The thick competition currently across industries is evident. With most growing businesses struggling to sustain markets, customer retention has been gaining much momentum, and rightfully so.

A mere 5% boost in customer retention can increase profits by about 25% to 95%. This highlights the incredible growth potential your returning customers help contribute.

While offering exceptional experiences is a great way to retain customers, what can you do to improve your relationship with them and cement a strong bond? The answer is simple: thank your customers and show genuine appreciation.

30 ways in which you can thank your customers 

There is no one way to show how grateful you are to customers. Based on who you sell to, what you sell and the industry competition you are in, you can experiment with different ways to show how grateful you are for customers that choose your brand. 

Here are some of our top favorites: 

1. Handwritten thank you notes and cards 

Handwritten notes allow you to connect with your customers more personally. A genuine physical pen and paper thank you note on a card that is addressed to individual customers can make a lot of difference! 

Taking the time to thank them with a written (and not typed) thank you note, shows that you appreciate their support and encourage them to continue doing so without being too pushy about it.  

Not only are such notes affordable and easy, but they also bring the much-needed human touch to the customer-brand relationship - something that not too many brands are doing today when they restrict themselves to using digital means of communication like email or SMS only. 

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And with IgnitePOST, they’re also much easier to write. By using our technology, your brand can integrate with your CRM and identify customers you want to send thank you notes to. It then uses a combination of robotics and traditional pen and paper to create thank you cards that are mailed to your customers automatically. 

Learn more about thank you cards for businesses here. 

2.  Support a cause they care about 

Supporting good causes are beautiful ways to give back to society. Customers would appreciate the gesture, thus potentially strengthening their loyalty toward you.  

Take a general consensus and find a common cause your customers care about or support. Once done, add more value to it through monetary contributions or volunteering. Ensure you frequently share updates with your customers to keep them in the loop.

In addition to the same, studies have found that 55% of consumers choose to engage with brands that support a cause they care about. So if you ask us, you will be doing more than just thanking customers; you will be creating another reason for new customers to choose you. 

3. Send free samples with an order

Send free samples with short handwritten notes to thank customers for purchasing with you. Samples are also a great way to increase upsells and introduce customers to a new product/service range. 

Make a note of the purchase histories to ensure the sent samples are actually valuable for the customers. 

4. Offer something for free 

Delight your customers with a freebie, such as a free subscription upgrade, a coupon code for a free product with their next purchase, etc. 

A freebie paired with a handwritten note that says, "Thank you for purchasing with us. Here’s your freebie” encourages your customers to keep returning for more. And who doesn’t like getting something for free! 

5. Offer benefits 

If offering freebies is out of your reach, you can offer them interesting perks like free, discounted or express shipping, premium membership, loyalty points, etc.

Pair it with a handwritten thank you note explaining the benefits and the reason behind them for greater impact.

6. Reward customers for their loyalty with extra discounts

Offer your loyal customers exclusive discounts for their upcoming purchases. Ensure you understand their preferences to tailor product/service discounts accordingly.

Make sure that your thank you card to them clearly states that it is a discount meant exclusively for them. This can also help build exclusivity in your relationship with the customers. 

7. Send personal video thank yous 

Recording personalized videos may cost you more time and effort, but nevertheless is a great investment. Customers notice your efforts and appreciate your eagerness to build a genuine connection.

You can make these videos a part of your thank you emails or SMS campaigns. But another way to make these videos pop is to add a QR code in your thank you cards that can be scanned to open the video! 

8. Give them a shoutout on social media  

Modern customers appreciate the social media spotlight, especially when verified business pages give them a shoutout. 

Shoutouts and mentions are quite common on Twitter and Instagram. You could give shoutouts, for instance, when contests are won, to appreciate a longtime customer, or to share a user’s experience with your product/service.  

9. Give them a shoutout on your website

You could feature your loyal customers and their experiences on your website and link back to their social or professional sites. This is a great way to recognize customers and, at the same time, attract website visitors as the same acts as social proof too. 

10. Offer post-purchase discounts 

Offering a special post-purchase discount is one of the best ways to thank customers. An exclusive discount is a win-win situation. You could potentially receive more orders, and your customers get a sweet deal for their next purchase.

A great way to send these over is to send the discount in a thank you card along with the order shipment. The aha-moment can create a positive experience! 

11. Send them gift cards

Send gift vouchers as tokens of appreciation to customers who’ve successfully referred someone or have made bulk purchases. You could send physical gift cards with handwritten notes or email them. 

12. Notice challenging times and offer free services or upgrades

Depending on your industry, ensure you can keep an eye out during challenging times, such as the recent pandemic, inflation, or layoffs. 

Surprise your customers with a free service or upgrade to thank and support them in such tough times. Send them with a thank you note to add a human touch during a tough time. 

13. Thank them in person 

For instance, organize events, dinners, or brunch parties to thank your customers for their trust in your business.

Face-to-face conversations give you a clearer insight into the customers’ perspectives and let you improve your services.

14. Host fun games 

Run contests or games for your regular customers. Announce lucky draws, spin-to-win, etc., where winners take home prizes related to your business. Organize such events around popular holidays to increase participation and sales.   

15. Plant saplings 

Suppose you wish to thank your customers more thoughtfully on your company’s anniversary. A great gesture is to plant a tree for each customer you have and notify them of the same. Doing so creates a sense of contributing to a better cause. 

16. Offer VIP or premium membership 

Big brands like Sephora and Marriott often launch exclusive VIP programs or premium access to their most loyal customer base. 

Access to these programs is either free or available at a heavy discount for high-value customers. VIP programs can come with a multitude of purchase benefits and exclusivity, making them one of the most impactful ways to thank your loyal customers.

You can also segment your high-value customers and send out a personalized thank you card to them, alongside an exclusive invite to the membership. 

17. Support their businesses 

If your customers run small local businesses or side gigs, support them in any way you can. It could either be through shoutouts, referrals, or partnering with them for upcoming ventures. 

Your customers will appreciate you for the sincere effort you put into thanking them.

18. Prioritize feedback 

Prioritizing customer feedback lets you thank your customers by taking instant action on their reviews and improves your services. You could also offer incentives to customers who’ve taken the time to submit detailed feedback.

Alternatively, if feedback has helped you improve a specific aspect of your business or product, remember to send those customers a handwritten thank you card for bringing it up. It will show that you don’t just seek feedback, but also implement it. 

19. Send products in customized packaging  

This applies to you if you’re an eCommerce/DTC brand. You can surprise and thank your customers for their purchases by delivering their products in special packaging. 

You could even attach a handwritten thank-you tag to go with the wrapping.

20.  Send a personal text message 

You can segment younger customers and send them personalized text messages thanking them, as the younger audience is more likely to respond to texts than emails or calls.  

21. Offer great customer service 

Customers love attentive brands that address their issues then and there. If you want to thank customers and turn them into satisfied ones, offer timely customer service and support.

22. Educate your customers 

As a business owner, you possess industry-specific knowledge that you can share with like-minded customers.

Say you’re a grocery delivery company. You could offer free online cooking classes or webinars as a way to thank your customers for continuously purchasing from your business.

23. Host a customer appreciation week annually 

Each year, pitch in new ideas and host a customer appreciation week. This is the ultimate way to say thank you to your customers. 

Ask your customers for useful ways in which you could appreciate them. It could be lunch parties, games, outings, etc. Set aside a week on the same day every year, so your team and customers eagerly look forward to it.

24. Show behind-the-scenes 

Share interesting stories about the people working behind the purchased products or services. Introduce customers to your team and appreciate them for being a part of the process. Doing so lets customers feel a deeper connection with your brand.

25. Sketch your appreciation 

Want to show gratitude in an old-school yet fun way? Sketch your appreciation, such as a comic or a graphic, and attach a handwritten thank-you note for each customer. 

Mail it to them as a surprise and also add a card for them to reply to you.

26. Snap a selfie with the founder and team

Snap a candid selfie with your team and the founder and send it over to your customers with a personalized caption thanking them. This is a great way to humanize your brand and let customers resonate with your mission. 

27. Showcase their testimonials  

Displaying customers’ videos and text testimonials helps portray social proof in a more authentic fashion. They convince potential leads to convert into customers.

So request your best clients to record and send short testimonials and display them on your website or social media as a way to appreciate them.

28. Share customer success stories 

User-generated content creates an honest bond between brands and customers. It can help you reach new audiences online. 

Share your customer’s success stories with your products or services as user-generated content and use it for your blog posts, social media, hashtags, or home page. Use these to express gratitude and foster trust.

29. Send them holiday, birthday, or anniversary cards each year

The holiday season is amongst the best times to thank and surprise customers. Send them a greeting card around popular holidays with a special message expressing gratitude.

You could also collect customers’ birthdays and anniversary dates on sign-up and send them a special handwritten card and a small gift each year.

30. Keep it simple 

Finally, you do not have to go overboard with thanking your customers or overthink your strategies. Pair one or two strategies and keep things simple. 

Simple efforts can still go a long way. For instance, you can express gratitude with a simple handwritten note and a discount for their next purchase with your business.

Best practices to follow when thanking customers 

How can you thank your customers without expecting anything in return? Here are a few best practices to follow without burdening your customers:

1. Know who you’re thanking 

Your customers’ preferences and buying behaviors can vary wildly. Also, thanking everyone the same way is not budget-friendly. So it makes sense to know who your customers are and thank them most reasonably.

If your strategy is to thank customers with a post-purchase discount and a special handwritten note, it’s best to group high-value customers, not first-timers. 

2. Define your thank you program and set a budget for it  

Pitch new ideas with your team to develop your thank you program and strategy. At the end of the day, thank-you programs should be affordable. So remember that you do not have to feel overwhelmed with multiple programs and stick to a few that fit your budget.

Fix a standard budget that’s most comfortable for your goals and go with it.

3. Build a repeatable process 

Structure your thank-you program in a repeatable process to ensure your customers ultimately get the message. However, if you choose a handwritten thank-you strategy and do it manually to and fro, the whole process can get quite hectic easily.

But with a platform like IgnitePOST, you can automate the entire process without the overhead costs of printing or manual work. This helps you run thank you campaigns in tandem with other customer engagement and retention strategies you may be running. 

Conclusion 

Customers recognize effort. 

A sincere thank-you to your customers can go a long way to ensure loyalty. And it’s also the most cost-effective way to stay ahead of your competition. 

Bring back the human touch and feel to your customer communications using personalized handwritten notes. Send physical thank-you cards to your customers with IgnitePOST in a few clicks.

Request a free sample today!