There are many different ways in which you can develop a loyal customer following for your business. The most important factors are – of course – to offer premium quality products and provide a high level of service, yet alone this is not always enough.

Other tactics include standing out from the crowd by showcasing a unique brand personality to develop a cult following and running a rewards program that encourages people to continue shopping with you and/or using your services. However, one classic technique that shouldn’t be overlooked is gift-giving. Read on to find out more.

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Gifts and the importance of customer loyalty

Understandably, many companies are laser-focused on attracting new customers. Whilst this is a crucial aspect of marketing, it’s equally important to ensure that you are retaining your existing customers as well. In order to create a successful and lasting business, you need people to stick with you in the long run. This is what customer loyalty is all about – making people feel a connection to your brand that keeps them coming back to you over the years. 

Part of this is the idea of hyper-personalisation, which involves providing bespoke content to your customers based on characteristics such as their age, location, previous shopping habits, and so on. However, it doesn’t all have to be high-tech. You can also embrace the age-old custom of gift-giving (something that’s seen in almost every culture around the world) to generate positive feelings towards you and your company. Both methods encourage customers to feel as though they are more than just a number or potential sale to you. This, in turn, promotes customer loyalty and repeat business by showing people that you genuinely care about them.

At the end of the day, everyone enjoys receiving presents – even small ones. The feeling of happiness that your gift generates will then be associated with your company, making people more inclined to choose you from among your competitors or recommend you to a friend. In addition, gifts act as a fantastic promotional tool because the people who use them are consistently exposed to your brand name and logo. Over time, this brand awareness and familiarity is likely to translate into sales.

Gift ideas for your customers

So, what sort of gifts should you be offering your customers? There are many factors that influence what’s most appropriate, including the industry you operate in, the number of customers you have, your target market, your budget, and so on. As a general rule, high-quality gifts are likely to be more impressive, and whatever you choose should be promotional in some way – in other words, it ought to feature your company name or logo to remind people who gifted it to them. 

Another piece of advice is to try and choose a gift that’s in some way relevant to your products or services, and that’s also genuinely useful to your customers. Here are some ideas to get you inspired:

  • Stationery, including pens, pencils, and notebooks
  • Coffee mugs 
  • Travel flasks or reusable water bottles
  • Canvas tote bags
  • Edible items, such as biscuits or sweets
  • Badges
  • Fridge magnets
  • Diaries
  • Desk calendars 
  • Bottle openers
  • Mousepads
  • Cloths for cleaning glasses or mobile phone screens