2025 Winners - Pikki

We caught up with Rachael Carpenter from Pikki, whose innovative products Zip It!, Thirsty Planter, and Write Me Roses impressed the judges and secured them three wins at Gift of the Year 2025.

From playful, fast-paced games to thoughtful and practical gifting ideas, Pikki’s creations are designed with originality, fun, and sustainability at their heart. Rachael shared with us what the wins mean for the team, the inspiration behind their products, and what exciting launches are coming next.

Winning Products: Zip It!, Thirsty Planter and Write Me Roses

How did it feel when you found out you were a Gift of the Year winner?

We were thrilled. Genuinely, we didn't have any expectations and were delighted to have made the finalists but to hear we had won in such a highly competitive categories really was just incredible.

What does winning this award mean to you and your business?

We have so much respect for the Gift of The Year. We know that the judging panel are all experts from our industry so it means so much to get this recognition. Gift of the Year definitely grabs the attention of retailers and we have had lots of additional interest in all 3 of our winning products.

Tell us the story behind your winning product—what inspired it?

We develop games that we enjoy playing, Zip It was really inspired by playing games where you aren't sitting around waiting for your turn, it's quick to learn which is another big plus and it's fast and a bit silly. If we are laughing when we are playing it in the office then that's a good sign. We hope people will have as much fun playing it at home. With Write Me Roses we wanted to make something as thoughtful as gifting a bouquet of flowers but more personal and long-lasting, they look so lovely and really very easy to make.

What makes your product stand out in the market?

Once we have a great original idea we spend a lot of time ensuring that it is visually eye catching and developed as sustainably as possible. We put a lot of thought into every product and test everything rigorously.

What kind of feedback have you received from customers about this product?

All three of our winning lines have received really great feedback from customers. Zip It, customers love the originality of game play as well as the playful and eye-catching packaging. Write Me Roses has been especially popular for Valentines and Mother's Day. Our Thirsty Planter is a great gift for anyone who, like me, loves house plants but forgets to water them! Customers love that it has been designed so it is the perfect size for shop brought herbs so its not only very cute but practical too.

Can you share a fun or surprising moment from the product development journey?

Play testing the games is always fun. We have some VERY competitive team members so Zip It has definitely been put through its paces.

Who was involved in bringing this product to life, and how did you celebrate with your team?

We are a small team so everyone is involved in bringing a product to life. The whole team were very proud to have brought home 3 awards this year. A few of the team attended the awards night and had a great time celebrating and posing for photos with the awards.

How do you plan to leverage your Gift of the Year win in your marketing or future plans?

We definitely will be shouting about winning, its a fantastic stamp of approval for our products and we have already been proudly displaying the Gift of The Year winners logos at every opportunity.

What’s next for your brand—any exciting projects or launches on the horizon?

Oh we have some very exciting products launching for Autumn and we cannot wait to share them with everyone at the Summer and Autumn tradeshows so keep a look out! Hopefully some future Gift of the Year winners amongst them!

Find out more about this winning product and explore Pikki.