Eighty two per cent of Irish SME's are planning to purchase presents for their clients this Christmas according to new research by Musgrave MarketPlace.
The survey, conducted by the leading wholesaler among 600 Irish SMEs, revealed that corporate gifting among SMEs will rise by 7% this Christmas, compared to 2015 when 75% of small business owners planned to exchange corporate gifts. Eighty nine per cent of SMEs said they send corporate gifts to enhance relationships with their clients.
Mixed food and alcohol hampers are ranked as the most popular gifts for corporate clients according to 45% of SME owners. Gifting alcohol also rates highly among SMEs, with 44% of small business owners now choosing wine, spirits or craft beer for their clients – an increase of 11% since last year. Chocolates were considered the best gift to give by 9% of respondents and just 2% would opt for candles.
One in three SME owners find corporate gifting stressful, up 5% since December 2015. Finding a gift that’s suitable is the most stressful part of the process for 37% of respondents, while the high cost of gifts is a bugbear for a further 20% of SME owners.
Eighteen per cent consider organizing the delivery of gifts to be a nuisance while 16% think it can be overly time consuming. The remaining 8% believe finding somewhere to buy the right gifts is the most difficult part of the gifting process.
According to the survey, over two-thirds (67%) of SMEs prefer in-store shopping to buying online because they like to see the products in person before purchasing. A small number (6%) of business owners would prefer to use brochures received in the post to select their gifts.
Commenting on the findings, Musgrave MarketPlace Director of Marketing, Michelle Fennell said, "It is important to us at Musgrave MarketPlace to make corporate gift giving as simple as possible for all SMEs."
She added, "We offer high quality gifts for purchase both in-store and online to save our customers’ time and let them choose the most suitable gift to show their appreciation to clients this Christmas. For business owners who are increasingly busy during the festive period, we offer a convenient delivery service for gifts and corporate hampers which allows gifts to be sent directly to recipients."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
