Whether in a private or business context, gifts are a wonderful way to express your appreciation for a person or to get back in touch with them and remember them. But sometimes it's anything but easy to find a good gift that ideally also fits perfectly and doesn't end up gathering dust in the corner unnoticed. In this article, we would like to introduce you to purely digital gift ideas that are not only creative but also environmentally friendly.
There are many ways to maintain (business) relationships and contacts. Gifts are probably one of the best ways to communicate appreciation and thanks.
Each gift can also send a positive message about the company's own values. If it is a particularly sustainable gift, for example, your own company will also be perceived as acting sustainably. If it is a gift that only you know from a certain conversation is important to the recipient, then you will also be seen as very thoughtful. So the message that the gift "brings along" always counts.
Especially in a business context, gifts to customers naturally also make it clear that they are the focus of the company. In a private context, it shows the recipient that the gift has a special meaning for the giver. Both promote relationships. What's more, gift-giving is not just about making the recipient happy. People are usually happy to simply do something good for others.
However, we are – fortunately – also becoming increasingly aware of the issue of sustainability. Nobody wants to (give) gifts that are first organised at great expense and then just sit in a corner or end up in the bin. Digital gifts, i.e. all gifts that are created, stored and/or used digitally, are a beautiful, versatile and sustainable way to make a valued person happy.
Digital gifts are actually suitable for almost all occasions. There are an incredible number of possibilities for private occasions such as birthdays, weddings, births and many more.
But you can also make colleagues, customers and business partners very happy with a digital gift in the business sector. Suitable events for this include anniversaries, birthdays or simply a thank you for a special achievement.
Typical occasions for which you can give a digital gift are
A special occasion is coming up and you don't really have much time or desire to do all the "running around" – yet you would love to give the person in question a big treat. The solution: digital gifts!
The great thing is that they are not tied to a specific location so to speak. Most virtual gifts can be created and designed from anywhere. From the idea to the organisation to the delivery of the gift – in theory, everything can be done from home or even on holiday. This has another advantage: busy people often don't get round to shopping for presents or they remember just a minute before the shops close that they still need a gift. Thanks to digitalisation, this problem is also a thing of the past. So if you wake up at 3 a.m. and realise with horror that it's your wife's birthday tomorrow and you haven't got a present yet: no problem! You still have at least two hours to find the digital gift that will make her cry with joy.
If you want to give a digital gift, it is theoretically not even necessary for you to be there in person. There are no transport or shipping costs and there is no packaging waste.
This means that digital gifts are also an extremely sustainable solution.
Digital gifts are also highly customisable and adaptable. You will realise this at the latest when we show you specific ideas. The advantage of this is that once you have created the gift, you can also adapt it for another person, depending on the occasion. However, it's not just the gift that is extremely flexible, but also its creation.
Sustainability, environmental friendliness and conscious living are playing an increasingly important role for more and more people – after all, we also want to give a gift to future generations. Digital gifts are therefore absolutely on trend.
When you buy (digital) gifts, it is very important that you don't just buy "anything". Think about it beforehand:
What is important to them?
What could really give him or her pleasure?
This is the only way to show that the "attention" was really planned with a lot of attention – and this is sometimes worth more than the gift itself. Because real appreciation means more to many people than a material or virtual gift.
Probably the simplest option for a digital gift is a digital voucher. This can be for a shop that is important to a business partner, for example. Or for a trade fair. You can also make many people happy with book vouchers or events. If you want to give your employees or family the gift of health, for example, you could give a fitness or wellness voucher.
With e-gift cards for a restaurant visit for a business partner, you have a double benefit if required – you can take part in the business meal yourself and thus refresh the business relationship even more.
But e-books and online courses – perhaps even ones you have created yourself if they fit in with your business – can also be a charming gift. This will not only make the recipient happy in the short term. If they learn something with the materials that may even help them personally or professionally in the long term, they will also remember the gift for a long time.
Whether it's a hobby or a profession – anyone who has a passion for a particular subject or is pursuing certain goals often needs software that makes their "work" possible or easier. Software licences are therefore a suitable digital gift.
If you would like to make someone happy with a recurring gift, annual licences or access and memberships for portals or events that are important to him or her would be a good idea. In other words, anything that represents a kind of "subscription". For example, you can give a specific membership or licence as a gift again and again and no longer have to worry about new gift ideas for this person.
If you really enjoy giving gifts, there's no getting around self-created digital gifts. They put all other gifts in the shade and the recipient will definitely be impressed. But what can these special gifts look like?
The simplest option – although not always easy to create – is a digital greetings card. This can take many different forms.
A customised graphic, a self-created photo in combination with text or a self-composed, played or sung song or piece of music, which in turn is transmitted as audio or video. Anyone with artistic, creative and/or musical talents can fully express themselves here.
And this type of gift will always be something special, as it is always highly personalised and can be tailored exactly to the recipient.
Not only bought books are a good gift, but also self-made ones. Why not compile all your favourite recipes in a digital cookbook and add your own beautiful pictures? These could also be pictures from cookery evenings together, for example.
A digital guest book is also a great idea – for a wedding, for example. Here, all wedding guests can leave their own greeting with a photo and even those who couldn't be present can send a greeting from afar.
A digital picture album has the advantage, for example, that the pictures can be forwarded if necessary - for example, shared with the family. In addition, all family members can add new pictures to the album, no matter where they are, if this is set up accordingly. As older people are also becoming increasingly affine with technology, this is also a great Christmas present for grandmothers or grandfathers whose grandchildren may live further away and want to share their lives with them.
A gift that involves a little more effort, but will definitely be unique and therefore something very special, is a personal website created for the recipient. This can take a variety of forms – depending on the occasion.
For example, a special website can be created for the bride and groom for their wedding. A baby diary can be created for the birth, which the child and later the adult can view anytime and anywhere. (Of course, you can also password-protect these pages so that only authorised persons have access to them).
To say goodbye before a big trip, you can create a travel blog (also a form of website) for the person in question. This way, it's not just the traveller who benefits, but everyone who is interested in the person's trip. If you are the traveller yourself, you can "give" such a blog to your family so that they always know where you are.
Couples in love can give each other a "couple's diary", which will remind them of the wonderful things they have already experienced together.
There are no limits to your imagination in this area. If you would like to create a website, be sure to take a look at our guide articles on the topic of website creation!
In addition to a website as a gift or an email or card, there is another important tool that can significantly support you in creating digital gifts - the cloud. There are different types of "cloud". You can find out more here. In this article, we are mainly talking about the cloud, which has many functions such as calendar, chat, file management, document and image storage. One example of this is Nextcloud.
But what exactly does the cloud have to do with digital gifts? Quite simply, it is an ideal platform for planning, creating, storing and sending them. And this can be done at any time and from anywhere. What does that mean exactly?
First and foremost, a cloud is a versatile, multifunctional storage and work platform.
It provides a central location where you can, for example, create folders in which everything needed for a digital photo album, for example, can be stored. Anyone with access can add files or access the corresponding file.
You can save a video or audio file you have created yourself in the cloud and simply send it to the recipient via a link. No long email attachments, no data carriers that have to be transferred first.
For example, if you are planning to create a video for a wedding – i.e. for the bride and groom – the cloud makes many work steps easier.
You simply create a folder in the cloud and send the link to everyone who can contribute images, texts and other creative works. Then you create the video, put it in the cloud and everyone else can view it directly and give feedback.
All you need for the actual presentation is a link to the video and an internet connection.
Planning can also be coordinated via the cloud. The calendar function allows you to visualise all important appointments and everyone involved is in the picture.
The good thing is that you don't have to use a new cloud for every digital gift. Different folders are enough. Because if you share a file or folder with others, they only have access to exactly this file or folder.
Of course, you can also give the cloud itself as a gift. Because it is also absolutely practical for entrepreneurs and companies, for example. All data that needs to be available from anywhere can be stored here and accessed while travelling.
It also makes absolute sense to back up data. This can also be created in a cloud.
Of course, this only makes sense if the cloud is also very (data) secure. You can find out what really matters when choosing a cloud in this article on cloud security.
The practical thing about digital gifts is that they can be sent in a variety of ways and also in creative ways.
If you like it simple, just send a link via Messenger - or how about a beautifully decorated card with a QR code on it? Or perhaps a friendly email containing the files or links (depending on the file size). Another card could be hidden in a treasure chest that needs to be opened first. There are no limits to the imagination here.
What is your favourite digital gift? And how would you deliver it? Leave us a comment below the post on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram!
Enjoy your gift giving!
