The holidays are a time for showing the people that you care about them — and that includes your customers. Customer holiday gifts are a great way to thank loyal clients and shoppers for their business — while giving them an incentive to keep doing business with you.
As we are now officially in the holiday season, consider using these customer holiday gifts and strategies to reward and thank your top customers.
Set a Customer Holiday Gift Strategy
Before you decide what to give to customers, decide who you want to give to.
Customer holiday gifts aren’t one-size-fits-all. Consider what will work best for your business type and customer base. Here are a few options.
- Give a gift to every customer. While this might not work for brands with hundreds of customers, it might be right for smaller service-based businesses that only work with a dozen or so high-value clients. It may also work if you offer a small gift or reward like a coupon that you mail to all past customers.
- Give a gift to top customers. Look through your customer data and determine the top ten or ten percent of customers who spent the most money at your business this year. Reward them with a gift. If you go this route, let the customer know that they were specifically chosen based on their purchase history to make the gift feel more exclusive.
- Give a gift to in-store customers. Give customers an incentive to visit your store by offering them a gift with their purchase or for simply visiting during the holidays. This strategy is a good way to drive more in-store customers around the holidays.
Once you know who you will give to and how many gifts you will give, it will be easier to determine what gift ideas are best. Now, let’s look at some possible gift ideas.
8 Customer Holiday Gift Ideas
1. Free Upgrade
Consider what small upgrades you can offer for free to customers who visit during the holidays. For example, a fast-casual restaurant could offer a free appetizer or drink with purchase, or a spa could add free aromatherapy to a purchased massage. This is a great way to say thanks while also driving customers to your business and introducing them to your packages and add-ons.
2. BOGO Deal
Another way to show value and drive sales while rewarding customers is with a BOGO deal. Offering a buy-one-get-one deal around the holidays is great because it gives customers an incentive to purchase gifts from you — because when they buy one for a loved one, they get one for themselves.
3. Complementary Product
Use customer holiday gifts as a way to build on the experience, products, or services you already provide to customers. Think about your customers and what they come to you for, and offer them something that boosts that customer experience. Ideas include:
- Spa giving an aromatherapy candle
- Auto shop giving a tire pressure gauge
- Retailer giving a tote bag
- Veterinary office giving a bag of dog/cat treats
4. Coupons to Other Businesses
While it may seem counterintuitive to send customers to other brands, giving coupons to other businesses can benefit you and your customers. Partner up with other nearby businesses (it’s best if they don’t have similar offerings as you) and create a coupon exchange. You give their coupons to your customers and vice versa. This helps expose your brand to new customers while providing value to your existing customers.
5. SWAG That Customers Will Actually Use
SWAG (or stuff we all get) refers to promotional gifts that many brands give out throughout the year. You can use SWAG to offer a holiday gift — if it is something your customers will actually use. Don’t just give something away so that you can create something with your brand name on it. Think of a SWAG gift that customers will actually use and appreciate such as:
- Desk or wall calendar
- Phone charger
- Water bottles
- Notebook
Also, don’t go overboard on the branding. If you really want customers to use the item, add graphics and photos they will want to see — not just plugs for your business.
6. Charitable Donation
Sometimes a gift doesn’t even need to go directly into the hands of your customers. A great customer holiday gift is giving a charitable donation on their behalf. You can give a percentage of your profits or donate a gift for each purchase (i.e., donate a holiday dinner to a local charity for every oil change purchased in December).
7. Holiday Event
Gifts also don’t necessarily need to be tangible. Instead of giving individual gifts to all of your customers, host an event and welcome them in for free food and drinks. Hosting a holiday event or open house is both a good way to reward customers and get to know them. You can walk around, meet customers, and ask them for customer feedback in person.
Recommended Reading: Host In-store Events to Bring More Customers Through Your Door
8. A New Experience
If you don’t want to host an in-store event, you can still give the gift of experience outside of your business. Customers love experiences so consider giving the gift of events and adventure. Give concert or museum tickets, a gift certificate to a new restaurant, or access to a new local attraction.
Get More Holiday Marketing Tips
Giving customer holiday gifts is just one marketing tactic that takes place at the end of the year. There’s a lot to do between now and the end of the year, so start getting the rest of your holiday marketing plans in place.
Check out our list of 18 Holiday Marketing Ideas to get some inspiration and then start planning today so you don’t find yourself in a last-minute holiday rush.