Customer appreciation is an important aspect of any business, and the holiday season is the perfect time to show customers how much you value them. A meaningful gesture will not only demonstrate this, but also place you at the forefront of the customer’s mind the next time they decide to make a purchase.

The holidays are time of giving, and gifts are a great way to promote goodwill amongst customers. However, when you’re a small business owner on a budget, the benefits of meaningful gestures must be carefully measured against their financial implications.

Luckily, there are many cost-effective alternatives you could consider. Instead of giving a bottle of wine, you could give a gift card for 15% off the customer’s next purchase. 

Wine can easily cost $10-15 per bottle, but gift cards can cost less than $1 each to produce and they promote customer loyalty. While most people will appreciate your bottle of wine in the moment, a gift card is a more tangible incentive for a customer to return to your business in the future.

With a little creative thinking, you can find plenty of cost effective options for spreading good cheer and building goodwill with your clients during the holiday.

Greeting Cards

Greeting cards are a traditional, popular way to contact customers during the holidays, and there’s no shortage of options to choose from. 

You can keep it simple yet classy with brown craft cards, or opt for a higher-end option like elegant gold foil cards. You can use the cards to simply send your customers a holiday greeting, or you could include information about upcoming promotions, and you compliment your cards with custom envelopes to add a truly professional touch.

Gift Cards and Gift Card Holders

Gift cards are also very popular during the holiday for businesses and their customers. Specially-made gift card holders also enable stylish presentation.

There are many different ways you can use them – a retailer might offer a special “members only” Christmas discount, or a coupon for a redeemable dollar amount. 

Hospitality businesses may prefer to offer a percentage off a meal, a two-for-one deal, or a free desert.

Wrapping Paper and Tags

Some companies may decide to give larger gifts, in which case custom wrapping paper can be a great way to deliver them with professional presentation. 

How you wrap your gifts can also offer an opportunity to reinforce your brand – brown kraft luggage tags attached to a gift wrapped in brown kraft wrapping paper can be a great way for to demonstrate your commitment to being environmentally friendly.

Invitations

Hosting a party for your biggest clients during the holidays? An event can be a great opportunity to impress by sending out classy, custom invitations. You can also carry the party theme and your brand through by making custom menus or place setting labels to match.

Calendars

With the New Year just around the corner, calendars another great gift option. While regular-saddle stitched book-style calendars are a great staple, you can also print them on something as small as a fridge magnet. 

Either way, a top quality calendar will provide reminder of your company’s goodwill throughout the year.

And Many More Options

Don’t be afraid to think of gift ideas specific to your type of business. For example, an elegant bookmark would a thoughtful yet cost-effective gift for customers of a bookstore.

Whichever option you choose, it’s important to put some thought into what message you want to communicate to your customers (how will it capture their attention during the hustle and bustle of the holidays?), and to use it as an opportunity to reinforce your brand – both now and in the year to come.