10 Creative Ways to Surprise and Delight Your Customers
In business, the customer is always king. No matter what industry you’re in, keeping your customers happy and satisfied is essential. After all, without customers, your business goes under.
One of the best ways to demonstrate to your clients that you care about them is to surprise and delight them. This can be done in a number of different ways, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Sometimes, the smallest gesture can make the most significant difference.
Why is customer delight important?
Customer delight is the process of exceeding customer expectations and creating a positive customer experience. It’s important because it can help you build long-term relationships with your customers, spark word-of-mouth marketing, and differentiate your company from the competition.
Creating customer delight goes beyond simply meeting customer expectations. To really delight your customers, you need to go above and beyond to give them an experience they’ll remember. This could mean going the extra mile to solve a problem, offering a unique product or service, or providing excellent customer service.
Delighting your customers can be challenging, but it’s worth it. Investing in customer delight can help you create lifelong fans of your brand, grow your business, and even increase your profits.
In this article, we will share ten creative ways to surprise and delight your customers. We hope that these help you to improve your customer service!
- Give them a discount on their next purchase.
- Include a free sample of a new product with their order
- Send them a personalized birthday card
- Upgrade their shipping to express for free
- Come up with innovative ideas from time to time
- Give them a free gift with their order
- Always Under-Promise And Over-deliver to your customer.
- Introduce Special Perks & Benefits with a VIP Program for Loyal Customers
- Send Unannounced Freebies To Reward Regular Customers
- Introduce Special Perks & Benefits with a VIP Program for Loyal Customers
- Give them a discount on their next purchase
According to a RetailMeNot survey, nearly three-fourths (74 percent) of Americans say offers are a top factor when deciding where and what to buy online. And four out of five (81 percent) Americans say finding a great offer or discount is on their mind throughout the entire purchase journey.
Discounts are a common part of the sales process, but not all discounts are created equal.
Giving your customers a discount on their next purchase is a great way to show your appreciation. There are several approaches you can take to this, but the most important thing is to make sure the discount is eye-catching and significant enough.
There are a few different ways to offer a discount on a sales quotation:
- You can offer a percentage-based discount off the list price of the product.
- You can offer a fixed-amount discount off the list price of the product.
- You can offer a discount on the shipping costs.
- You can offer a discount for early payment.
The type of discount you offer will depend on your business goals and the customer’s buying behavior. Whichever way you choose to do it, make sure you give them a discount that they’ll be happy with.
Here’s a real-life example of an eye-catching discount offer.
In case you need more exciting discount strategy ideas, feel free to look up the HowSociable blog today.
- Include a free sample of a new product with their order
Nothing is more exciting for consumers than finding an unexpected gift in your order bag. Such a gesture never goes unnoticed.
When introducing a new product, try including a free sample of it along with orders. On the one hand, this helps to introduce customers to new products and gives them a chance to try things out before committing to a purchase. And on the other hand, it proves to customers that you’re always looking for ways to improve their experience.
Here are some suggestions if you are unsure how to include a free sample with orders:
- Make sure the free sample is representative of the product as a whole.
- Make sure the free sample is high quality and free of any defects.
- Don’t include too much of the product in the free sample – a small amount is usually enough.
- Make sure the free sample is clearly labeled as such, so customers know what they’re getting.
Deploying a free sample of a new product has many benefits for a company. It allows the company to:
1) Entice customers with a new product
2) Increase product awareness
3) Boost sales of the new product
4) Increase brand love and loyalty
- Send them a personalized birthday card
Imagine waking up on your birthday to a lovely ‘happy birthday’ email from a brand you patronized months ago; how would you feel?
If you’re like me, you’ll probably go, “Awwwn.”
Sending a birthday card to your customers is a fantastic way to show them that you care about them and that you appreciate every dollar they’ve spent on your brand. It is also a great approach to staying on top of customers’ minds while also keeping them coming back to your business.
For example, here’s Acuvue – a top contact lens company – sending a customer (Amanda) a birthday card.
How do you think Amanda would have felt about that?
That said, there are a few things to think about when sending birthday cards to your customers.
First, make sure you have their correct date of birth on file. Nothing is worse than getting a birthday card on a wrong day! Second, take the time to personalize the card. A generic “Happy Birthday!” message is nice, but a handwritten note or a special offer will make the card even more special.
Look at what GAP pulled off:
Sending birthday cards is a great way to show your customers that you value them. With a little thought and effort, you can make each one feel like it was made just for them.
- Upgrade their shipping to express for free
If you’re looking to get your products to your customers faster so as to delight them, upgrading to express shipping is a great idea. And if you use a certain shipping carrier, you may be able to get your shipping upgraded to express for free.
Here’s how it works:
First, you’ll need to find a shipping carrier that offers this service. Not all carriers do, so it’s important to do your research ahead of time.
Once you’ve found a carrier that offers free express shipping, you’ll need to sign up for an account and enter your shipping information.
Once you’re all set up, you’ll need to create a shipping label. When you create the label, you’ll have the option to choose express shipping.
Once you’ve completed these steps, your products will be on their way to your customers in no time!
- Come up with innovative ideas from time to time
After patronizing your brand for a while, consumers are likely used to your ‘ways of doing things.” Excite them by mixing things up.
For instance, if you take orders on your website only, you can surprise customers with an unexpected sales session on your social media pages.
Imagine a customer waking up to the news that their favorite brand is offering a 25% discount on all orders that happening on Instagram, chances are they’ll run to IG to place an order.
Another innovative idea can be centered around your payment options. Traditionally, consumers expect to buy with credit/debit cards. Excite customers by inviting them to use rarer options like cryptocurrency, NFTs, or some of the best virtual credit cards around.
In summary, think of a new, unique way of doing things – one which your consumers probably wouldn’t see coming.
- Give them a free gift with their order.
I’m going to emphasize the importance of free gift by referencing a brand named Stormviews. These guys provide people with YouTube views, likes, subscribers, and all sorts. Today, they’re one of the biggest and most popular brands in the game.
You want to know their secret? They don’t joke with freebies. When people come to the Stormviews.net site to buy YouTube likes, Stormviews ensures they don’t walk away with the exact number they request. Instead, they get a little bit extra on top. Another brand who does something similar to this is Stormlikes.net.
In both cases, the result of the tactic is that customers always come back again while some even refer their friends.
The moral of this is that human beings love free things.
If you want to delight customers and make them return again, just add a little freebie to their order.
People are more likely to do business with your company if they know they’ll likely receive a gift. A gift makes people feel appreciated and valued, and it shows that the company is willing to give without expecting anything in return.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive – even a small token of your appreciation can go a long way.
When selecting a free gift for your clients, there are a few points to consider.
First and foremost, you must ensure that the gift is something that is actually useful to the recipient. Second, you want to choose a gift that reflects your company’s values. Last but not least, check to see if the gift falls within your budget.
For instance, if you’re a B2B company, a good gift idea for customers would be office supplies/stationeries. A Pet company can consider gift ideas like treats or toys. For smart gadget retailers, a nice gift idea could be something like pouches, stickers, etc.
- Send a handwritten thank you note with their purchase.
Thanking your customers is always a nice gesture, but did you know that crafting handwritten ‘Thank-You’ notes can actually do a lot of magic?
According to a study by AYTM, 91% of respondents say they are more likely to do business with companies that show appreciation.
So, as you can see, not only is a handwritten thank you note a nice way to show your appreciation, but it’s also good for business!
Sending a handwritten thank-you note is one of the cheapest but most effective ways to get your customers to spread the word about your product or service.
“It’s not the money that makes these efforts shocking and awesome, it’s the care and creativity involved,” writes Gary Vaynerchuk in The Thank You Economy.
Sending a handwritten thank you note is easy – all you need is a pen and some paper. You can even buy thank you note stationaries to make things even easier. Just make sure to write from the heart and take the time to personalize each note. Your customers will appreciate the effort, and your business will reap the benefits!
- Always Under-Promise And Over-Deliver to Customers
It is essential in business to say less and do more. By doing this, you are almost guaranteed to blow your customers’ minds.
For instance, imagine it’s stated on your website that delivery takes seven days, and then you inform a customer at the point of purchase that they can get their order delivered in less than three days. How impressed do you think they would be?
That’s how you under-promise and over-deliver.
There are a few tactics for under-promising and over-delivering.
First, you can set lower expectations for what they will receive. This can be done by downplaying the features of your product or service or by giving less information about what they will receive. Second, you can surprise them with something extra. This can be anything from a free gift to an upgrade or a bonus.
Whatever method you choose, always keep the customer in mind and deliver more than they expect. This will help build a loyal customer base and keep your business thriving for years.
- Send Unannounced Freebies To Reward Regular Customers
Sending unexpected upgrades and special treats to your regular customers is a great way to show them how much you value their loyalty. It’s a simple gesture that can go a long way in making sure they keep coming back. Not only will they feel appreciated, but it can also lead to more sales and better customer retention.
By sending unannounced freebies to your regular customers, you can reward them for their patronage and create positive experiences that will keep them coming back for more. This is an effective strategy for building customer loyalty and increasing customer lifetime value. Plus, it’s an easy way to surprise and delight your customers, which can help differentiate your brand from competitors.
- Introduce Special Perks & Benefits with a VIP Program for Loyal Customers
Creating a VIP Club for your most-valuable customers effectively shows them your appreciation and rewards them for their loyalty. It can also help you build deeper relationships with them and increase customer retention.
The VIP Club can be designed to offer exclusive rewards such as discounts, early access to products, special events, and more. This will help you demonstrate the value of being loyal and encourage customers to stick around longer.
By creating a VIP Club, you can also gain valuable insights into what motivates your customers and use that information to tailor offers that are tailored specifically to their needs. This will help you create a more personalized experience for your customers, resulting in improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Conclusion
Overall, there are many ways to surprise and delight your customers. While some of these ideas may require more effort than others, they all help you create a more positive customer experience. You can increase loyalty, satisfaction, and sales by thinking outside the box and showing your customers that you care.