The Shared Secrets Lab's proprietary survey data found gift selection ranked ahead of budgets, fulfilment, and other challenges when planning corporate gift boxes.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 29, 2026 /GiftAFeeling/ -- Companies struggle more with choosing corporate gifts people actually want than managing costs, according to new proprietary survey data from The Shared Secrets Lab (TSSL), GiftAFeeling's research lab. Gift selection ranked as the biggest challenge at 27%, ahead of managing budgets and costs (24%), coordinating production and fulfilment (22%), reducing unwanted or unused gifts (18%), and managing cultural and privacy considerations (9%).
The findings are published in The State of Corporate Gift Boxes 2026: What Companies Struggle With and What Recipients Value, a report that combines The Shared Secrets Lab's proprietary survey data with published consumer and industry research to examine both the challenges organizations face when planning and managing corporate gift boxes and the factors that influence recipient preferences.
To complement the proprietary survey findings, the report also examines published consumer and industry research from PPAI and other industry sources to better understand which products recipients value, keep, and use.
Key findings include:
- Usefulness: PPAI consumer research found that 83% of respondents kept a promotional product because the product or message was useful. Twenty-seven percent said they kept an item because they wanted or needed it when they received it.
- Product preferences: Wearables were the most preferred promotional product category at 29%, followed by health and beauty products (17%), technology products (14%), food and beverage products (9%), and travel products (7%).
- Design: Design was the leading emotional factor influencing whether respondents kept promotional products, cited by 46%. Thirty percent said a product was fun to have, while 26% appreciated the message associated with it.
- Quality over quantity: PPAI consumer research found that 66% of consumers preferred fewer, higher-quality products, compared with 20% who preferred a larger number of lower-cost items.
- Recipient choice: Supporting research cited in the report found that 70% of people had received a gift they did not want, while 58% wished they had been given more choice.
Together, the findings suggest that successful corporate gift programs depend not only on budgets and fulfilment, but also on selecting products recipients are likely to value, use, and keep.
Complete Study Results: The State of Corporate Gift Boxes 2026: What Companies Struggle With and What Recipients Value
Research Methodology
This report combines proprietary survey data from The Shared Secrets Lab with published research and industry data from PPAI, DHL, IFIC, and other key industry sources. Together, these findings provide a comprehensive analysis of corporate gifting challenges, gifting psychology, and consumer insights.
About The Shared Secrets Lab
GiftAFeeling's Shared Secrets Lab (TSSL) is the world's #1 research and development lab focused on gifting psychology, particularly corporate gifts, promotional products, and branded merchandise. Led by industry subject-matter experts, global thought leaders, and psychologists, TSSL studies the factors that influence recipients to value, keep, and use the products they receive. Its research helps organizations make more informed, evidence-based product and gifting decisions.
About GiftAFeeling
GiftAFeeling Inc. is a Canadian multinational supplier of corporate gifts, promotional products, branded merchandise, and employee uniforms. The company has worked with 87 of Canada’s top 100 companies and has been recognized as one of Canada’s top five e-commerce businesses by the CanadianSME National Business Awards.
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