&Open’s Framework for Category Creation: Redefining Corporate Gifting as Loyalty Infrastructure

Creating a new category requires reframing an existing problem in a fundamentally different way. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, &Open CEO Jonathan Legge shared how they’re transforming corporate gifting from a logistical challenge into a loyalty infrastructure platform.

Beyond Traditional Gifting

“Gifting is as old as sin,” Jonathan explains, “but in the context of corporate gifting, it’s kind of been corrupted by its own culture. It’s become wasteful and thoughtless and careless.” This observation led to a crucial insight: the real opportunity wasn’t in fixing gifting logistics, but in reimagining how businesses build relationships.

The Relationship Focus

At the core of their category creation is a fundamental shift in perspective. “Relationships are not a quantitative thing, they’re a qualitative thing,” Jonathan notes. “And gifting isn’t a silver bullet, but it definitely can help augment a relationship, particularly in kind of the hyperdigital, fractured world we live in today.”

Building the Ecosystem

Rather than positioning themselves as just another gifting platform, &Open is building what Jonathan calls a “gifting ecosystem” with three core components: senders, recipients, and vendors. This ecosystem approach transforms gifting from a one-way transaction into a network of relationships.

“We’re building out our on demand offer,” Jonathan explains, describing their expansion. “How do we take that further and lace in apparel and print on demand, and how do we take that even further and start to work with a lot of our manufacturers directly via the marketplace and build out a truly self serve solution?”

The Loyalty Layer

The category creation goes beyond just gifting mechanics. “For us, it’s very much about loyalty,” Jonathan emphasizes. “Loyalty matters now more than ever. From loyal employees to loyal customers, like retaining a customer and growing with that customer becoming an advocate of your brand, that’s like hundreds of times more valuable than acquiring new customers.”

This positioning shifts corporate gifting from a periodic activity to a strategic loyalty tool. It’s not just about sending gifts – it’s about building and maintaining relationships at scale.

Reimagining the Gift Experience

A key part of their category creation is rethinking how gifts are presented. “Maybe you should give the person who’s going to get the gift a modicum of choice,” Jonathan explains. “Don’t give them a voucher to Amazon prime where they can choose anything from batteries to a box set of West Wing. But give them something that’s curated enough that it shows the thought you’ve put into it and as a business, that it represents your brand.”

The Future Vision

The ultimate goal is ambitious: “How do you scale thoughtfulness?” Jonathan asks. The answer lies in building what he describes as “a whole new category around loyalty.” This vision positions &Open not just as a gifting platform, but as essential infrastructure for building and maintaining business relationships.

For B2B founders working on category creation, &Open’s approach offers valuable lessons:

1. Start with a fundamental reimagining of the problem
2. Focus on the strategic value rather than tactical solutions
3. Build an ecosystem that creates network effects
4. Position your solution as infrastructure rather than a tool

In redefining corporate gifting as loyalty infrastructure, &Open isn’t just creating a new product category – they’re changing how businesses think about relationship building in a digital world.