The Return On Investment Of Amazing Handwritten Notes

Why the ROI of gratitude drives customer loyalty

Have you ever received a personalized, handwritten note from a business? If so, how did it make you feel?

Offering that personal touch to our customers after a purchase may seem like a small gesture, but it can go a long way in boosting our relationship with our customers, making them feel appreciated and valued.

In today’s digital age, customers are overwhelmed. Their brains process, on average, a staggering 34gb of online information a day. Our human relationships have become online and digitised- chatbots and ai have overtaken real-time, face to face interactions.

So why is sending handwritten notes so clever?

“Thank you notes are effective because they’re a bit of a lost art. Think about the last time you actually sent a handwritten letter, instead of quickly firing off an email or a Facebook message. Those mediums allow for incredible efficiency, but a handwritten card goes beyond the ephemeral nature of our digital inboxes and creates something tangible and meaningful”
Source: 6 Creative Ways to Thank Customers for Their Purchase ・ Shopify

Handwritten notes are always different:

By doing something that most of your competitors wouldn’t have the inclination or the time for, you’re standing out from your competition. To take a step that to some may seem old-fashioned, you’re adding a thoughtful touch to any customer that purchases from you.

Everybody likes feeling appreciated:

Handwritten notes are the ultimate way to build customer loyalty, and even brand champions. Your customer is spending valuable time and money interacting with your brand, so by showing your appreciation you’re far more likely to boost their loyalty to you, and continue shopping with you over your competitors.

Handwritten Notes Can help to boost engagement:

Sending handwritten notes to customers can only serve to strengthen the relationship you have with them. You need to ‘surprise and delight’ in order to boost engagement, and that’s why taking the time out to write a personal thank you note will impress your customer. You’re not just a number to them; you’re a human who you’re interested in building a relationship with.

Handwritten Notes Aim for hearts, not wallets

Stop chasing sales, and focus on delighting your existing e-commerce customers. Did you know that it’s 7x more expensive to get a new customer than to retain an existing one?

Likely to be re-shared online:

What’s more, a handwritten note looks cute, and is a true rarity in today’s age. That kind of personal touch will not only get talked about, it’s more likely to get shared on social media – further leading to more valuable and positive exposure for your e-commerce business.

Handwritten Thank You Notes can rectify poor experiences:

Sending a handwritten thank you note to your e-commerce customers strengthens the emotional bond you have with them. At present, they’re probably just indifferent to your brand, and those lukewarm to disengaged customers will be easily won back just through showing you care.

Loyalty drives profits

This kind of ‘gratitude-based marketing’ is not just a passing fad. According to the Pareto principle, 20% of your customers drive 80% of your profits, so it makes sense to focus on cultivating that relationship with them will drive profits. Why? Generosity pays off. Not only will it make those important 20% more likely to buy from you, it will increase sales of referrals from these people, too.

Handwritten letters comply with GDPR:

If the recent legislations mean that you’ve had a lot of newsletter unsubscribes… don’t panic. You can now leverage sales by engaging with them the old-fashioned way, by hand. If you sell online products and you don’t get opt ins for your newsletter, you are legally obliged not to send them emails (EU – GDPR). The great thing is that by going the traditional route, it’s an excellent way to avoid those restrictions and build your customer base.

Handwritten notes give a memorable finish to an interaction:

Hex, a fashion tech accessory brand, made it’s name on Instagram after sending 13,000 personalised handwritten notes to customers thanking them for the purchase. Your customer has been with you along the sales funnel – from seeing an ad about your product, right through to purchase, so this approach really sweetens their overall shopping experience with you.

More human, and thoughtful:

Above all, in today’s digitised world, writing thank you notes to your audience shows that you’re making the effort. In an age where it’s so easy to fire off an automated thank you email, a handwritten note is a gesture that feels human, authentic, and real.

As an e-commerce company, driving customer loyalty by writing handwritten notes could be one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies in today’s digital world.

After all, you can’t buy loyalty – you have to earn it.

Now wouldn’t putting a smile on your customers face be the best gift they could ever receive?