The Sephora surprise gift trick that builds brand loyalty
After spending over $90 at Sephora, the founder was surprised at checkout with a free gift she wasn't told about in advance, which made her feel like part of an exclusive club. The takeaway is to either announce a spend-based free gift at checkout or include a surprise gift in the package with a card explaining why they received it.
The lessons
Surprise customers with a free gift at checkout once they hit a spending threshold instead of advertising it beforehand.
If you include a surprise gift in the package, add a card explaining why they received it so they understand the gesture.
Surprise and delight tactics make customers feel like they're part of an exclusive club, building brand sentiment and loyalty.
Questions people ask
How can I use surprise gifts to build customer loyalty?
You have two options: tell customers at checkout that spending over a certain amount earns them a free gift, or let them check out normally and surprise them with a gift in their package. If you surprise them, include a card explaining why they got the gift so it still builds brand connection.
Transcript
Here is my Sephora marketing hack. So I walked into Sephora today, I got the items that I wanted and I went straight to the counter. And she scanned them and she said, it's going to be $92. And then she said, because you spent over $90, you're getting a free makeup bag.
I was not expecting that. So I was like, this is the best day of my life. Didn't tell me while I was browsing that if I paid over $90 that I would get a gift. They just surprised me and it was awesome.
So this is what you need to do. Two options. At checkout, if they've purchased over a certain amount, make sure you tell them that they're getting a free gift. Or let them check out and give them a free gift in their package.
But make sure that there's a card in there that tells them why they got that free gift. Not only will they be surprised and delighted, they'll feel like they're part of an exclusive club. You've got to build that brand sentiment. Please go do that.
