How Does a Choice Platform for Business Gifts Work?
From gift-selection website to fully automated gifting platform — this is how it works in practice.
A choice platform is a branded webshop where recipients choose a gift from a curated collection themselves. With Cadeo, you only pay for redeemed gifts and automate the entire process via HRIS integrations.
A choice platform replaces the traditional "everyone gets the same thing" approach by letting recipients choose for themselves. You create a collection, send a link, and recipients pick what they want. In this article, we explain how such a platform works, what it costs, and how to set it up — without having to build a website yourself.
What exactly is a choice platform?
A choice platform — also called a gift-selection website, choice gift portal, or gifting platform — is an online environment where recipients choose a gift from a pre-curated collection. Instead of you guessing what 200 employees like, you let them choose.
Sounds simple. And it is — at least for the user. Behind the scenes, technology handles the entire process: from invitation email to delivery, from budget control to reporting. At Cadeo's choice platform, it works like this: you set up the collection (or leave that to us), and we take care of the rest.
How does it work in 5 steps?
Whether you have 10 or 10,000 recipients — the process is the same. Here’s how a choice platform works from start to finish.
Create the collection
Choose products from an existing catalog or build a custom collection. At Cadeo, these are impact brands: sustainable, local, and high quality. You decide the budget per recipient (for example €25, €50, or €100) and which products fit within that budget.
Customize the portal
The choice portal is styled in your own branding: logo, colors, and a personal welcome message. In Cadeo for employees, recipients see your brand, not ours. That way, it feels like a gift from you — not from some random platform.
Send the link or email
Recipients get a personal link or email. No addresses needed — the recipient enters the delivery address themselves when choosing. Handy for remote teams, customers, or situations where you don’t have addresses.
The recipient chooses and receives
The recipient opens the portal, browses the collection, chooses a gift, and enters the delivery address. On average, recipients make their choice within 48 hours. The gift is delivered straight to their home — including a personal message if desired.
Reporting and payment
You can see in real time who has chosen, what was chosen, and when it was delivered. At Cadeo, you only pay for gifts that are actually redeemed — if someone doesn’t choose, you don’t pay. Invoicing is done in the company name, fully compliant with the Dutch work-related expenses scheme.
Choice platform vs. gift card vs. holiday hamper
If you’re considering using a choice platform, you’re probably wondering how it compares to the familiar alternatives. Here’s an honest comparison.
| Choice platform | Gift card | Holiday hamper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice freedom | Recipient chooses themselves | Limited to stores on the card | No choice |
| Personalization | Custom branding + message | Envelope with logo | Logo on the box |
| Address needed? | No | Sometimes | Yes, always |
| Waste | 0% — only what is chosen | ~15% not redeemed | High (unwanted products) |
| Automatable | Yes, via HRIS | No | No |
| WKR-compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Real-time dashboard | None | None |
Read the full comparison in our article Gift card vs. choice gift — including the hidden costs of cards that are never redeemed.
Do I need to build a gift-selection website myself?
Short answer: no. We understand the temptation — if you search Google for "how to build a gift-selection website," it seems like a fun IT project. But the reality is more complex than it looks.
A working choice platform requires more than a webshop. You need product management and inventory integration, a payment and invoicing system, shipping integrations with multiple carriers, a branded front-end for each client, GDPR-compliant address management, and reporting tools. That’s months of development time and ongoing maintenance.
The smarter route: use an existing platform. At Cadeo, the choice platform is ready to go. You provide the budget and the recipients, and we provide the technology, the products, and the fulfillment. Your first campaign live? That can be done within 24 hours.
💡 Tip for tech teams
Want to integrate the choice platform into your existing HR system? Cadeo offers HRIS integrations that automatically trigger birthdays, anniversaries, and onboarding. Set it up once, and never arrange gifts manually again.
What does a choice platform cost?
The cost of a choice platform depends on three factors: the budget per gift, the number of recipients, and the level of personalization. At Cadeo, it’s transparent.
You choose a budget range per recipient — for example €25, €50, or €100. That’s what the recipient can spend. Cadeo charges a service component on top of the product price. But the most important thing: you only pay for gifts that are actually chosen. No minimum order, no costs for unredeemed vouchers.
For the WKR (work-related expenses scheme), gifts via a choice platform fall within the free space, just like other business gifts. In 2026, that is 2% on the first €400,000 of payroll and 1.18% above that. Cadeo invoices in the company name, so your administration stays correct.
"Very little effort on our side, but a beautiful final result. Employees were super enthusiastic about the freedom of choice."
— Cadeo customer
For which occasions do you use a choice platform?
A choice platform isn’t just for Christmas. Most organizations that start with Christmas gifts quickly discover that the platform works for every gift moment. Think of:
- Christmas gifts and year-end presents — the most popular moment, ideal for large teams
- Birthdays — automatable via HRIS, all year round
- Anniversaries and years of service — mark 5, 10, or 25 years with a personal gesture
- Onboarding — make a strong first impression on new employees
- Retirement — a farewell that does justice to the years of service
- Customer gifts — strengthen relationships with business contacts and partners
Check out the complete Business Gift Calendar 2026 for all occasions at a glance — including budget planning and WKR tips per occasion.
What should you look for when choosing a choice platform?
Not every choice platform is the same. These are the five criteria HR managers and office managers should pay attention to.
1. Collection quality. How many products are available? And which brands? A platform with 50 products feels limited; a platform with 1,200+ products offers real choice. Also pay attention to sustainability — more and more organizations want sustainable business gifts.
2. Branding and personalization. Can the portal be styled in your own branding? With your own welcome message? Recipients should feel that the gift comes from you, not from an anonymous platform.
3. No addresses needed. A good choice platform doesn’t ask for addresses in advance. The recipient enters the delivery address themselves — that’s more GDPR-friendly and saves you a lot of work.
4. Payment model. Do you pay upfront for all recipients, or only for those who actually choose? At Cadeo, the answer is: you only pay upon redemption. No waste, no hidden costs.
5. Integrations. Can the platform connect to your HR system? For larger organizations, automation via HRIS integrations is the difference between a "nice project" and a "structural part of your HR policy".
Curious what the choice platform looks like?
Request a demo and see within 5 minutes how it works — including branding in your own style.
View the choice platform →★★★★★ 4.6/5 · 500+ companies went before you
Frequently asked questions
Building one yourself requires a webshop with product management, inventory integration, shipping integrations, a payment system, and GDPR-compliant address management. That takes months and ongoing maintenance. Most organizations choose an existing choice platform like Cadeo — ready to use, branded in your own style, and live within 24 hours.
You don’t need to build a website. With a choice platform like Cadeo, you create a collection, personalize the portal with your logo and colors, and send colleagues a link. They choose for themselves, enter their address, and the gift is delivered to their home. Everything runs on existing infrastructure — you don’t have to develop or host anything.
At Cadeo, you pay per gift that is actually chosen, with budget ranges starting from €25 per recipient. There are no platform fees or minimum orders. The final cost depends on your chosen budget range and the number of recipients. It falls under the WKR free space.
Yes. Cadeo offers HRIS integrations that automatically trigger gift moments based on HR data — birthdays, anniversaries, onboarding, retirement. The platform sends an invitation automatically at the right time. Set it up once, and then it runs on its own.
Absolutely. The platform scales effortlessly from 10 to 10,000+ recipients. For large organizations — think government or healthcare — automation is especially valuable: no manual address lists, no logistics hassle, and reporting for accountability.
With Cadeo, your first campaign can be live within 24 hours. You choose a collection, send us your logo and welcome message, and we set up the portal. Even last-minute campaigns are possible — one of the reasons customers value us for our flexibility.
