We all like a bonus as a customer but do gifts really work?
By Emma Meakin
Gifts are a useful, effective marketing tool for customer retention however you need to make sure you get the basics right first.
Giving away free gifts to customers could be a good method for building trust and encouraging repeat custom. This is largely due to the psychology of reciprocity; customers feel they should repay the favour, and they also feel a loyalty to your company. It’s a good way of forging a friendly relationship with clients, and it’s a great way to defend against new competitors launching in your market.
The only caveat is that you have to get your basic customer service right first. A gift isn't going to make up for faulty products or lousy service.
When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser,
mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences
or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The
information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more
personalised web experience.
Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of
cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our
default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience
of the site and the services we are able to offer.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms.
You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.
All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites.
They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social Media Cookies
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit.
If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
Log In
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit.
If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.