Must-Have Corporate Valentine's Day Gifts From Total Merchandise

With January now a distant memory, UK businesses and consumers' focus is on Valentine's Day; and with less than two weeks until February 14th, now is the time to consider your corporate gifting for Valentine's Day 2022.

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Why Giving Valentine's Day Gifts is A Brilliant Marketing Tactic

Fact: Valentine’s Day promotional items are the perfect way to show your customers and employees they're appreciated this February - and it goes without saying that your clients and colleagues will appreciate a special something to fill their day with a little bit of love.

Around 40 million Brits celebrated Valentine's last year - according to research conducted by finder.com - and it's predicted that up to 91% of the UK will be celebrating the day of love this year. Valentine's Day is also a money-maker with Brits collectively spending around £1.45 billion. It's safe to say that it's a pretty big deal!

With that in mind, it's a good idea for your business to get involved with the big day. Whether you gift your employees with sweet treats or you're looking for saleable merchandise, our range of V-Day corporate gift ideas has got you covered.

We know that Brits are big on celebrating Valentine's Day, but where did this global day of celebration come from and have the traditions changed over the years? Read on to find out and to discover the loveable merchandise your customers will swoon over this February.

1. The Tradition of Giving Flowers Dates Back to 17th Century

Gifting flowers (in particular red roses) is a common occurrence in today's society, but did you know that this tradition can be traced back as far as the 17th century? In fact, we can trace it to when King Charles II of Sweden, when on his trip to Persia he discovered the “language of flowers” (which pairs different flowers with different meanings), he then introduced this tradition to Europe. The act of giving flowers later became popular in the Victorian Era, including on Valentine’s Day, with red roses symbolising deep love.

Although we don't have a bunch of red roses to offer your customers, we do have some brilliant products to accompany any flowers they may be gifted on Valentine's Day. Take our Pop Up Vases, for instance. These innovative portable vases are brilliant for any V-Day marketing campaign; printed with your business name or logo, once popped up and in use, they will have all eyes on your branding.

For Valentine's Day promotions that blossom - literally! - look no further than our Matchbox Seeds. Each box is complete with your full colour design printed to the label and is filled with a set of wildflower seeds, simply scatter on soil in a garden or pot and let nature do the rest.

2. When Was the First Valentine Sent?

It's believed that the first valentine was sent in the 15th century by a French medieval duke named Charles. At 21 years old he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and wrote a poem to his lover with the line "I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine." However, another legend is that St. Valentine sent the first valentine message himself whilst he was imprisoned, writing a letter signed "From your Valentine".

Although Valentine's Day officially became a day associated with love in the 1300s, it wasn't until the 17th century that people started sending cards and letters to loved ones and friends on February 14th. Further still, it wasn't until the 1840s when we saw the first mass production of Valentine's cards in the US; sold by Esther A. Howland who is credited with the commercialisation of Valentine's Day cards and is known as the "Mother of the American Valentine".

Available from as little as 30p per unit, our A6 Greetings Cards can be personalised not only with your full colour artwork to the front, but also your Valentine's message to the inside!

If you're conscious of the environmental impact from the number of cards that will land in waste bins across the UK post-February 14th, why not choose our plantable Seed Paper Greetings Cards? Embedded with plant seeds, once your recipient is finished displaying their card, they can simply tear it, pop it in some soil and watch as it transforms into a beautiful wildflower garden.

3. Heart-Shaped Chocolate Boxes Hit the Shelves in 1861

Any wild guesses to which world-renowned chocolate manufacturer first introduced the heart-shared box of choccies? That's right, Cadbury. Created by Richard Cadbury, son of Cadbury founder John Cadbury, he started packaging his chocolates in fancy boxes to increase sales and introduced the heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day 1861. Today more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year.

To connect with this delicious tradition, our mouth-watering Custom Printed Cadbury Milk Trays are the perfect option! Each box is filled with two layers of 10 Cadbury milk chocolate varieties and personalised with your message printed to the outer sleeve of the box.

Along a similar line is our Custom Printed Dairy Milk Chocolate Bars; you guessed it, printed with your company message or personal names on the outer sleeve.

So there we have it, three Valentine's traditions that your brand can get on board with this February. Feeling inspired? Our collection of V-Day corporate gifts doesn't end there, browse the full range and order yours today. Need help finding a specific item? Simply contact a member of our friendly and experienced Sales team on 01376 509092 or email info@totalmerchandise.co.uk today. Main image via Pexels.