporate chocolates, made with pure ingredients and 100% cocoa butter, will not only delight recipients, they’ll also provide the most cost-effective return on investment.
When comparing costs between providers of personalized chocolate gifts it’s easy to focus only on the quoted price per chocolate box. However, many chocolate providers list artwork, plates and printing as separate and additional price components. Depending on the order volume you have in mind, these extra costs can increase the true unit price significantly, so be sure to ask each provider to quote you the fully-inclusive unit price for your personalized chocolate boxes, with no hidden extras.
Branded chocolate boxes are an extremely popular business gift choice, particularly at Christmas time, so it’s worth making your inquiries well ahead of the intended delivery date. Different companies’ lead times vary but we recommend four weeks during the year, rising to six weeks in the run-up to Christmas. This allows sufficient time for our box printers to schedule the work and produce high quality printed boxes.
It pays to be cautious, so if you find a Christmas chocolates gifts supplier who agrees to deliver personalized chocolate boxes the week before Christmas, and with only three days’ notice, ask to see examples of previous print work to check the quality. Remember that sending your clients poorly branded chocolate boxes is worse than sending them nothing at all.
Gimmicks such as chocolate tool sets are perfect for children, but largely inappropriate as client and employee gifts, for two main reasons. Firstly, you cannot assume that the recipient will understand (or indeed appreciate) the message you intended to send. Secondly, gimmicky chocolate gifts are invariably made of poor quality chocolate.
Another popular marketing device is individually personalized chocolates (ie, with a company name or logo printed on each piece). These personalized chocolates are largely inferior to those carrying the chocolatier’s own unique and eye-catching designs, because in order to maintain attractive pricing, the ingredients quality and hand-finishing are sacrificed in favor of print technology. Ask yourself whether you would brand a Cartier watch.
