Christmas Reward Options for Your Loyal Staff and Customers
By Fergus Koochew on December 16th, 2015
There’s nothing quite like a surprise gift or reward when it comes to building stronger relationships with your customers and staff. Well-considered rewards show customers that you value their business, and encourage them to keep returning for your product or services. Employee rewards can be used to boost morale and express your appreciation for your team’s contribution. With Christmas quickly approaching, we’ve compiled a list of easy yet high-impact reward options that are sure to please your staff and customers by bringing an extra sparkle to their festive period.
Gift cards
Gift cards are a flexible option for rewarding team members and customers during the festive season. Like cash cards, they’re preloaded with a specific value and can be easily distributed in high volumes, whether as physical cards or in digital format. They also make effective gifts for small and large groups of customers and employees, since they don’t require personalisation. However, it’s considered a benefit if they can be customised to be in line with your branding and your audience.
Gift cards make excellent rewards because they cater to different preferences. As the giver, you can choose their preferred retail and product providers, such as specific stores or shopping centres. Choosing a specific retail store or company that’s a good match for your company culture or values makes the gift more memorable for the receiver.
Cash cards
Cash cards are another wonderful way to reward employees and customers, as they give recipients unlimited freedom to spend the cash as they’d like. Cash cards come with preloaded cash that can be used at any retailer with common payment options such as Visa or EFTPOS. They can be loaded with any cash amount you like, so you have the option to specify different cash amounts for individuals or different groups of staff or customers. This can prove to be valuable if you are linking cash rewards to employee performance or customer sales volumes.
Cash cards are highly convenient as they can be quickly generated and delivered to small or large groups. They’re easy to gift, and they can be distributed as digital or physical cards. Best of all, cash cards can come in branded designs with a virtually unlimited range of designs and colours, so you can personalise your cards for particular employees and customers.
Experiential rewards
Experiential rewards make an impact because they can create meaningful experiences, deepen interaction with your brand, and offer staff members a tangible and personalised reward. Concert tickets, cinema vouchers, and dining experiences are some of the most popular experiential rewards, but the options are virtually unlimited.
Consider tickets to major attractions, outdoor adventures, and other fun and exciting experiences for clients and staff. Like gift cards, experiential rewards more specific and so they have the potential to build a stronger emotional connection with the recipient.
Freebies and specials
Christmas can be the time to offer your most valued customers freebies and discounts. Use your customer database to find your VIPs and carefully consider the types of freebies or specials they will most value. Your Christmas reward could be free products or services, or it could be a special buy-more-get-more offer. Condition-free gifts with no linked benefits for you as the giver are ideal if you simply want to reward your customers and express your thanks for their business.
Christmas hampers
If you decide to go the traditional route, you could opt for a Christmas hamper for valued customers and team members. While hampers are probably not the most original of gifting ideas, they can be personalised with hand-picked goodies and attractively packaged for visual appeal.
Team meal or VIP event
For employers, sometimes a celebratory team meal or event is a great way to reward employees. Whether it’s a team night out at a restaurant, a bowling day, or a corporate box at a sporting event, the shared time out together helps you celebrate your achievements in a relaxed context away from the office. You can reward customers in the same way by organising a special VIP event for your most valued customers.
Tips for planning your Christmas rewards
Whether you have a small or large customer base and staff, even a little planning will see you delivering great rewards – within budget and on time – during the hectic Christmas period.
- Plan and survey – If you don’t know what would make a great reward for your customers and staff, why not ask them what they would like? Survey your VIP customers and staff members – multiple choice questions are the easiest – and find out how what they would most like to receive from you.
- Budget – Set out a budget and calculate how much you will spend for each customer and/or employee. Aim to find a good balance between staying within budget and giving a reward that the recipient will truly value. Factor in other costs such as delivery and wrapping costs.
- Message – Your message has an impact on how the gift is received, and it tells the receiver why you are giving the reward. Add a message to your reward and remember to express your appreciation for the customer’s business or the team member’s work.
- Presentation – Packaging and presentation is an important aspect, so where applicable, wrap your reward in attractive wrapping paper. Other types of rewards, such as gift cards and vouchers, can be presented in envelopes or presentation wallets.
Fergus Koochew
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