60% of small business owners plan to send gifts to their employees this year in lieu of the annual Christmas party.
New research from Musgrave MarketPlace also reveals that 69% of businesses plan to buy gifts for clients this Christmas, an increase of 5% on last year.
The study was carried out among 613 Irish SMEs as part of the Musgrave MarketPlace "Christmas Made" campaign.
It shows that of the SMEs that are buying gifts for clients this Christmas, 65% say they will spend up to €1,000 and given that Christmas parties are a less likely this year, over a quarter plan to send additional gifts to clients in lieu of a face-to-face celebration.
The logistics of organising gifting this year is somewhat different to previous years and 78% of SMEs feel that corporate gifting is more stressful this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, with one in five saying a member of their team will organise and send gifts from their own home.
According to the survey, mixed food and alcohol hampers continue to rank as the most popular choice for corporate clients, with 47% of SME owners opting for this classic gift.
Alcohol also rates highly among SMEs, with a fifth of small business owners now choosing a case of wine for clients while just 9% of respondents will opt for sending chocolates.
64% of SMEs surveyed said they send gifts to thank their clients for their ongoing business with only 10% choosing to send gifts to drive sales.
Although it is not a motivating factor for sending gifts, 41% claim to have noticed an improvement in business due to corporate gifting.
