2026 Gift Trends: Personalization · Emotional Value · Sustainability

In the lead-up to 2026, the gift market is undergoing a profound value restructuring—consumers are no longer satisfied with "ordinary gifts," but instead place greater emphasis on personalized expression, emotional value, and sustainability. These trends are particularly crucial for industry categories such as badges, medals, and double-sided coins, as they can enhance the core appeal of products and guide buyers' product selection and holiday purchasing strategies.

Core Trend 1: Personalization Becomes the Top Choice

In 2026, the market size for customized gifts will continue to grow, with both consumers and businesses wanting gifts that "tell a name and a story." This is especially true for badges, medals, and double-sided coins:

Personalized engraving, logos, exclusive designs, and unique serial numbers are becoming standard options.

Deeper levels of customization, such as customer-participated design, on-site engraving, and AR customization previews, are becoming real-world demands.

Insight: Consumers want gifts that go beyond simply "having a logo," reflecting the recipient's identity and significance—this is precisely the value of customized gifts.

Core Trend 2: Emotional Value Reshapes the Gift-Giving Experience

Emotion has become a major purchasing force, amplifying the emotional attributes of gifts. Data shows that "emotional value" is a key driver of purchases.

For badges, medals, and double-sided coins:

It's not just about "commemorating a game," but also about "remembering a journey of struggle."

Unique creativity and emotional expression (such as handwritten messages and anniversary markers) make gifts more collectible.

Corporate clients tend to motivate teams and customers through emotional reward mechanisms.

Recommendation: Crafting copy around emotional scenarios like "growth/honor/gratitude" can help improve conversion rates.

Core Trend 3: Sustainable and Eco-friendly Design

Consumer awareness of environmental protection and sustainability is permeating the gift industry. Sustainable packaging, eco-friendly materials, and low-carbon production are becoming standard trends.

For the badge, medal, and double-sided coin industry, this includes: Gift boxes and packaging using recyclable materials; Metal plating processes free of hazardous chemical coatings; Providing eco-friendly alternative label/gift card solutions.

Business Implications: Environmental protection not only enhances brand image but also attracts socially responsible buyers.

Holiday and Purchasing Timing Strategies

Each year's peak gift-giving season and trends exhibit a clear cyclical pattern. Based on the gift consumption characteristics of 2025, we recommend: