How Gratitude Can Help D2C Businesses Overcome Challenges

At this point in time, D2C companies may find themselves in the process of overcoming a few unexpected challenges due to changing markets and consumer behaviors. 

For example, as we adapt to a “new normal,” everyone’s doubling down on digital. In-store experiences are “out” and ecommerce is now even more in vogue as a large percentage of us curl up on our couches clicking “add to cart” in order to restock necessities and quell anxiousness. 

If your business is D2C focused, you’re probably wondering how you can easily stay top of mind with your customers in the midst of this unprecedented occurrence. 

While enduring this adjustment phase, there’s an essential and effective solution that can help you stay connected with your customers and continue to keep their sentiments towards your business and its brand positive: gratitude. 

Why is Practicing Gratitude Important? 

Sure, practicing gratitude (especially during difficult times) can help to promote positivity. But the art of appreciation can also help you acquire new customers and retain your current buyers. 

The best part? The benefits of sharing grateful gestures have been scientifically proven. In fact, a study from Harvard Medical School divulges that when appreciation is displayed and communicated, three changes occur:

• People feel more valued. It’s important to put your customers first whenever possible, and appreciating them can be as simple as sending thoughtful thank you notes. If you’re concerned about handwriting them, studies have shown that recipients of emailed expressions of gratitude feel more “ecstatic” than expected, so sharing these same sentiments in your emails can be equally as impactful. 
• Emotional connections become strengthened. Although it may be easier to focus on your business’ bottomline, if you forget that your customers are people too, you’ll ultimately risk losing revenue. Now more than ever, it’s important to leverage a little EQ by putting yourself in your consumers’ shoes. Take into consideration that 67% of individuals believe that when they receive a grateful gesture, this expression demonstrates that the giver values their relationship. Not only will practicing appreciation help to ease your buyers’ apprehension, but it will also allow you to retain their trust during this uncertain period. 
• Personal loyalty is developed. Similarly to how people conduct business with those whom they like, they also buy from brands that they believe in. By taking an appreciative approach when interacting with your customers, your organization’s brand will appear more likeable. Since 86% of consumers claim that they’re loyal to brands that are likeable, expressing gratitude towards your customers can ensure that they stay “earned” instead of “churned.” 

How To Demonstrate Appreciation During Difficult Times

It may appear difficult to show gratitude towards your customers during this challenging time, especially with “shelter-in-place” restrictions in play. To help you enhance these connections, we teamed up with a few of our friends from AdRoll to brainstorm a few methods that you can implement in order to express your appreciation digitally: 

1.) Celebrate Milestones 

Just because we’re “social distancing” doesn’t mean that we can’t come up with a few causes for celebration. Similarly to how you make an extra effort for your friends’ and family members’ birthdays and anniversaries, the easiest way to keep your customers feeling valued is through recognizing them in accordance with different special occasions. 

Examples of this type of acknowledgement include: 

• Providing discounted offers.
• Access to an exclusive membership that gives them “behind the scenes” information, including informative videos and blog posts.
• A nudge towards similar products that might pique their interest based on their purchase history.
• Sharing something special, such as a free sample of a limited edition product. 

One way that the Thnks team celebrates customer milestones is by sending appreciative emails after users have sent five items from our platform:

Additionally, our CEO, Brendan Kamm, sends a “Thnks A Latte” treat to users after their first Thnks send. 

2.) Enact Surprise and Delight 

There’s no better feeling than being appreciated in an unexpected way—whether a brand reshares one of your social media posts from their accounts, slides into your DMs to offer you a discount, or provides you with a reward based on your birthday or customer history. 

With an increase in digital comms and content, the perfect way to separate yourself from the noise is through practicing surprise and delight. Since 85% of surprise and delight recipients say that they’d continue to purchase from brands that they receive rewards from, this initiative will prime them towards future purchases.

At this time specifically, brands such as Popeyes, Orangetheory Fitness, and YouTube are receiving huge notoriety for remaining sensitive to the situation at hand. In addition to positive PR, they’re also building brand affinity in the process of taking a consumer-first approach. 

4.) Try Saying Thnks

The easiest way to combat negative news headlines and make sure that your customers’ “scaries” don’t endure beyond Sundays is by saying Thnks. 

Since a Thnks is an expression of gratitude that an individual can share with another in order to demonstrate their appreciation for both the recipient and the relationship overall, Thnking your customers will reinforce these established relationships while allowing you to share out-of-the-box gestures that are curated towards their personal interests. 

Lately, in an effort to reduce anxiety and provide support, a few popular Thnks’ that we’ve seen sent are as follows:

• A Cup of ‘PositiviTea’ to turn someone’s frown upside down. 
• 3 Months of Hulu to make binge watching a little more effortless while WFH. 
• Home Office Essentials from Amazon for curating a “desk away from their desk.”
• A Classic El Pepino Margarita Kit because even though things might feel a bit “on the rocks” recently, no one said Happy Hour was cancelled. 

Creating Long-Term Customer Loyalty 

While it may appear more difficult to win over new customers at this time, you can adjust your strategy to focus on appreciating those who comprise your current consumer base. 

Prioritizing these lasting relationships will lead to long-term ROI, and will help you win their loyalty beyond this difficult period. 

Saying Thnks can help you and your business advance, rectify, and retain your professional relationships. Within seconds, users can send customers and connections gestures of appreciation by searching for an expression, personalizing a note, and sharing it via SMS or email. To learn more about adding gratitude to your business strategy, sign up for a demo!