Let’s be honest, December still feels far away in August. Then, before you know it, it’s already October, and you can no longer get the corporate holiday gifts you’re eyeing because they’re out of stock, and you’re scrambling to place last-minute orders.
It’s one of the many things that catches many companies off guard because corporate holiday gifts for employees have lead times that rely on third-party companies such as manufacturers and shipping couriers. This makes it all the more important to ensure that you’re ahead of the busy days many experience, especially during the holiday season.
That’s why in this blog, we’ll guide you through the dates when you need to start preparing for your holiday swag, the budget you should have, the swag items you should consider, and the global swag management platform to help you with your swag campaign. Let’s begin!
When should you start planning your holiday swag?
Start planning your holiday swag campaign as early as August. If you’re ordering bulk swag, that’s the month you should be aiming for to start talking to your swag management platform partner or your customer success manager. If you’re ordering On Demand swag (1-unit minimum), then late October is the latest.
There are a couple of things you need to consider here:
Bulk and On Demand have different timelines. Bulk swag takes about five weeks before it ships: three weeks for production, one week for kitting, and one week for your team to approve everything. On Demand takes roughly three weeks because items are made after the order is placed.
There’s also shipping and the couriers. For example, UPS ran peak demand surcharges from late September 2025 through mid-January 2026. Additional Handling alone went from $8.25 to $10.80 per package during that period! That means the same swag kit you’ll send can cost you more if they’re shipped out mid-December.
Domestic deadlines tighten, too. Last season, for instance, USPS recommended December 17 as the send-by date for Ground Advantage if you wanted packages delivered by December 25. What that means is that you have to work backward from your target delivery date to really know when you should start planning.
A five-month holiday swag timeline
To make things easier to visualize, here’s the breakdown of each month starting from August, and what you should do or consider planning for every month.
August - Kick off your holiday swag campaign
This is when you start talking to your customer success manager and settle two things: your recipients and whether you’re ordering bulk swag or On Demand swag. That second decision sets the rest of your timeline, so that’s very important. August is also the time to request samples. Holding the actual mug before you order 800 of them is worth the extra time, and waiting on samples now won't put your holiday send at risk.
September - Finalize your swag list and start proofs
For this month, it’s time to begin finalizing your swag items list and get decoration proofs moving. In terms of decoration methods, embroidery can slow things down, so make sure to approve swag items with this decoration much earlier. If you need apparel items, collect sizes early so you know what stock you actually have to work with and can switch colors or styles before your first choice sells out.
Some things to remember:
Embroidery proofs: Plan on 15 to 20 days for approval before production
Apparel sizes: Collect them early so you can confirm stock or go for another option if needed
October - Place every final order
It might seem early, but October is when you should finalize your swag orders. Have all of your swag items completed and all proofs approved. By following this timeline, you have just enough time for production and shipping, which is especially important if you have global teams.
Production and shipping timelines:
Non-standard items: Expect 20 to 25 days in production, plus shipping time
International shipping: Expect 25 to 30 days door-to-door
Fragile items: Add extra days or even a week for breakage
Early November - Ship to the farthest regions first
If your swag items come from the US, then make sure to ship to regions like India, Asia, and Australia first. Doing so will also allow you to avoid carrier surcharges typically added during December. As a tip, you may want to treat the first week as your cutoff for anything leaving the US.
Late November to mid-December - Go with On Demand and/or gift cards
While your bulk swag items are being shipped out, you can opt for On Demand swag and/or gift cards for last-minute orders. On Demand swag needs at least three weeks, so it can still be sent on or before the actual holidays (given that you order it by late November). Gift cards, on the other hand, can be sent in real-time and don’t require you to plan ahead.
How much should you budget for holiday gifts for employees?
Most employee holiday gift programs cost somewhere between $50 and $100 per person, with $50 to $75 covering most programs. That range can stretch toward $200 once client and partner gifting is factored in, but for employees alone, you can do a lot without going much higher.
With that in mind, here are the 5 costs that can affect your per-head budget:
Swag item cost - This is the blank product. By blank product, it means the item has no print or decoration yet. This is where your budget assessment will begin.
Decoration - There are different decoration methods, such as screen printing and embroidery, which can have different costs, depending on the swag item and your swag management platform. For this, remember that decoration methods and their costs vary. For instance, embroidery costs more than screen printing, and laser engraving costs more than both. Every additional logo placement, whether it's a nape label, side hit, or inner tag, can add roughly $3 to $6 per item.
Kitting and packaging - If you want your swag items to be kitted or packaged in custom packages, there’s also an additional price for such assemblage. The boxes, inserts, and fills are priced differently.
Warehousing - If your swag items will be produced and finished by October and you don’t ship them until December, you also need to pay for storing them in a warehouse. Storage is typically charged per unit based on item size and billed monthly by swag platforms like PerkUp. Another reason ordering early can cost less than waiting.
Shipping (and duties, if applicable) - Whether you’re shipping domestically or internationally, there are also shipping fees that you need to pay. For global shipping, customs and duties also need to be considered, so to avoid such fees altogether, look for swag management platforms like PerkUp that ship delivery duty paid (DDP).
Should you order holiday gifts in bulk or On Demand?
With the costs covered, the next thing to discuss is whether you should order bulk or On Demand.
Choose bulk swag if…
… you want a better price per unit
There are discounts typically available when you order more swag items. For example, if you're sending a hoodie to 750 employees, you may get a discount of 15%. If the unit price is $52.40 each for only 50 items, a 15% discount for 750 orders would put the price of the item at $44.54. That's $7.86 in savings per unit for a total of about $5,895 for a 750-item order!
… you want to do swag kits
Swag kits are produced in bulk, warehoused, and shipped from storage, typically, and you’ll need the five-week lead time we mentioned earlier.
… you have a lot of time before the holiday rush
Since bulk swag items need at least five weeks to be produced, approved, packaged, and shipped, it’s recommended that you pick them if you have a couple of months before the holidays.
… you want decoration methods that aren’t available with On Demand
Costs for high levels of customization are higher to run for smaller quantities. That said, if you have specific customizations or designs you want for your holiday swag, it’s best to choose bulk swag.
Choose On Demand swag if…
… you’re in a rush
Since On Demand swag items have a 1-unit minimum, you can order them whenever you need it and they only have three weeks of lead time.
… you want to give away apparel
Because sizing can vary from recipient to recipient, it’s a good option to choose On Demand if you want to ensure they’ll receive the correct sizes.
… you wish to see all-in pricing
On Demand swag items from PerkUp include all-inclusive pricing, meaning the price you see on the catalog already includes the item price, taxes, duties, and shipping.
Most teams actually go for both, as it gives them more flexibility and leeway, especially if they don’t have a finalized headcount or plan by September.
What to send this holiday 2026?
The best corporate holiday gift ideas have one thing in common: your recipients will still use them even after the holidays.
Insulated drinkware
TYESO ROAM Tumbler 2.0 | 40 oz
Even beyond holidays, tumblers and mugs are already used by recipients. It’s during winter, though, when people will really appreciate something that keeps their coffee hot. Choose drinkware options that can handle laser engraving for your logo.
Cozy outerwear and knitwear
Eddie Bauer Unisex Sweater Fleece 1/4-Zip
Quarter-zips, beanies, and heavyweight hoodies are especially popular during winter holidays in locations like the US, Canada, and Europe. For these items, embroidery is a premium decoration method to opt for. Also, if you want to ensure size accuracy, On Demand swag is the route to go for here.
Custom plushies
Fully Custom Plushie | 4" and 5"
You’ll be surprised by the number of people we’ve seen who loved receiving a plushie over a ‘classic’ swag item like notebooks and pens. Plushies, after all, are cute and totally memorable. You can also have it fully customized to your brand mascot.
Desk and home office upgrades
If you have a global team, chances are they work from home. So, why not give them swag items like wireless chargers, desk lamps, monitor risers, and keyboards they can actually use in their setup? What’s great about these is they’ll get used long after the holidays. Check import rules before ordering internationally, though. Some tech accessories face restrictions in certain markets like China, so local sourcing can be the easier option.
Curated holiday kits
Let’s say you don’t want to settle for just one swag item. The easiest solution is to use swag kits where you can have one anchor (premium) item paired with other smaller but high-quality swag. For example, you can pair a YETI drinkware with a blanket, a hoodie, a candle, and a note for a cozy holiday kit.
Gift cards
Gift cards are popular among many beca
use your recipients can choose what they actually want and what’s actually available in their location. They’re also faster and easier to send than physical swag, which is great if you didn’t have time before December to prepare for swag campaigns.
If you're running a gift card-only program, GiftCard Partners' Engage2Reward platform is a great option to consider. It's built for organizations sending rewards at scale, so it handles purchasing, approvals, budgets, and reporting from a single place rather than managing individual gift orders. Here's what stands out for holiday gifting:
400+ brands to choose from - Its BrandedChoice Rewards Program lets your recipients pick from more than 400 physical and digital gift card brands.
Global reach - Digital cards are available across 60+ countries, with regionally relevant options and language conversion, so a card sent to Berlin is as useful as one sent to Boston.
Fully branded experience - You can brand the redemption marketplace, the email or SMS notification, and the digital greeting, so your logo and holiday messaging carry through every touchpoint.
Flexible delivery - Schedule physical cards ahead for planned December gifting, or push instant digital delivery by email or SMS when someone gets missed, and you need a reward out today.
Built for scale - Bulk ordering and CSV uploads handle large sends, cards can be canceled and resent if one doesn't push through, and real-time fraud monitoring through AiShield keeps big seasonal orders secure.
Holiday Swag Planning Mistakes to Avoid
No matter how prepared you are, there might still be some mistakes that you can easily overlook. With that, we also compiled some common mistakes you should avoid:
Starting in November: By then, bulk is off the table, and you're paying peak-season rates for rush On Demand orders. Remember, bulk swag orders require five weeks, and On Demand items need three weeks.
Budgeting for the item and nothing else: As mentioned earlier, decoration, kitting, warehousing, and shipping have different costs, so don’t forget to factor them into your budget.
Sending one identical swag kit everywhere: If you’re a global team and you wish to send swag kits for the holidays, make sure that they’re catered to where your recipients actually are. Fleece vests aren’t suitable for your employees in India or Thailand, even during December.
Guessing at sizes: Not everyone has the same fit, so if you’re opting for apparel, make sure you either ask your recipients’ sizes first or opt for On Demand instead.
Treating all orders the same: Domestic and international shipments vary, especially in shipping times. Make sure that you have separate cutoffs for each region to ensure your holiday gifts for employees arrive on time.
How PerkUp Runs Holiday Swag for Global Teams
The short version of how PerkUp handles swag for global teams is this: eight warehouse regions, swag flexibility, and one dashboard. Below is a more thorough breakdown:
Swag flexibility - Holiday programs (or any other swag campaign, for that matter) rarely run on one order type. That’s why PerkUp offers bulk swag, On Demand swag, event swag, swag kits, swag stores, and gift cards so you can choose whichever is most suitable for you and your team.
Global warehousing network - Thanks to PerkUp’s warehouses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, India, China, and Australia, you can hold your swag inventory near the people receiving it. It also allows PerkUp to send swag and kits to 65+ countries.
5,000+ gift card options - PerkUp also offers gift cards that are localized by country, so your recipients will see the brands they can actually use. Plus, with PerkUp’s gift cards, the currency is automatically converted to your recipient’s local currency.
200+ integrations - With PerkUp, you can connect BambooHR, Rippling, Workday, Paylocity, ADP, or HiBob and sync details like start dates, departments, locations, and addresses. PerkUp supports 200+ integrations, including Amazon Business, Slack, and SSO.
Automated milestone gifting - And since PerkUp can be integrated with your HRIS, you can also automatically send swag and/or gift cards during milestones like work anniversaries or birthdays.
Swag store with bulk swag and On Demand plus regional collections - By using swag stores powered by PerkUp, you can combine both bulk and On Demand swag in one store, something not every platform can offer. Additionally, you can set visibility by country, department, or user type so different teams and recipient groups can see the swag that you curated for them. Prices are displayed in local currency, and your employees or clients can choose their own size and item.
Design support - Proofs, logo lockups, custom packaging, and kit layouts can all run through PerkUp's design team. This means you don’t have to rely on your team for mockups and swag designs.
Tracking and reporting in one place - The PerkUp dashboard tracks inventory, order status, redemption rates, and spend, with reporting by country, department, or team.
All of these features can be used for holiday swag campaigns and beyond. This is what makes PerkUp great, as you don’t have to change swag platform vendors even after the holiday rush, allowing you to easily use one platform for all of your swag needs.
One real-life example of this is Hiro. Hiro used PerkUp to produce holiday swag kits in bulk, stored them, and released them when they were ready to ship. Because the kits were already sitting in inventory, fulfillment happened within a few business days, even before the holiday rush.
Start Early with Your Holiday Swag Campaign
Any good corporate holiday swag campaign relies on early preparation and a reliable swag management platform. Pick your swag items by September, ship to your global teams early, and work with a platform like PerkUp so you don’t have to manually handle your employee holiday gifts on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should you use On Demand swag vs. bulk swag?
Use bulk when your holiday headcount is settled, and you want to send a swag kit. It's cheaper per unit and gives you more options for decoration, too. Plan for roughly five weeks: three for production, one for kitting, and one for your approval cycle.
Use On Demand when your recipient list is still changing, sizing makes inventory risky, or you're working with a shorter timeline. It has a 1-unit minimum, so you don't end up with unused inventory. PerkUp offers both, so you don’t have to choose only one.
What are typical turnaround times for custom-branded swag?
With PerkUp, On Demand swag takes roughly three weeks because swag items are produced after the order is placed. Bulk swag takes about five weeks once you account for production, kitting, and your approval cycle. Custom packaging, additional logo placements, and specialty decoration methods can add more time, too.
How does PerkUp handle customs and duties for international gift shipments?
PerkUp ships DDP, meaning all duties are paid upfront, so you don’t have to worry about them. If an unexpected customs fee comes up, PerkUp reimburses it in full. Additionally, PerkUp also ships from inside your recipient's region, so the order moves as a domestic shipment. PerkUp fulfills from warehouses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, India, China, and Australia.
Which countries can PerkUp ship holiday swag to?
PerkUp ships to 65+ countries, with regional warehouses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, India, China, and Australia. That covers most of the markets. Some countries have tighter import restrictions than others, so local production or regional fulfillment may be the better option depending on where your recipients are.
Is shipping actually included in the price?
For On Demand swag items offered by PerkUp, yes. The listed price includes the item, decoration, shipping, taxes, and duties, so what you see is what you’ll pay. For bulk swag, prices on shipping and warehousing separately.
