What Employees Really Want From Holiday Gifts in 2026, According to Research

Last updated: September 01, 2026

Choosing an employee holiday gift may seem simple, but finding one that works for people with different tastes, lifestyles, needs, and expectations can be difficult.

Employers may focus on what looks impressive when a gift is given. Employees may judge that same gift differently. Research on gift-giving suggests recipients place more importance on what happens afterward, including whether the gift is useful, well made, and relevant to them.

So, what do employees really want from a holiday gift?

The research does not point to one perfect gift or gifting format. Instead, it repeatedly points to six factors: usefulness, quality, choice, personal relevance, branding, and price. No single factor guarantees that a gift will be appreciated, but each can influence how employees experience and value what they receive.

At GiftAFeeling, our research team reviewed first-party findings from The Shared Secrets Lab (TSSL) alongside PPAI research, employee surveys, and peer-reviewed academic studies on gift-giving. Together, the findings offer insight into why some holiday gifts are more likely to be used, kept, and appreciated by employees than others.

 

Key Findings at a Glance: What Employees Value in Holiday Gifts

The research points to six factors that shape how employees value holiday gifts: usefulness, quality, choice, personal relevance, branding, and price.

1. Usefulness: Gifts that fit into everyday life are more likely to be used, kept, and appreciated.
2. Quality: Recipients tend to prefer fewer, better-quality branded products over a larger number of cheaper items.
3. Choice: Many employees want some say in what they receive rather than having one gift chosen for everyone.
4. Personal relevance: Adding a name or custom detail does not automatically make a gift more valuable. The gift still needs to suit the person receiving it.
5. Branding: Company branding can create positive feelings, but a bigger or more visible logo is not always better.
6. Price: Employees may have expectations around gift value, but spending more does not automatically lead to greater appreciation.

Below, we break down each finding and the research behind it.

Finding #1: Employees Want Gifts They Will Actually Use

Do Employees Prefer Useful Holiday Gifts?

Yes. Usefulness is one of the clearest factors in the research influencing whether recipients value and keep a physical gift. Gifts that fit naturally into everyday life are more likely to stay in use, while branded items with little practical value are more likely to go unused or be discarded.

PPAI surveyed more than 3,400 U.S. consumers and found that 55% kept branded merchandise because it was useful in daily life. Lack of usefulness showed the opposite pattern: 38% cited it as a reason for getting rid of branded merchandise, while 68% said usefulness made an item feel valuable.

Academic research helps explain why. Baskin, Wakslak, Trope, and Novemsky found that gift givers tend to focus more on how desirable a gift appears, while recipients place greater importance on practicality and feasibility. Galak, Givi, and Williams similarly found that givers often focus on the moment a gift is received, while recipients care more about its value during ownership.

The Shared Secrets Lab found a similar pattern when examining how U.S. consumers treated promotional products. Forty percent were discarded immediately after being received, while only 16% were kept long term. This suggests that recipients can quickly decide whether a company-branded item is worth keeping.

The evidence suggests that usefulness plays an important role in both gift retention and perceived value.

Finding #2: Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Do Employees Prefer Quality Over Quantity in Holiday Gifts?

Yes. The available evidence suggests that for physical holiday gifts, recipients generally prefer fewer, higher-quality branded items over a larger number of lower-quality ones. Higher-quality products also tend to feel more valuable, while poor quality can make recipients less likely to keep them.

PPAI found that 66% of U.S. consumers preferred fewer, higher-quality branded products, compared with 20% who preferred more lower-cost items. Quality also affected how those products were judged: 65% said high quality made branded merchandise feel valuable, while poor quality was the second-leading reason people discarded branded items.

Quality plays an important role in whether recipients see branded merchandise as valuable and worth keeping.

Finding #3: Employees Want More Choice

Do Employees Want to Choose Their Own Holiday Gift?

Yes. Research shows that many employees want a say in the holiday gifts they receive. Offering choice can better accommodate different tastes, sizes, lifestyles, and personal preferences.

Snappy surveyed 1,500 employed U.S. adults and found that 75% wanted to choose their own gift. Custom Ink found a similar pattern. In its employee survey, 52% preferred choosing from multiple gift options, while 31% preferred everyone receiving the same gift.

Blackhawk Network found a similar reason behind gift card preferences. Among employees who wanted prepaid or gift cards, 70% said they liked being able to choose what to buy.

Academic research points in the same direction. Across five studies, Gino and Flynn found that recipients appreciated gifts they had specifically requested more than alternative gifts selected by the giver. Givers, however, often assumed that choosing something themselves would feel more thoughtful than recipients actually found it.

Across the studies reviewed, employees consistently showed a preference for having some control over what they receive, whether that means choosing the gift themselves or selecting from several options.

Finding #4: Personalization Alone Doesn't Guarantee Greater Appreciation

Do Employees Value Personalized Gifts More Than Standard Ones?

Not always. Tremendous surveyed 1,500 U.S. employees and found that 65.5% either did not care whether a gift was personalized or appreciated personalized and standardized gifts equally. Employees also showed more interest in a personal note from their manager than in having the gift itself individually selected.

PPAI looked at a related but different question. It found that 77% of consumers said it was important for a gift to reflect their individual preferences. In other words, the gift itself still needs to suit someone's tastes, interests, needs, or lifestyle.

Personalization and recipient fit are not the same thing. A personalized gift is not automatically more valuable than a standard one, while a well-matched gift can still feel relevant without any customization.

Finding #5: Branding Works Better When It Doesn't Dominate the Gift

How Visible Should Company Branding Be on Employee Holiday Gifts?

Branding can add real value to a gift, but bigger or more visible branding isn't automatically better.

PPAI's 5-Second Impact study of 1,000 U.S. consumers found that 44% preferred subtle branding over large, bold logos, and nearly 90% said a product's visual design influenced whether they'd keep it. At the same time, 57% said a clear, visible logo helped them remember the brand. Subtle branding does not mean removing the company's identity. It means being deliberate about how prominent that identity is.

PPAI's separate Product Power research, covering more than 5,000 U.S. respondents, found that 72% associated branded merchandise with positive emotions such as pride, belonging, or gratitude. The same research linked long-term retention with durability, design, and materials, not the logo alone.

Recipients can respond positively to company branding without wanting the logo to dominate the product. Design and product quality shape how valuable the gift feels, while branding works best as part of the overall experience rather than as the main feature.

Finding #6: Price Is Only One Part of Perceived Value

Do More Expensive Holiday Gifts Make Employees Feel More Appreciated?

Not necessarily. Spending more does not automatically lead to greater appreciation.

PPAI's holiday gifting research found that 46.7% of respondents said the cost or value of a gift did not affect their satisfaction, while 31% said a higher-value gift increased satisfaction. This suggests that price matters to some recipients, but it is not the main driver of satisfaction for everyone.

Across three studies, Flynn and Adams found that gift givers expected more expensive gifts to generate greater appreciation. Recipients, however, did not show the same relationship between price and how much they appreciated the gift.

That doesn't mean employees have no expectations around cost. Tremendous found that 66% of surveyed employees considered $50 to $100 an appropriate value for an employer holiday gift, though that figure reflects one employee sample rather than a universal benchmark.

Price matters, but it does not determine appreciation. A more expensive gift is not automatically more meaningful or more valued.

How Should Employers Apply These Findings to Holiday Gifting?

Better holiday gifting starts with the recipient, not the budget, logo, or number of items. For physical or company-branded gifts, the six findings point to several practical priorities:

• Start with usefulness. Choose products employees are likely to use beyond the holiday itself, not novelty items with limited everyday value.
• Prioritize quality over item count. When budgets are fixed, fewer well-made products may offer more value than a larger number of lower-quality ones.
• Build in some choice. Giving employees a say in what they receive can help avoid mismatched sizes, tastes, or preferences.
• Separate personalization from fit. A name or custom detail can enhance a gift, but it shouldn't replace choosing something that actually suits the recipient.
• Use branding deliberately. A logo can add identity and connection, but it shouldn't dominate the product. Design and quality should still carry the gift.
• Set budgets around appropriate value, not the assumption that more is always better. Employees may have expectations around gift value, but higher spending alone doesn't guarantee stronger appreciation.

Focus on how the recipient will experience the gift. Usefulness, quality, choice, fit, branding, and perceived value all influence how much the recipient appreciates it.

Research Methodology

This paper uses a targeted narrative literature review of research published mainly between 2023 and 2026, with older peer-reviewed studies included where relevant to gift-giving psychology. The review draws on employee holiday-gifting surveys, PPAI consumer and branded-merchandise research, peer-reviewed academic studies, and first-party research from The Shared Secrets Lab. Sources were assessed for evidence quality and how directly they apply to employee holiday gifting. Commercially sponsored studies were included where relevant, but their findings were compared with independent research rather than relied on alone.

 

FAQs

What do employees want from holiday gifts in 2026?

Research suggests employees are more likely to value holiday gifts that are useful, well made, and suited to their preferences. Choice, personalization, branding, and price can also influence how a gift is received, but no single factor guarantees appreciation.

For gift ideas that reflect these findings, see the 2026 holiday gift guide.

Do employees prefer useful gifts over decorative or novelty gifts?

Research suggests usefulness is one of the strongest factors influencing whether a gift is valued and kept. PPAI found that 68% of consumers said usefulness made branded merchandise feel valuable, while 38% cited lack of usefulness as a reason for getting rid of it.

Is it better to give employees one high-quality gift or several cheaper ones?

For physical branded gifts, research favors fewer, higher-quality items. PPAI found that 66% of consumers preferred fewer, higher-quality branded products, compared with 20% who preferred more lower-cost items.

Should employees be allowed to choose their own holiday gift?

Yes, many employees prefer having some choice. Snappy found that 75% of surveyed employees wanted to choose their own gift, while Custom Ink found that 52% preferred choosing from multiple options compared with 31% who preferred everyone receiving the same gift.

How visible should company branding be on an employee holiday gift?

Company branding can be visible without dominating the gift. PPAI found that 44% of consumers preferred subtle branding over large, bold logos, while 57% said a clear, visible logo helped them remember the brand. Product design and quality also influence whether an item is kept.

Does spending more on an employee holiday gift increase appreciation?

Not necessarily. PPAI found that 46.7% of respondents said a gift's cost or value did not affect their satisfaction, while 31% said a higher-value gift increased it. Academic research has also found that gift givers tend to overestimate how much price affects recipient appreciation.

What is an appropriate budget for an employee holiday gift?

There is no universal employee holiday gift budget. In one Tremendous survey, 66% of employees considered $50 to $100 an appropriate value for an employer holiday gift. The finding reflects one employee sample rather than a universal benchmark.

What should employers prioritize when choosing holiday gifts for employees?

Employers should prioritize how employees will experience the gift after receiving it. Research suggests usefulness, quality, recipient fit, and choice can matter more than simply choosing something impressive, heavily branded, or expensive.

 

References

 

1. Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). The Things We Don’t Throw Away. Consumer research examining usefulness, quality, perceived value, retention, and disposal of branded merchandise.

2. Baskin, E., Wakslak, C. J., Trope, Y., & Novemsky, N. Why Feasibility Matters More to Gift Receivers than to Givers: A Construal-Level Approach to Gift Giving. Journal of Consumer Research, 2014.

3. Galak, J., Givi, J., & Williams, E. F. Why Certain Gifts Are Great to Give but Not to Get: A Framework for Understanding Errors in Gift Giving. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2016.

4. The Shared Secrets Lab (TSSL). First-party consumer research examining how recipients evaluate, retain, and discard promotional products.

5. Snappy. Employee holiday-gifting research based on 1,500 employed U.S. adults, examining gift preferences and recipient choice.

6. Custom Ink. Employee holiday-gifting survey examining preferences for choosing from multiple gift options versus receiving the same gift.

7. Blackhawk Network. Employee research examining holiday rewards, gift-card preferences, and the value recipients place on having choice.

8. Gino, F., & Flynn, F. J. Give Them What They Want: The Benefits of Explicitness in Gift Exchange. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2011.

9. Tremendous. Employee Holiday Gifting Study. Survey of 1,500 U.S. employees examining holiday-gift preferences, personalization, and appropriate employer gift value.

10. Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). The Wishlist: PPAI Holiday Gifting Survey. Consumer research examining holiday-gift preferences, personal relevance, perceived value, and satisfaction.

11. Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). The 5-Second Impact. Research involving 1,000 U.S. consumers examining visual design, branding visibility, brand recall, and product retention.

12. Flynn, F. J., & Adams, G. S. Money Can’t Buy Love: Asymmetric Beliefs About the Link Between Gift Price and Feelings of Appreciation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2009.