Gear up for the holiday season with custom gift options
By Cheryl Loban
Images courtesy of JDS Industries
As new gift items arrive each year, the months before the holiday shopping season are the perfect time to refresh your showroom or website and make sure memorable gift options are readily available to your customers. From practical pieces to higher-end keepsakes, personalized products are meaningful, memorable, and available at many price points, giving customers useful options for almost any recipient.
Blanks
If you offer UV printing, you can choose from a wide range of blanks in multiple sizes, including double- and single-sided pieces, to create vibrant full-color photo reproductions, art prints, and keepsakes. Family photos, vacation memories, special-event images, and even children’s artwork can all be preserved and shared as thoughtful gifts. Smaller UV-print blanks, such as dog tags, luggage tags, and business cards, are also well suited for employee or customer appreciation gifts, promotional pieces, or holiday giveaways for businesses and organizations.
Aluminum blanks resist rust and corrosion, and white UV-cured inks create a durable, scratch-resistant surface. Flexible PVC plastic blanks with nearly full-coverage magnetic backing offer strong holding power and are available in multiple sizes. Customized magnets work well as promotional gifts, employee incentives, and customizable retail items for gift shops, souvenir shops, or fundraisers. These versatile blanks are compatible with UV, screen, inkjet, and flatbed digital printing, as well as decals and vinyl graphics, giving you several decorating options.
Canvas bags
Personalized canvas tote bags are another practical choice for customers who need multiple gifts or want something useful. Available in several sizes and styles, canvas bags can be decorated with full-color direct-to-film (DTF) printing. They are budget-friendly for businesses and organizations, and they can also become thoughtful hosting gifts when filled with smaller items such as food, coasters, mugs, kitchen towels, or personal gifts. For children, they can be filled with craft supplies, books, small toys, or clothing for a personalized surprise. With so many ways to customize and fill them, canvas tote bags offer strong potential for both personal and promotional gifting. They also make ideal swag bags for conventions or corporate events.
Trays, coasters & cutting boards
For customers who prefer a more refined, home-inspired gift, serving trays and coasters are a natural fit. These pieces combine the durability and beauty of acacia wood and can be customized with laser engraving for natural contrast, color-filled for a bolder look, or decorated with UV or UV-DTF printing for added color. Rectangle acacia wood trays with gold handles and round trays with raised edges feature blue or white resin accents, making each piece distinct.
If serving trays appeal to your customers, acacia wood cutting boards are an easy companion product. Available in rectangular and paddle shapes in multiple sizes, they include carry handles and either white or blue resin accents or white or black marble accents. Round and square coasters in coordinating finishes can also be personalized. These items make attractive standalone gifts, or they can be paired as matching sets or mixed for a custom presentation. Durable enough for everyday use, they also complement a wide range of decor styles.
Drinkware
Stainless steel, double-wall vacuum-insulated drinkware remains very popular, from tumblers in multiple sizes to water bottles and travel mugs. Powder coating adds durability and visual appeal, and it works well with laser engraving, UV printing, and UV-DTF printing. A 64-oz. double-wall vacuum-insulated pitcher provides a convenient way to refill coordinating drinkware while offering the same durability, appearance, and temperature-retention benefits. Like the drinkware, the powder-coated finish customizes beautifully with the same decorating methods. Add an optional tea or fruit infuser to the pitcher for even more versatility. Pair these pitchers with coordinating drinkware for a useful, long-lasting gift set, or offer them as a standout gift on their own.
For gifts with higher perceived value, quality glass decanter sets are a classic, polished option for personalized gifts or corporate incentives. With several decanter styles available in sets that include matching rocks glasses, you can offer customers choices in size, style, and customization. Other glassware options can also be decorated with a monogram, logo, or other graphics to create heirloom-quality gifts for personal or corporate giving.
Wind chimes
Wind chimes are another increasingly popular gift and can be personalized to create something truly one-of-a-kind. They can be made from many materials, each with its own sound; wood or bamboo produces an earthy tone, glass or ceramic creates a higher pitch, and brass or copper delivers a rich, gong-like tone. Aluminum wind chimes are especially popular because they are durable and can withstand harsher outdoor conditions. Their hollow tubes create a resonant, deep tone with a relaxing effect. Powder coating adds durability and a beautiful finish for personalization with laser engraving, UV printing, or UV-DTF printing, creating a gift that can be enjoyed year after year.
Holiday sales
By planning early and offering a mix of customizable gifts, you can help your customers find products that feel personal and lasting. Whether you produce items in-house or outsource what you don’t have the time or equipment to complete, a well-rounded holiday gift lineup can make seasonal shoppers repeat customers while generating valuable word-of-mouth referrals and boosting year-end sales.
Cheryl Loban is the Communications Specialist at JDS Industries. She joined JDS in March of 2001 as a customer service rep and worked in various roles in that capacity over the past 20-plus years. Loban moved into her marketing position in 2019.
