Thank You for Your Purchase Cards and What To Say

Saying “thanks” might seem like a trivial social convention, but nothing could be further from the truth. Expressing gratitude is deeply engrained in the human psyche, and even when we don’t expect it, at some level — we expect it. Thank yous grant us closure. They let us know that the other person recognized our contribution to their life. More importantly, we get to see we made a positive difference. 

 Gratitude is important wherever you encounter one person doing something for someone else, even when the exchange is balanced. What do we mean by that? Consider a customer making a purchase. They give you money, and you provide them with something of value in return. It’s an even exchange, each party getting something they desire. One would imagine a thank you would be unnecessary when the “favor” isn’t lopsided. 

 Except that it is lopsided because your business isn’t the only game in town. Your competitors are waiting in the shadows, ready to scoop up disaffected customers looking for a change. In a very real sense, you need your customers more than they need you.  

 The interaction isn’t symmetrical. Your customer holds the power. Therefore, you should be quick with a “thanks” whenever they give you their business because it could go away at any time. Whether you're looking at a valued customer, satisfied customer, or loyal customer, let your customers know that you realize this and appreciate them for sticking with you. One great way to do this is to send them a thank you for your purchase card. You can even win back lost customers this way.

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BENEFITS OF MAILING THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE CARDS

It’s challenging to find a downside to mailing customers thank you cards. They cost very little and promise a high ROI. Here are a few of the benefits you’ll discover.

You’ll Build Long Term Customer Relationships

The quickest way to lose customers is to treat them as numbers instead of people. Like anything social, if you neglect your relationship, distance can creep in, pushing customers to look for alternatives. Customer retention depends on building lasting customer relationships, and providing an excellent customer experience is half the battle.

 Sending a thank you for your purchase card reminds your customers that you appreciate them. When people feel appreciated, they’re willing to overlook the occasional misstep. An appreciated customer base is resilient and more likely to stick around when other customers might abandon ship. If your goal is long-term customer retention — and it should be — you should send thank you cards. Say "I appreciate your business" and they'll keep giving it to you.

SEE ALSO: Your Ultimate Guide to Relationship Marketing

You’ll Create Opportunities for Referrals

Have you ever had the experience where you like someone more when you discover that they like you? It’s an odd bit of human nature. We appreciate people that enjoy the things about ourselves that we also enjoy. 

When you tell your customers that you appreciate their purchases, they feel good about your relationship, and when they feel good about your company, they’ll spread the word to family, friends, and associates. And more word-of-mouth marketing is always welcome. 

Referrals offer a high ROI because the leads are predisposed to like you. If you're a small business that isn't showing gratitude and parlaying that into referred leads, you should start.

You’ll Cultivate Additional Orders

Every single communication is also a reminder. When a customer receives a thank you for your purchase card from you, it moves you back to the front of their mind. This may spark interest in additional purchases or remind them of additional purchases they’d forgotten to make. You might also convert business they give to competitors.  

Sincere appreciation helps develop new leads and cultivates new orders from existing customers (and potentially larger dollar values for their next purchase.) You'll get more positive reviews while creating a happy customer more often. There’s never a good reason not to contact your customers and always a great reason to say “thanks.”

SEE ALSO: How to Build Relationships More Productively

WHAT TO SAY IN A THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE CARD

At Simply Noted, we make it easy for businesses to say thanks when a customer buys something. We have several powerful integrations available that let companies connect their CRM or other marketing automation software to our servers. It’s a simple matter to create triggers that will tell us to mail a warm, handwritten thank you card directly to your customer whenever they make a purchase.  

 You choose the text, the font, and our handwriting machines will do the rest, putting real ballpoint pens to paper to create an authentic-feeling handwritten card — in any volume — that your customers won’t be able to tell from the genuine article. 

 Below you’ll find a few of our most inviting thank you card designs, along with sample verbiage you can use as-is or as the basis for your own thank you messages.

When Your Customer Makes Their First Purchase

The first purchase is critical. Make sure it’s a good experience with a thank you card, and you’re more likely to win the customer long-term. You might say: 

 Dear Mr. Jenkins, 

 Thanks for your recent purchase. We’re so excited to have you as a new customer! Please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you now or in the future. Our customers are the backbone of our operation, and we’re pleased you’re a part of that now. 

It's always great to see a new customer, and we hope you'll enjoy your experience with us. Our team is passionate about providing the best service and products possible, and we're confident you'll be happy with your purchase. If there's anything we can do for you in the future, please don't hesitate to let us know.

 Thanks again! 

 [Your name]

When thanking customers for their initial purchase it can be a good idea to include a coupon code or other discount with your personalized thank you note to encourage additional orders in the future. It costs you nothing if your new customers don't use it, and if they do, there's a good chance you'll make sales you wouldn't have otherwise.

SEE ALSO: The Complete Guide to Building Relationships with Clients

Thanking Valued Repeat Customers

Once you’ve impressed your customers with their first purchase, they’re likely to return and give you more business in the future. Maintain that relationship and keep customers coming back with continuing gratitude. With each purchase you might send a handwritten note that reads:

 Dear Ms. Benson, 

 Nothing makes us happier than seeing the same customers pop up on our order sheets time and time again. Your continued patronage allows us to keep doing what we love and so we’re enormously grateful for your most recent order and every order that came before. Your best makes us better. 

Loyal customers are the heart and soul of our business, and we thank you for shopping with us. It's always great to see a familiar face, and we sincerely hope you'll continue to enjoy your experience with us. Many clients have, and we strive to give you the same customer experience. Should you need anything, please don't hesitate to let us know.

 Cheers! 

 [Your name]

Mention the Purchase by Name

For particularly large orders, or when orders are uncommon, it’s good to mention what the customer bought. Personalized thank you cards are more effective than generic versions because they treat the individual as a person.  

Any personal details are helpful because they demonstrate that you’re paying attention. A committed campaign of gratitude increases customer appreciation measures, customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction. With this business note you could write:

 Dear Ms. Johnson, 

 We can’t tell you how pleased we were to see you at our Linthicum location last Thursday. Are you enjoying the Highlander Hybrid so far? We hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as we get from having you as a customer. 

 We’re confident you’ll love it as much as we do. It’s always a pleasure to see you at our store, and we appreciate your business. We make an emotional investment with every car we sell and work to ensure it's a positive experience.

 Your friends at Lincoln Automotive, 

 [Your name]

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If Your Customer Left You a Positive Review

If your customer made a purchase and then left a positive review on Facebook, Yelp, or other social media posts, you owe them double thanks! Send a quick note to let them know you noticed. To let them know what their support means to you, you could write: 

 Dear Mr. Vasquez, 

We wanted to thank you for your recent purchase, and then we saw your glowing review on Yelp. Now we really owe you a debt of gratitude! We work hard to maintain our reputation for high-caliber service, and we’re grateful for the chance to serve you. Many customers have been taking similar steps lately, and these thank you notes are our way of letting them know how much it means to us. 

 Your business means the world to us and we want to express our genuine gratitude in hopes that we can expect increased loyalty in the future.  

 All the best, 

 [Your name]

Offer a Discount on Related Merchandise

 Dear Mrs. Franklin, 

 Thanks so much for your recent purchase. Customers that buy your item — a 17” Designer series laptop — often need a wireless mouse as well. In gratitude for your purchase, we’d like to gift you a 10% on any accessories you buy in the next five days. It’s our way of saying thanks! 

 From your favorite computer store, 

 [Your name]

Thank Them For Participating in Your Loyalty Program

Unless it's just a single transaction, your customer's purchase doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's part of an order history that stretches into the past and out into the future. Loyalty programs are an excellent way to ensure more of that future business comes to your store name. If you have a loyalty program, be sure to mention it in your thank you for your purchase card. You might say: 

 Dear Ms. Brown, 

Thank you so much for your recent purchase! We always love seeing new members in our loyalty club. As a token of our appreciation, we’d like to give you a free cup of coffee the next time you come in. Just show this card to our staff and we’ll take care of the rest!

Your participation helps us determine what we're doing right and wrong, so we thank you for shopping with us. Our online store is built with repeat customers in mind, so consider helping us out with some word-of-mouth marketing. Remember, the more sales we make through your account, the more you'll be rewarded! Thank you again for your business.

With gratitude,

[Your name]

Thanking a Customer That Hasn't Purchased in Some Time

Your thank you notes don't have to target customers' recent purchases. You can use a thank you message to rekindle dormant relationships as well. All it takes is a single transaction to warrant a thank you for your purchase note.

Comb through your customer lists and target customers that haven't purchased from you in six months or a year. Send personalized thank you messages to those customers encouraging them to give you another try. Note that their business, whether in person or with online stores, is appreciated. Mention your company name to remind them who you are and then ask for new business. You might say:

Dear Mrs. Gomez,

Hello! I hope this message finds you well. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say thank you for your past business. We really appreciate it and we’re hoping you’ll come back and visit us again soon. Our online store has been redesigned, and we think you’ll love the new layout. We’ve also been working hard to increase our inventory of your favorite products.

Do you have a minute? I’d love to hear what you think about our efforts. Feel free to email me or call me any time. I hope to hear from you soon!

Thank you,

[Your name]

Create a Regular System for Gratitude

It's best to say thank you for your purchase frequently, but not too often. If you thank your customers for every purchase they make they could begin to tune out your messages, impacting customer satisfaction.

To correct this, use marketing automation software to randomize your thank you note release schedule. Have it send automated thank you messages at irregular intervals, randomizing who gets thanked. That way your purchase note thanks will be a nice surprise every time they arrive. Randomized thank you notes might say:

Dear Mr. Jones,

Thank you so much for shopping with us recently. You're a valued customer and we like to check in with you occasionally. We want to thank you for your purchase and make sure you know how important your business is to us. It doesn't matter whether your purchases are large or small. Any business is good business, and it's all valuable to us.

Each customer is important to our company and we want to be sure we're treating you like a real person, and not a number. We wanted to write a thank you card to help connect your to our handmade products. Thanks so much!

You're the best!

[Your name]

How to Make Your Thank You For Your Purchase Cards Really Sing

You can turn a customer into a brand advocate with a well-written thank you for your order note. Here are a few tips to increase your chances for a win.

• Make sure your note is handwritten. There's only one way to say, "thank you for shopping with us" that creates strong customer loyalty, and that's with a handwritten note. Handwritten notes are more impactful because they feel like one-on-one communication instead of a generic marketing strategy. 
•  Automate your thank you for shopping with us cards. With Simply Noted, you can hook your CRM and your marketing automation software to our servers, allowing you to send handwritten customer appreciation cards instead of just an email — but just as easily! Automation means you'll never forget to send a card when it can make the biggest difference. 
• Include a discount for their next purchase. Use the same tone asking for new business that you do with your customer appreciation. Remember that you're in sales mode all the time, even when you're saying thanks, so make it easy for your customers to purchase again. 
• Include a link to your loyalty program. As we mentioned earlier, loyalty programs are a powerful way to build a solid customer base. You can increase participation by including a link to join with each of the thank you notes you send. 
• Remind them of your company name and what you do. The is particularly useful for customers that haven't made a purchase with you in a while. Remind them why they bought from you in the first place and make it simple to order again. 
• Make sure each thank you message is tailored to the customer. Personalization is critical to maximizing the impact of your thank you notes. Address them by their first name, and include details specific to their most recent purchases. Demonstrate that you know who they are with your customer appreciation, and they'll reward your online store or physical establishment with additional business.

Sending a powerful thank you for your purchase note is easier than you think. Try it with your customers and see how your sales blossom!