Personally, I dislike gift cards for gifts. Listen, I can spend $50 at Amazon quicker than most so please, send away. But has the gift card become an impersonal gesture? Last week I was working with a dealer that wanted to send an email after each sale to ask for a review. A great idea. But as a consumer, is another email going to make me \u201cgo review them\u201d. Absolutely if the \u201cexperience\u201d was appalling. They will love that review. Enter the hand-written note. As I was researching creative and clever ideas to \u201celicit\u201d reviews in a more personal way \u2013 I found a company that sent a thank you card after each order with a hand-written note from the owner. The message was simple, clean, personal. \u201cEvery order we get gives us the ability to give more back to the community. Last year {company name} donated {dollar amount} to local shelters. It isn\u2019t much \u2013 but if we all did a little \u2013 it would be a lot. We appreciate your business. If there is anything we can do to make it better \u2013 please let me know. Here is my email address<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Then right below that message;<\/p>\n Please tell us how we did. www.URL.com<\/em><\/p>\n Ask yourself – How would you feel if you received that first card? A local business giving back locally – I bet you would be more compelled to give them 30 seconds of your time. Add in socks \u2013 put me in coach!<\/p>\n As leaders it is our jobs to \u201cdefine\u201d our “experience”. But (IMO) personalized can easily become impersonal if you employ too much \u201ceasy button\u201d. But no matter what \u2013 do it. All the little things add-up.<\/p>\n Retail on.<\/p>\n Jesse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you spend any time reading about retail, you are sure to hear the word \u201cexperience\u201d. It is almost becoming one of those over-used buzz words that will make the cut list next year; spawning in usage as execs use…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[64,45],"class_list":["post-10203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retail-strategy","tag-experience","tag-retail-strategy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.retailsystem.com\/za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/08\/simple-gestures-300x300.jpg\")
(I also found a company that sent out a cool pair of socks with a little note. Love that!)<\/p>\n