Unique Gift Ideas to Delight Anyone & Everyone

Until the past decade, if you wanted to ship someone a special gift, your choices were pretty much limited to old-style gift baskets, towers of treats and specialty food items (oddly often on sticks — like cookie bouquets and edible fruit arrangements — for novelty.) Or you could shop at a megastore or marketplace and pay to gift wrap single items in an impersonal, one-design-fits-all motif. And if you wanted to create a custom gift, your best option was to dive into Pinterest boards for ideas on making gifts yourself.  

Today, that old-school way of gifting has been challenged by a wave of modern gift box companies that lend a fresh and sophisticated feel to the traditional gift basket format. And following the lead of Knack in 2015, many of these new boxed gifts vendors allow customers to build their own custom gift box as well. It’s DIY gifts without all the driving and physical assembly — today smart gift givers let their fingers build a custom gift set and do the personalization. 

Personalized Gift Boxes Tell Stories 

Great gifts tell stories. They express the shared history and values of the gift giver and recipient. Those stories are what people actually remember long after the “things” have been forgotten. That’s what “it’s the thought that counts” really means — great gift givers know that gifting with personal intent is the key to being considered “good with gift giving.”  

Custom gift boxes are the perfect vehicle for telling stories. Givers can select multiple items to convey a theme, evoke a shared memory, or simply convey how well they understand what the gift recipient would like. And because you can build custom gifts online, creating memorable, thoughtful gift boxes is now both easy and fun.  

The Perfect Gift Box for Everyone 

Unlike pre-packed gift baskets, the flexibility of the modern gift box format is perfect for a wide range of gift recipients, both business and personal.  

On the business front, custom gift boxes are ideal for customer and client thank you gifts. Sending customer appreciation gifts on an annual basis creates a sense of community, loyalty and engagement among clients, which is especially important for businesses with high customer acquisition costs. And the gift box format allows companies to surprise and delight customers year after year because no two annual gifts are the same.  

Employee gift boxes are used for a variety of occasions, including onboarding, rewards programs, employee appreciation and company culture-building. They’re also great for celebrating personal employee milestones such as congratulations gifts for promotions, new baby gifts and retirement gift boxes with gift ideas curated especially for those occasions.  

Custom gift boxes are the perfect solution for personal gifting because of the more intimate relationship between the gift giver and recipient. After all, the longer you’ve known someone, the easier it is to curate a special gift that includes items you know they’ll love. Gift boxes are terrific for friends, family members and anyone you want to reach out to with a thank you gift or congratulations gift. Custom gift boxes for her allow you to include items that really fit her lifestyle, while custom gift boxes for him make it easier to shop for those I-don’t-need-anything men in our lives! 

Don’t be afraid to include a variety of items from different categories to really surprise and delight your gift recipients with gifts that reflect their personality — and yours! 

Unique Gift Box Ideas for Every Occasion  

Unlike traditional gift baskets, modern custom gift boxes are appropriate for almost any occasion because they’re unique and memorable. Some of the top occasions to send a custom gift box include:  

• Birthday Gift Boxes — A custom birthday gift box is always the perfect solution because you can mix and match items to create a gift unique to their likes and personality. Don’t forget to add in a bit of whimsy with a party blower, confetti pop or pop-open cards to make the birthday gift more celebratory. Or if you’re not going to be there in person when they open it, include Happy Birthday items to convey your birthday sentiments.  
• Thank You Gift Boxes — Custom thank you gifts can be used for client thank you gifting, employee appreciation gifts, hostess gifts and just about any time you want to let someone know how much you appreciate them. Sometimes even just a “little something gift” goes a long way!  
• Congratulations Gift Boxes — Life is full of little successes: promotions, new homes, new partners, goals attained, graduations and more. And each of these is an occasion to strengthen your interpersonal relationships by acknowledging these milestones with a custom gift that says, “I see you and celebrate you!” 
• Welcome New Baby Gift Boxes — There is no bigger milestone in life than welcoming a precious newborn baby to the world. Custom baby gift boxes allow you to include items for both the baby and the parents. Popular new baby gift items include blankets, onesies and swaddles because they’re so useful, but most people who give new baby gifts also like to include a toy, book or bath item because they’re so fun to give. Don’t forget to include items for the new mom or tired but elated parents as well in your welcome baby gift box. These can include parenting books, sweet treats, non-alcoholic sparkling wine or spa items to pamper and soothe the new mom.  
• Custom Care Package Gift Boxes - When someone we care about is sick, sad or stressed for any reason, your custom care package gift will brighten their day and let them know you’re there for them. Consider blankets, cozy socks, tea and gourmet items, or activity books such as journals and crosswords in your care package gift set. And don’t forget about college students: a personalized college care package from home will absolutely make their day!  
• Custom Wedding Gifts — Weddings are the perfect times to gift the happy couple, but the reality is that wedding gifting today includes a broad range of recipients. A newly engaged couple may need bridal party gifts such as bridesmaids gifts or groomsmen gifts.  Bridesmaid proposal gifts have become a really fun and important part of the process for a modern bride — it’s a thoughtful and exciting way to invite your besties to play an important role in your wedding. Many couples also welcome VIP and out of town guests with a welcome package in their hotel suite. And finally, the thoughtful new bride and groom have a lot of wedding vendors to thank during and after the process.  

What To Put in a Custom Gift Box  

The great thing about the modern custom gift box is that almost anything can be included: because you’re telling a story through a collection of items, there’s no right or wrong for what to include. The most popular items to include in boxed gifts include: 

• Gourmet food gifts — Food is a universal language, and breaking bread together has been how we build relationships and community since ancient times. For this reason, gourmet food gifts are always appropriate for any occasion. Either build a gourmet gift box as a gift in itself or include delicious gourmet items as part of a larger gift story.  
• Coffee and Tea gifts — Caffeinated or not, a warm beverage is always appreciated. Great gift items include specialty coffees, assortments of caffeinated and herbal teas, and accompanying items such as flavored sugars, honey or cookies. Also include serving items such as coffee mugs, teapots, serving trays and more in your gift.  
• Spa and grooming gifts — In the past 2 years we’ve seen tremendous growth in spa gift boxes for both personal and business gifts, and the inclusion of spa items in custom gift boxes overall. Don’t be afraid to include face masks for men or women, great-smelling candles and room diffusers or skincare products to make recipients feel well-cared for.  
• Chocolate and confections gifts — Everyone loves a treat — often the chocolate bar or Sugarfina candy cube is the very first thing they’ll take out of the gift box to enjoy. A little sweet gift item is always welcome, and that’s why more than 50% of the time we see a chocolate or confection gift item included in a custom gift box.  
• Wellness and mindfulness gifts — We all understand the importance of a life in balance, and for taking time to be our best selves both physically, mentally and emotionally. Well-being gift items include journals, meditation accessories, work-out gift items and aromatherapy items.  
• Family fun gifts — Gift boxes are great for families and groups. Include items that the whole family will enjoy together, such as popcorn & movie night gifts, family game night gifts, or outdoor games and relaxation items. And don’t forget the gourmet and confections items to create the mood! 
• Home, outdoor and entertaining gifts — Everyone appreciates gifts that make their personal and home lives more comfortable, and a custom home entertaining gift box easily lends itself to creative themes. These might include custom grilling gift boxes, breakfast gift boxes, game night gift boxes, wine tasting gift sets, cookie decorating gifts and more. Use your imagination to come up with a custom home and entertaining gift they’ll appreciate for years to come.