Caroo, a key player in the corporate gifting space, stands out by prioritizing wellness and fostering meaningful connections between companies and their teams. Formerly known as SnackNation, Caroo has grown beyond just providing snacks to offering a wide range of wellness products, curated gift boxes, and personalized packages. These gifts are designed to make employees feel valued, whether they’re working remotely or in the office.

In this comprehensive review, we’ll dive into the key features that make Caroo a standout in the corporate gifting industry, explore its pricing options, weigh the pros and cons, and highlight what Caroo is best for.

Caroo Overview

Caroo is a US-based corporate gifting platform headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Launched initially as SnackNation, the company rebranded to Caroo in 2020 to reflect its evolution from snack boxes to a broader, more digitally-enabled employee care platform. The rebrand was led by founders Andy Mackensen, Chelsie Rae Lee, and Sean Patrick Kelly.

Caroo focuses on employee gifting rather than a wider range of recipients that include clients, prospects, partners, and investors.

Main Features

To better determine Caroo’s offerings, we’ll start by breaking down the platform’s main features.

RecognitionDNA

Another unique Caroo feature is the RecognitionDNA (rDNA) Profiles. The platform uses Recognition Intelligence (rQ) to better understand employees’ traits through a five-minute assessment, providing a more in-depth look into your giftee’s preferences and recognition languages. You can also compare the rDNA results of your employees to better recognize and appreciate them through curated campaigns.

RecipientChoice

The RecipientChoice is Caroo’s take on swag stores. For this, you will need to choose a curated gift selection that fits your budget, and then your employees can choose their preferred gift from the list. This ensures that you stay on budget while still giving your recipients something that they actually want or will use.

Gift Calculator

One of Caroo’s unique features is the Gift Calculator. For this, you can see the total spend or costs of your gifting campaign by simply entering the total budget you have per recipient or campaign and the total number of your giftees. Afterwards, you can select your gift (physical or gift card) and the number of recipients you have in the US, Hawaii, or Canada (for gifts only), and the feature will automatically recommend curated gift collections based on your budget.

CareCards

In addition to gifts and gift cards, Caroo also offers CareCard (also known as eCards), which you can fully customize to fit any occasion or personality. There’s also an option for you to add custom branding or personalized messages from different employees that can make the cards more personal and thoughtful. For these CareCards, you can select a frequency among one-time, subscription, or automated milestones, depending on your needs. Do note that CareCards are different from gift cards as the former is more about simple appreciation without physical or digital gifts. These CareCards have a starting price of $5.

Pricing

Caroo has four available tiers that you can choose from, depending on your budget. What are the benefits and features available in each? Let’s check them one by one.

Starter 

Starter is Caroo’s free tier and is suitable for individuals with seldom gifting needs. Under this tier, you will have the ability to send unlimited rewards and add your contacts or employees. Gifts and gift cards are also available for you to choose from. Under this tier, CareCards are also available for you to purchase for $5 each. You can also access the platform’s RecognitionDNA Profiles to help you further curate your employees’ gifts.

Personalized 

For the second tier, Personalized, you will have access to everything in Starter while also having other benefits. For one, you can now automate gifting for your employees’ birthdays and work anniversaries, removing the hassle of manual gifting. Second, this tier will also provide you with unlimited free CareCards to maximize for better employee engagement. A branded website recipient experience and an extended recipient selection window are also offered in this tier. Lastly, you can also export order data to better assess your gifting campaigns’ progress, performance, and success. The tier price can be $46 per month if paid yearly and $54 per month if paid monthly. This $8 difference can accumulate in the long term, so it’s best to choose the payment option suitable for your budget and needs.

Free Shipping 

The Free Shipping tier, which costs $129 per month if paid monthly but $110 per month if paid yearly, has an annual contract required. For this price, you will have everything offered in the Personalized tier, plus free shipping to the Continental US. Your concerns will also be immediately addressed, as you will get priority customer support if you’re under this tier. If you require more admins, you can also have up to 4 additional Admin seats, priced at $17 per seat per month. Flexible Caroo Credit solutions are also available. 

Enterprise

This last tier option is best for larger organizations. It has everything that Personalized has to offer and also provides free shipping to the Continental US. HRIS integrations are also available under this tier, allowing you to better optimize your gifting process. You can also get custom recognition analytics, which can help you understand your employees’ gifting preferences for better campaigns. The pricing for this tier is customized depending on your gifting needs, so you’ll need to contact Caroo’s team for a more detailed quotation.

In addition to these pricing tiers, here are some additional pricing details on gifts, CareCards, and gift cards you should know.

Gifts and Rewards: Starting at $10 per gift

CareCards (eCards): Starts at $5 per card

Digital gift cards: Price starts at $5 per card

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Caroo.

Pros

✅ Suitable for individual gifting needs: Caroo’s retail offering of gifts, gift cards, and CareCards makes it a suitable choice if you only need to gift to one or two recipients. This way, you won’t need to pay for a monthly or yearly subscription.

✅ Gift cards and CareCards: The availability of other gift options, like gift cards and CareCards, gives you more options to choose from for better employee recognition and appreciation.

✅ Personalized employee gifting: With Caroo’s rDNA, you can easily pick a tailored gift suitable for your employees’ individual preferences. This eliminates the possibility of your gifts getting thrown away or staying unused.

Cons

❌ No swag option: Caroo doesn’t offer any swag items, so if you're looking to send branded apparel, accessories, or event giveaways, you’ll either need to use a separate platform or consider alternatives.

❌ Lack of international shipping: While Caroo offers gift cards to international recipients, its physical gifts are not. The platform is US-based and US-focused, and as such, if you’re looking for a global gifting solution, it is not the best option.

❌ High shipping fees: Caroo’s shipping fees outside the US are significantly higher than many other gifting platforms. For instance, for the UK, the shipping cost starts at $15.15 for small items or boxes and can reach up to $95.23 for African countries. These extra costs can add up quickly if you are gifting to global teams.

❌ Limited integrations: The integrations offered by Caroo are relatively limited compared to its alternatives. If you want to connect your gifting seamlessly with HRIS or CRM systems, you might find the platform’s options lacking.

Caroo is best for…

… individuals with occasional gifting needs 👍

Since Caroo offers retail for its gifts, CareCards, and gift cards, it can be a good fit for you if you only wish to send gifts on rare occasions. This way, you won’t have to pay for any monthly or yearly subscription, slashing your gifting costs.

… companies that have US-based teams 👍

With its headquarters and main warehouse in the US, Caroo can best serve US-based companies and teams. Your employees in the US will especially benefit from quick gift deliveries and hassle-free gift card redemption.

… managers looking for personalized gifting 👍

Caroo’s proprietary rDNA assessment and profiles are a great tool to understand your employees’ gifting preferences. By knowing your team’s recognition language, you can show your appreciation for their hardwork in a way that will resonate with them, boosting employee engagement and retention.

Caroo may not be a good fit for…

… organizations that regularly gift to international recipients 👎

While Caroo mentions that it can send gifts and gift cards to international recipients, its actual international shipping capabilities can be limited and expensive. For instance, its physical gift fulfillment is US-centered, which means your non-US recipients may face long delivery times, limited choices, or high shipping fees. If you’re managing a team spread across multiple countries, the lack of reliable global infrastructure can make your gifting campaign stressful.

… businesses with tight budgets 👎

If you have recipients outside of the US and Canada, you might want to consider other gifting platforms. Caroo’s international shipping can be especially expensive. As mentioned above, shipping costs for small boxes are already priced at $15.15 for countries like the UK. Such costs can even reach as high as $124.18 for medium-sized boxes headed to African regions. These fees can stretch your budget too thin and may not be feasible in the long run.

… enterprises needing swag options 👎

Caroo’s offering of gifts, gift cards, and CareCards is great, but the platform may not be the one you need if you’re looking for custom swag options, as it doesn’t offer any. As such, it’s better for you to consider other Caroo alternatives that offer both gift and swag solutions, which will enable you to cater to wider audiences with broad preferences.

Caroo is a strong contender in the corporate gifting space, especially for businesses that emphasize tailored employee recognition, making it a good choice if you’re looking to engage your teams in a meaningful way. However, if you have global teams or are seeking a broader range of gift options, other platforms may be a better fit.

Looking for gift and swag solutions? Explore the best Caroo alternatives

While Caroo offers some standout features, it isn’t always the best fit, especially if you need global flexibility, swag options, broader gift selection, or stronger platform integrations. If you’re serious about scaling your gifting efforts without getting weighed down by shipping costs and platform limitations, there are smarter options available. Don’t let logistics or high costs cap your team’s experience. Discover the top Caroo alternatives that offer more reach, lower fees, and a better gifting experience overall.

Caroo vs PerkUp, the #1 platform for affordable international shipping

When it comes to corporate gifting, both Caroo and PerkUp bring strong value to the table, but their strengths serve different needs. On one hand, Caroo is great for US-only teams focused on gifts. On the other hand, PerkUp is designed for modern, global organizations that need international shipping, comprehensive integrations, and flexible gift and swag solutions.

Want a side-by-side comparison? Dive into our detailed Caroo vs. PerkUp analysis to see which platform is best for your team and understand why leading brands like Microsoft and Product Hunt trust PerkUp for their gifting and swag needs.