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We have a couple of fantastic customers (i.e. they bought in early, they give timely and clear feedback, and they celebrate our successes and give us opportunities to fix mistakes).

I'm looking for some interesting ways to thank them, without setting a precedent for lavish gifts (either in their eyes or our team members' eyes).

We've bandied about things like consumables (coffees, teas, candies) or wearables (t-shirts, hats, etc) but nothing feels suitably "awesome" for how much of a difference these customers have made. They've helped us improve our product more than we could have ever done without them, and we'd like to show our appreciation.

Any novel ideas?

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Not to get too specific, but what kind of products/services do you offer and what kind of people are your consumers? If you really nail that down you'll provide yourself a much better picture of what they might be tickled to receive. – mfg Oct 26 '10 at 20:39
We offer a web-based HR management tool (tribehr.com) and the customers in question are businesses that employ 30 people, generally in professional services roles. Anecdotal evidence shows they clearly appreciate having their ideas implemented, but we don't know any of them personally to know personal preferences. They also clearly like using web technology or they wouldn't have signed up ;) – Joseph Fung Oct 26 '10 at 21:17

6 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

We're currently leaning towards edible gifts that can be shared, but are still looking for more ideas.

Hi Joseph,

As mentioned above, previously we once got a big box of mixed snacks. Rather than going to your local supermarket / grocery store, head to smaller stores that sell specialty items e.g. Asian grocers (Chinese, Korean, Japanese), specialist candy stores that sell imported candy, anywhere that makes custom chocolates or other small edibles.

Rather than making it small and fancy, you should make it large and varied.

If you get a large gift box and fill it with 30 or so items that are not something you see every day. It will show you've put in some real effort, rather than just purchasing a gift basket online.

Mix some everyday favorites, with something a bit different like chilly chocolate etc.

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Very cool - I like the idea of the unusual sweets. We have a couple of british imports and asian foods stores in town that could probably help with that. – Joseph Fung Oct 31 '10 at 14:03
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Just letting you know that we went with a variation on this idea. I'll post what we did once we send - don't want to have someone accidentally stumble across this and spoil the surprise ;) – Joseph Fung Nov 3 '10 at 14:40
@Joseph - Looking forward to seeing what it was! – xiaohouzi79 Nov 3 '10 at 20:53
up vote 2 down vote

Well, what I'm about to suggest definitely isn't a novel idea, and I wouldn't be surprised if you are already doing this, but I'll throw it out there anyways.

If your customers are small businesses maybe you can do something to promote their services. This is something that isn't taste specific like food or fashion, and should be well received. Speaking as a small business owner myself, I would be more excited about getting free promotion for my product (or service), than I would be about getting a tangible object. The nice thing about this is that it will have a long lasting effect for them.

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Thanks - and we are doing something similar :) We are writing up featured profiles of many of our clients, and we especially focus on the awesome ones - a writeup doesn't always feel as tangible as a physical gift, though. It's also nice to get something in the mail, hence the "gift" focus of this question. – Joseph Fung Oct 27 '10 at 1:01
up vote 1 down vote

I previously worked for a web design agency and we used to get gifts from customers every now and then.

The best type of gifts that we received were ones that everyone in the office could enjoy (we only had 10 people on our team) but was unique and different.

Because we had an open plan office and quite a young team we enjoyed gifts like iPod with songs + speakers, unique digital clock from Japan. These sorts of quirky electronic gadgets / toys that everyone can enjoy, that can't be bought easily in your country.

We also enjoyed getting a big box of snacks of all different types.

You could purchase 30 x movie tickets or iTunes cards depending on your budget.

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Good suggestion to make it something everyone will enjoy. It will limit your options, but will definitely be a morale booster. – Zuly Gonzalez♦ Oct 27 '10 at 0:53
We're currently leaning towards edible gifts that can be shared, but are still looking for more ideas. – Joseph Fung Oct 29 '10 at 3:30
up vote 1 down vote

There are few things more awesome than a single malt scotch. Even if they don't appreciate whiskey, they will certainly appreciate being given a bottle of fine spirits.

YourGiftLabel.com will mail you custom labels for The Glenlivet; if you time it right, you can buy holiday gift packs, which are often the same price (at least here in Ohio) but come with glasses or something else. Either way, a company-branded bottle of scotch is a great way to say thanks!

Go 15-yr French Oak Reserve if you're feeling especially generous

Then again... maybe I'm a bit biased.

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2  
This is a great idea for the right person. I think that if you know the person likes scotch, it's a great touch, and worth pursuing. But personally, I wouldn't do this because 1) some people don't drink for religious reasons (e.g. mormons), 2) the person could be a recovering alcoholic, 3) some people just don't drink, 4) not everyone that drinks likes scotch (or wine, or beer, etc). I do think that the right person would consider this to be an awesome gift. – Zuly Gonzalez♦ Oct 27 '10 at 0:12
I also love the idea (squirreling it away for future use) but in this case we don't know the clients well enough. Thanks though!! – Joseph Fung Oct 27 '10 at 0:59
up vote 0 down vote

Just a possibility

Have your team (and along with ideas from this group?) come up with a list of things you would feel comfortable offering. Try to make it as diverse as possible.

For example

  • massage or day at spa
  • flight lesson or sightseeing
  • choice of restaurants of their choice for dinner
  • gift certificate to amazon or best buy or home depot

Then make a list/web page outlining what you have described here and give THEM the choice of what they would like.

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up vote 0 down vote

Here are a two edible gift suggestions:

  1. Shari's Berries: These are awesome! Their big thing is chocolate covered strawberries, but they also have other stuff, like chocolate covered cookies, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate covered apples, truffles, and cheesecakes. I've gotten the chocolate covered strawberries a few times from my fiancee and they are really good. The strawberries are really big and juicy, and the chocolate is good. Their customer service is also excellent. We had a problem last winter, where they didn't arrive when they were supposed to, due to a huge snow storm. We emailed them, and they sent us a fresh new batch right away. I highly recommend them! And I actually have a coupon from them you can use online. Coupon code B23P saves 20% off a purchase of $29.99 or more. Even if you don't get it for your customers you should get it for your girlfriend/wife :-)

  2. Edible Arrangements: I've never had these, but they look good.

Another option might be to donate a certain amount of money in their name to a charity of their choice.

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