Everybody loves a surprise – Three things (besides the order) that should be sent in the shipping box
A good order fulfilment partner is a powerful marketing tool. Hand finishing and enclosure can be a great way to communicate with customers, and keep them coming back for more.1. Coupons
A few people never even look at them, but most of us are delighted to find a coupon for something we knew we were going to buy eventually anyway. Better still when we find one that makes an offer too good to refuse for something we had already convinced ourselves we couldn’t afford.Email offers and printable coupons are good, but an actual paper coupon can make a customer shop with you again more quickly, or be passed on to friends and family, making you a new customer entirely. Better still, they cost nothing to ship inside an existing order. The most effective coupons are broad and non-specific. 20% of any order over £50 will have a higher take-up (and a smaller nip into your margin) than 33% off a specific product. ‘Free shipping on your next order’ is good to encourage them to come back sooner.
2. Free gifts
This really turns heads. Say a customer just bought three t-shirts. Why not send a fourth with your branding on? Not only will they advertise you, they’ll be grateful for the gift. They might even order from you rather than a competitor, just in case they might get another. A nail polish order? Why not include a sample of the new line you’ve just started carrying, and a coupon for more? Fast take-up of new lines is money in the bank.This one is great for word of mouth advertising, too. Maybe she doesn’t use that colour. Maybe he doesn’t like that team. They’ll pass it along to a friend, and the story of how they got it. Everybody loves free stuff.
