12 Best Thank You Gifts for Business

In your experience, what is the best ‘Thank You’ your business has used to send to clients? 

 To help you come up with ‘Thank You’ gifts for your clients, we asked CEOs and business leaders this question for their best ideas. From sending a handwritten note to offering them the first crack at discounts, there are several ideas that may help you come up with the best ‘Thank You’ gift to appreciate your clients this year. Whether you're sending client appreciation gifts, customer anniversary gift baskets, or just spreading holiday cheer this holiday season, and of these client gift ideas make the perfect corporate gifts. 

 Here are 12 ‘Thank You’ gifts that these business leaders send to clients:

• A Handwritten Note 
• Giving to a Charity 
• A Month of Free Subscription 
•  Free Samples With Physical Orders 
•  Personalized Gift Card Valid at Local Shops 
•  Experiential Gifts  
•  Personalized Charcuterie Board 
•  Take Notes of the Client's Preferences 
•  Customized Mug 
•  We Sent Cacti, Something that Reminded Them of Us 
•  An Invitation to a Party 
•  First Crack at Discounts

Handwritten Note is Always the Best Way

The best "thank you gift" my business has used to send to clients is a handwritten thank you note with a small token of appreciation, such as a souvenir. This is a great way to show your clients that you truly appreciate their business, and it will also make them feel appreciated. Plus, they'll be sure to remember your gesture the next time they need your services. 

 Mogale Modisane, CEO and Chief Content Creator, ToolsGaloreHQ

Giving to a Charity 

Social responsibility has become very important, so one great way you can thank your clients is through donating to a charity on their behalf. Over 80% of people say that a business’s social responsibility plays a major role in their decision of where to buy products and services. 

 Offering to donate to a charity, either a local or national one on their behalf, can touch on those important values that your clients hold. In providing the opportunity to your clients to give to a charity on their behalf, not only will you be showcasing your focus on social responsibility, but encourage those clients to become loyal ones. 

 Greg Gillman, Chief Revenue Officer, MuteSix

A Month of Free Subscription

Remember that your clients keep coming back to you because they love your product or service that much. So it's a no-brainer that giving them a free month of subscription to your service is something that's going to really make their day. This becomes an even more thoughtful gesture when extended to lifetime customers or those that are constantly giving you feedback on your products and services. 

 Harry Morton, Founder, Lower Street

Free Samples With Physical Orders

In my last job we would send our customers lots of fun add-ons with their physical orders. These add-ons would include free samples of food, deodorant, and a variety of other goodies from corporate sponsors. Our customers loved this and would share photos of all the goodies on social media. Aside from their tremendous joy, the whole process cost us nothing but the time to put the boxes together, since the corporate sponsorships covered the costs of all the freebies and the shipping. 

 This was one creative way to surprise and delight customers and to do so in a way that was very cost-effective. As such, you don't need to go big when it comes to thanking customers. You just need to find ways to make them smile and bring a little more light to their day. 

 Matthew Ramirez, Founder, Rephrasely

Personalized Gift Card Valid at Local Shops

We have sent out a gift card valid at a broad number of local shops in many different categories (fashion, jewelry, books, restaurants, design,...). Our clients could choose what they wanted to do and could combine over the different categories and shops. Next to that, we had the opportunity to completely personalize the design of the gift voucher which made it a really personalized gift for our clients, including also a personal message. Next to that, the shops that received our gift card, could also see that we were investing in local businesses. 

 Bjorn Verbrugghe, Marketing Manager, Unigift

Experiential Gifts 

Many businesses focus on giving material items or special deals to show their appreciation, but I have always felt that experiential gifts are the best. Material gifts such as a food basket are nice to have, but offer limited enjoyment, however, experiences have a much longer shelf life. 

 So whether it is giving a gift certificate to a unique restaurant, tickets to a show, an interesting class, or even a day at the spa, experiences are appreciated on a much deeper level and leave a lasting impression on people’s minds. By giving experiences rather than just items, you can provide your clients with a much more impactful and meaningful display of gratitude that they will appreciate and will more likely engender loyalty to your business. 

 Matt Miller, Founder & CEO, Embroker

Personalized Charcuterie Board

A personalized charcuterie board with a sampling of meats, cheese, fruits, and other ingredients. I’ve found this to be a solid and practical “thank you gift” to send to our clients. They can use it to wow their dinner guests or as a fun date night idea at home—or they can simply enjoy the assortment of food for themselves, and/or share with their families. 

 Alex Wang, CEO, Ember Fund 

 Personalized charcuterie boards are a subset of a larger group — the curated gift box. You can find these ranging from beer and wine through personalized snack boxes. All make great Christmas gifts and the perfect gift year-round.

Take Notes of the Client's Preferences

In my experience, a "thank you gift" should evoke gratitude. But it doesn't end with just sending gifts. Communication with clients is based on the idea of being together as "best friends." During our chit-chat, they may mention their activities or their desires for that time. And I delicately take some notes of that. 

 I am very vigilant about little things, as those little things make a huge difference. And for example, I choose a special occasion, it can be the day of Birthday, Christmas, or any other holiday. I organize the delivery of that special gift they wanted. I had a lot of experience like that and got amazing feedback from our clients, and I saw how that actually tightened our bond with the clients on a personal level as well. 

Maria Harutyunyan, Head of SEO, Loopex Digital

Customized Mug

I believe it's important to send our clients something that they'll actually use and not something that will just end up in a drawer somewhere or get tossed out after a few days. 

 Therefore, the best "Thank You" gift my team and I came up with was a customized mug for our clients. It was an easy, inexpensive way to show that we care and a great way to get them thinking about us in the future. 

 So, we designed a mug with our logo, tagline and client's name printed on it and then sent it to all of our clients as a way of saying thank you for doing business with us. Everyone loved it, in fact, we received several social mentions from our clients talking about the mug and the way we show our appreciation for them. 

 It was a small gesture, but it made a big difference. 

 Arkadiusz Terpilowski, Head of Growth & Co-founder, Primetric

Send Something that Reminds Customers of You

One year, one of our partners went above and beyond, and we wanted to reward the dozen or so team members that helped make it a good year. On a whim, we decided to send each of them a little Cacti that they could grow on their desk with a thank you card. We had the vendor put a sticker with our logo on the pot. 

 We have never given a well-received gift. Not because it was a plant or different, but because it made them think of us. They are in Pennsylvania, and we are in Arizona. Every time they looked at their little cactus, they thought of our team members that they worked with and the fun and success we had together. 

 Eric Miller, Co-Owner & Principal, PADT, Inc

An Invitation to a Party

Throwing a party or hosting a meetup is a great way through which we make our consumers feel special. This works best when there are numerous clients present at the meetup. We make sure to get clients excited about the concept of a party by first inviting them to a select group. Then, we invite them to a party once they've all had a chance to get to know one another. Although pricey, consumers will never forget the experience when you throw parties. We also make sure to post updates on social media about the amazing time we had to spread the news about our business being customer-friendly! 

 Sally Johnson, CEO & Founder, Greenlightbooking 

 Real estate agents and other professionals that benefit from keeping a wide client base engaged perenially can use this tactic effectively. A single gathering can help to bring you top-of-mind with a lot of people, even if they don't attend the party.

First Crack at Discounts

For loyal customers, ones you want to keep buying and keep engaged, you should always give them the first crack at discounts or special offers for products that have limited supply. In the old days, when you signed up for a fan club of a particular band or group – and some legacy acts still do this – you would get the first chance to purchase concert tickets or memorabilia. It was an effective way to attract and retain fans. Businesses should use that model, too, when attracting and retaining customers. Notify these loyal customers through emails, social media posts and text messages. It’s an effective way to say “thank you” to customers who have bought from you previously. 

 Emily Saunders, Chief Revenue Officer, eLuxury 

 Sometimes you don't have to obsess over the "right gift". Some customers don't need tote bags or cold drinks. Discounts that are easy to apply and valuable to your customers are a great way for a small business to offer a personal touch with a modern twist.