Survey Results: How Giftware Brands Are Planning to Grow in 2025

The giftware industry continues to evolve at pace, driven by shifting customer expectations, emerging sales channels, and growing operational pressures.

To get a clearer picture of what’s shaping the sector in 2025, Fidelity Fulfilment partnered with the Giftware Association to survey 20 leading brands. These businesses shared candid insights into current customer trends, operational challenges, and their strategic priorities for the year ahead.

Here’s what we uncovered.

1. What Do Shoppers Really Care About Beyond Price & Quality?

We asked: "What matters most to online shoppers beyond price and product quality?"

The top answers were:

• Product choice – by far the most frequently selected factor.

• Customer reviews – important for building trust and boosting conversions.

• Free delivery – a strong driver of completed purchases.

• Website experience – a smooth and user-friendly interface makes a big difference.

Surprisingly low ranking:

• Loyalty schemes

• Freebies

• Fashion trends

• Personalisation

• Sustainability

Takeaway: Shoppers want variety, social proof, and ease of purchase. Brand loyalty seems fragile — it’s convenience and trust that count.

2. Brand Priorities for 2025

When asked what their main business focus for 2025 is, the most common answer was:

Product development and expanding product range.

Other notable priorities include:

• Manufacturing and supply chain improvements

• Fulfilment and delivery operations

A few brands are also focusing on:

• Customer experience
• Brand development
• Improving conversion rates
• Better acquisition-to-lifetime-value efficiency

Takeaway: Product is still king. While logistics and supply chain surface as a core focus, most brands are betting on winning by refreshing and expanding what they offer.

3. What’s the Biggest Order Challenge?

Fulfilment was the most common challenge for members when it came to processing and delivering orders.

Top challenges:

• Accurate delivery

• Ensuring products arrive undamaged

• Reducing fulfilment mistakes

4. What Brands Want in a Fulfilment Partner

Members were asked to rank the most important traits they seek in a fulfilment provider. Here's what came out on top:

Top traits:

1. Proven, reliable operations – brands want 99%+ accuracy and on-time performance.

2. Flexibility – especially around volume spikes and late-stage product changes.

3. Self-serve, real-time data – for inventory and tracking visibility.

4. Pricing – competitive rates designed to reduce your logistics spend

Lower-ranked priorities:

• Tech integration

• Sustainability credentials

• Multi-territory fulfilment capacity

Takeaway: Speed, control, flexibility and performance matter most. Tech and sustainability form the value that fulfilment providers can build on top of the essentials — but are not yet deal-breakers.

5. Barriers to International Growth

Members also shared what holds them back from launching in new markets:

Main challenges:

• Securing retail buying contracts

• Finding trustworthy fulfilment partners

• Growing DTC sales

• Back-office and logistics complexity

Takeaway: Market entry is risky and resource-intensive. Brands need partners who offer more than storage — they need strategic support.

6. How Are Orders Fulfilled Today?

Respondents were fairly evenly split between in-house fulfilment and using third-party logistics (3PL) providers

Takeaway: The choice to in-house or outsource often depends on a brand's scale, product type, and internal capabilities.

Final Thoughts

This survey reveals a maturing giftware sector that’s increasingly focused on product innovation, customer trust, and fulfilment performance. Brands are navigating operational pain points while planning for international growth and channel diversification.

To support them, service providers — from fulfilment to tech to consultancy — must offer more than just cost savings. They must deliver speed, clarity, and confidence in an increasingly competitive market.

Nodding your head along to the findings in this survey? We'd love to discover more about your brand's plans and help you strategise for growth.