Gift kits have become the preferred vehicle for recognizing, rewarding, and communicating with different audiences.
Previously popular paper- and text-based methods such as flyers, mailers, and e-mails have fallen out of favor as the sheer level of material rose, leading to messages being tossed or deleted before they were even read.
Gift kits, on the other hand, have a significantly higher open rate and lifespan than paper-based communications. Unlike e-mails and letters, receiving an unexpected package delivers a welcome and memorable boost of serotonin.
While kits might seem to impose a heavy toll on your budget, the added expense is proving to be worth it. Gift kits have been shown to improve customer relationships and enhance the overall perception of your company. In a digital-heavy world, physical items stand out—they can be seen, touched, and used, imparting them with a greater sense of perceived value. They also provide opportunities for intentional messaging that clearly communicate a company’s identity and values.
Best of all, gift kits drive action. When you send a kit, it tells the recipient that you are investing in the relationship—a gesture that is often rewarded by the recipient responding to a call-to-action or some other incentive, ideally leading to additional business or a more loyal workforce.
Why Do Kits Work So Well?
There is a whole psychology behind gift kits and why they are so well received. Aside from the obvious—getting something for nothing—studies have shown that opening a gift box taps into certain core emotional responses that stimulate the brain's pleasure centers, especially the release of dopamine. These key psychological elements and responses include:
Anticipation and Curiosity
Face it—everyone enjoys receiving a surprise gift. The mystery of what's inside the gift box not only builds suspense, it also engages the imagination, heightening the recipient’s emotional investment and excitement.
Surprise and Novelty
It’s not every day a gift package appears on your desk or doorstep. That alone makes it unique and memorable. The act of opening the box actually activates the brain’s “novelty” response, which is inherently pleasurable and is fortuitously linked to learning and memory.
Sense of Reward
Even though the package is completely unexpected, the simple act of receiving and unboxing the gift triggers a sense of reward or accomplishment, all positive feelings. More importantly, it produces a sense of appreciation, which generates or reinforces positive feelings toward the brand.
Tactile Engagement
The physical act of unwrapping or opening the gift box is a truly multisensory experience, engaging the mind and body. This makes it all the more memorable and emotionally resonant.
Personal Significance
If the gift appears to be personalized in any way—that is, if it feels tailored or particularly thoughtful—it makes the recipient feel special and valued, deepening emotional connections.
Packaging Your Kit for Success
Your gift kit’s success often depends on how it looks. Retail and luxury brands have invested in custom-branded boxes and other high-quality packaging to elevate the perceived value and emotional impact of the gift, making the whole experience more memorable.
Not every business has the resources to create a custom kit, but there are ways to make your gift boxes really stand out. If the budget supports it, a custom mailer box can have a huge impact. A fun image or some text printed on the inside of the box lid can make for a fun surprise. Branded tissue paper featuring your corporate logo and messaging makes the package feel more like a gift and less like a shipment.
Branded stickers or custom packing tape can really dress up a plain box and make it look fresh and unique. And simple branded mailer bags work well for fabric-based or flat products.
Another option is to make the packaging itself a promotional product. Useful items such as a tote bag, backpack, or even a belt bag offer a unique way to get brand exposure while providing a vehicle for getting the message across. This is the least wasteful option; the only thing the recipient will throw away is the plain brown box it came in.
Types of Kits
Kits are used for lots of different occasions: welcoming new hires, onboarding new customers, training channel partners, prospect outreach. Finding new ways to engage with various audiences through kits can be a challenge; it takes a lot of creative effort. Here are some ideas to keep things fresh.
“Back to Office” Lunch Kit
For people who work in or are returning to the office, this kit could include a lunch tote, utensils, a thermos, and a food container. Even if they don’t use it at work, they or their family members can use the items at home.
Use the tote or lunch box as the primary packaging containing the rest of the kit contents. Tie a card to the strap to add a personal touch. If the budget allows, decorate the lunch with a custom pattern or upgrade to a brand name like Black+Blum or Igloo.
“Welcome Home” Kit
Great for real estate agents, neighborhood communities, or construction companies, this kit could include a cutting board, candle, magnetic notepad, reusable grocery bag, and a tool kit. Place all the items, along with printed material pertaining to the community, right in the tote bag.
For added flair (and at an additional cost), engrave the cutting board with a special note, corporate logo, or the recipient’s name.
Fitness Kit
Great for company-wide or departmental fitness campaigns or challenges, this kit could include a water bottle, socks, sports duffel or drawstring bag, shoelaces, and fitness bands. Everything could go in a custom campaign-related box or in the duffel/drawstring bag, depending on the budget. Either way, this is a very cost-effective campaign featuring popular items that can be used for other projects or as giveaways.
Concert/Festival Kit
For the live music lover, this kit includes small but necessary items required for a long day at the venue: a clear crossbody belt bag, phone wallet, sunglasses, lanyard, sanitizer, sunscreen, and temporary tattoos. Great for VIPs or event sponsors to send with the tickets or wristbands. Everything can go right in the crossbody belt bag; be sure to make all the contents fun, colorful and event specific.
Sponsors can add their logo to products, ensuring great brand visibility at the event—even better if the wearer is photographed and posted on social media.
Travel Toiletry Kit
A fun gift for your travelling sales team or field marketers containing a Dopp kit or toiletry bag, first aid kit, nail kit, and various travel amenities (toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, mouthwash, lotion, shampoo, conditioner). This kit makes packing for trade shows or visiting customers a little more convenient for your travelling team members. Also good for customers during the summer vacation season.
Items can be placed in the toiletry bag, surprising the recipient when they open their new gift and find all the treasures inside.
Event Exhibitor Survival Kit
While OnFulfillment makes sure you have the big stuff for your event, we can’t provide everything. This kit equips your trade show and event marketing team with all the critical but easy to forget items they’ll need on the floor: box cutter, breath mints, ChapStick, hand sanitizer, first aid kit, belt bag, stain remover, and sewing kit.
Everything can go right in the belt bag to be worn during the event. There’s also room for business cards or any other materials you might want to give to exhibitors or attendees.
Summer/Beach Kit
Summer means trips to the beach, and this kit contains all the essentials: sunscreen, beach boat bag, sunglasses, towel, aloe vera, and a hand fan (foldable or electric, depending on the budget). Each of these items provide great opportunities for customization and branding. They can also be used separately as event giveaways, making them especially practical.
There are many styles and fabrics of totes—mesh, cotton, canvas, nylon, plastic—all completely customizable to match your campaign. Fun messages can also be added to the bags, or they can match the design on the towels.
Golf Tournament Kit
A nice, cost-effective kit for golf events, it features fully customizable items that won’t break the bank: golf balls, tees, divot repair tool, ball marker, bottle opener, scorecard, and a small cinch bag.
OnFulfillment: The Kit Experts
Considering a kit-based campaign? OnFulfillment can help, whether it’s execution or simply brainstorming ideas for upcoming events or other projects. Give us 15 minutes to show you how we can contribute to your gift kit efforts.
