Gift with Purchase Fatigue? 5 Ways Brands Can Reignite Excitement
When “free gift” no longer excites, it’s time to rethink what truly delights.
From tote bags to tumblers, shoppers have seen it all. Once a powerful marketing tool, the gift-with-purchase (GWP) has lost some of its shine. Many brands now face what marketers are calling “GWP fatigue” — a growing indifference toward the same old promotional items.
But fatigue doesn’t mean failure. It’s a sign that consumers are ready for something more meaningful. When designed with creativity, emotion, and relevance, brand merchandise can once again surprise, delight, and build long-term brand love.
Why Gift-with-Purchase Fatigue Happens: The Core Problem
• Too much sameness — Consumers have seen endless variations of the same items (tote bags, pens, umbrellas).
• Utility overload — People already have enough reusable bottles and bags to last a lifetime.
• Low perceived value — Generic or poorly made items cheapen the brand experience.
• No emotional spark — Gifts often lack storytelling or connection to the brand’s purpose.
• Sustainability concerns — Modern shoppers are increasingly conscious of waste and environmental impact.
The result? A once-loved marketing tool risks becoming background noise.
The Psychology Behind “Free Gift” Fatigue
From a behavioral science perspective, novelty and surprise are what make free gifts exciting. The brain releases dopamine when there’s uncertainty or anticipation — it’s the same mechanism that makes people love games or unboxing videos.
But when gifts become predictable, that excitement fades.
That’s why campaigns rooted in curiosity, storytelling, and cultural relevance perform far better than standard giveaways.
Take for example a collectible plush campaign where each blind box reveals a surprise character. The sense of mystery fuels repeat purchases and organic social sharing — turning a simple freebie into an experience worth talking about. A few examples of recent collectible plush campaigns as shown below:
When a promotional gift makes people feel something, fatigue transforms into engagement.
What Consumers Really Want
A new generation of consumers expects more from brand experiences. Research across global markets shows that people respond to gifts that are:
• Functional with flair – Useful items that still feel stylish or surprising.
• Emotionally meaningful – Designs inspired by nostalgia, local culture, or shared values.
• Eco-conscious – Sustainable materials, minimal packaging, and long-term usability.
• Social media-ready – Aesthetically pleasing items that look great on camera or in stories.
In short, people want thoughtful merchandise that feels personal — not just another item with a logo.
5 Key Principles to Break Through GWP Fatigue
At DTC World, our research and client campaigns reveal five key principles behind gift-with-purchase ideas that still work:
1. Design with Emotion and Story
A great gift tells a story — about your brand, your customers, or the campaign itself.
When the design ties back to a theme or shared moment, it becomes memorable.
When the gift tells a story, the customer becomes part of it.
2. Add Curiosity and Surprise
Gamified mechanics like blind boxes or mystery variants create anticipation.
Each purchase becomes a small thrill — just like collecting cards or unlocking achievements.
The result? Repeat engagement and viral potential.
3. Make It Feel Exclusive
Scarcity drives desire. Limited-edition drops, seasonal releases, or collectible sets give people a reason to act fast and share their find.
Think of it as turning your GWP into a miniature brand collectible.
4. Build for Social Sharing
In today’s world, the most successful promotional gifts double as content.
Creative packaging, humorous reveals, or beautifully designed unboxings invite people to post, tag, and talk about the experience.
5. Align with Brand Relevance
The best promotional gifts feel like a natural extension of the brand — in colour, function, and story.
A beverage brand might give a cooler bag that looks like a can; a skincare brand might offer a vanity pouch shaped like its iconic product.
When a gift reflects the brand’s essence, it strengthens recall long after the campaign ends.
Real Campaigns That Reignite Excitement
POKKA 2025 GWP Campaign – House of Green Tea Pop-Up Exclusives
Pokka’s 2025 “House of Green Tea” pop-up transformed their GWP strategy by shifting the focus from items to immersive brand storytelling. Instead of giving away another generic freebie, Pokka created exclusive, themed merchandise that tied directly to their Green Tea identity — from collectibles to lifestyle-inspired items that fans actually wanted to use and keep.
What made this campaign stand out is how the gifts worked as extensions of the pop-up experience: visually cohesive, culturally relevant, and available only at the event. This exclusivity and story-driven approach sparked social sharing, generated queues, and reignited excitement around the brand.
By combining immersive experience + limited-edition GWP + strong brand relevance, Pokka showed how thoughtful merchandise can cut through market fatigue and create genuine consumer buzz.
MILO Singapore’s 75th Anniversary Plushie Drop — Fresh, Nostalgic & Shareable
To mark its 75-year heritage in Singapore, MILO launched a set of limited-edition plushies inspired by local breakfast and snack icons — from “kaya toast,” soft-boiled eggs and gem biscuits, to MILO tins, cups, packets and more.
By leaning on nostalgia and local culture, rather than generic promo items, MILO turned its GWP into a meaningful collectible that resonates emotionally with consumers. The campaign also ignited social buzz — fans rushed to supermarkets to grab the plushies, often buying in bulk, and many shared their finds online.
The result: a simple beverage brand used soft toys to turn everyday consumption into a playful, memorable experience — and in doing so, reignited excitement for GWP merchandise.
Ben & Jerry’s Custom Socks — From Ice-Cream Tub to Wearable Merch
For their GWP campaign, Ben & Jerry’s turned a classic giveaway into something unexpected and fun: custom socks inspired by their iconic ice-cream flavours.
Instead of a generic freebie, each pair came in a pint-style packaging mimicking their ice-cream tubs — instantly recognizable, brand-aligned, and Instagram-worthy. By giving consumers a collectible — something they’d actually wear and share — Ben & Jerry’s transformed a simple purchase into an experience. The randomness (multiple designs) and the novelty encouraged repeat buys and raised excitement.
The result: stronger brand love, higher engagement, and a GWP that felt unique — far from tired tote-bag giveaways.
Key Takeaways for Marketers
Gift fatigue isn’t the end of GWP marketing — it’s the beginning of smarter, more emotional design.
When your gift-with-purchase promotional merchandise tells a story, sparks curiosity, and reflects your brand’s purpose, it becomes more than a giveaway — it becomes a conversation starter.
The future of gifting isn’t about what you give away. It’s about how it makes people feel.
About DTC World
At DTC World, we help brands design and produce collectible, sustainable, and campaign-ready merchandise that drives engagement and delight.
From ideation to production, we turn brand stories into tangible, shareable moments.
👉 Contact us to co-create your next gift-with-purchase campaign that stands out — and stands for something.
