Do You or Don’t You Send Holiday Cards to Clients? Here’s What Your Fellow Retailers Do

Yes: 50%

“We have special Christmas cards printed that display either a piece of our handmade stock (a “wow” piece) or a picture taken of a local nature scene, sometimes with a picture on the front and back. Inside, we have printed the following: “One of the true joys of the holiday season is to reflect and say thank you and wish you the very best for the new year.” The entire staff signs each one and adds a personal message when appropriate. We then hand address all of our Christmas cards. We start at the first of the year addressing the envelopes and double-check them before sending them out from Dec. 5-10. I find it amazing the number of comments and sales that we get at Christmas and the following year. This year, we had one customer drive 200 miles in July and make a several thousand dollar purchase because of the card. We do not try to sell or use a commercial message because we feel that that would not be sincere. — Ed Menk, E.L. Menk Jewelers, Brainerd, MN

• Personalized card (sometimes completely custom-designed), including a special offer (thank you coupon in the form of “store bucks”) in those going to a special segment of customers from the past year. — Jennifer Hornik Johnson, Miller’s Jewelry, Bozeman, MT
• We mail out Starbucks’ $5 gift cards. — Ragnar Bertselsen, Ragnar Jewellers, Vancouver, BC
• We rock it old-school … handwritten Christmas cards to our customers. We do not include an extra discount. We have discussed it, but came to agreement that we don’t want a holiday card to be a sales pitch. “We look forward to seeing you this holiday season.” — Mary Jo Chanski, Hannoush Jewelers, Rutland, VT
• We send a large postcard wishing happy holidays and advertising our annual November sale to take advantage of discounted prices before Black Friday and the holidays. — Frank Salinardi, Linardi’s Jewelers, Plantation, FL
• We send customized holiday cards each year to our top 250 customers. In addition, we make branded gifts with purchase for each holiday sale; last year, it was individually wrapped chocolates with product images and our logo on each one. — Jill Hornik, Jae’s Jewelers, Coral Gables, FL
• When we are sending handwritten notes wishing people a happy holiday season, we do not include a commercial message. The purpose of the card is simply to let the client know that we are thinking about them and their families. There is a time and a place for a commercial message, and a holiday, birthday/anniversary, or thank you note is not one of them. — Michael Derby, D3 Diamonds and Fine Jewelry, Clermont, FL

No: 50%

• We did for years and stopped maybe 10 years ago. It was replaced by our Ladies Night invitations and Men’s Night mailers … felt like too much mail in a short window of time. We do, however, send birthday, anniversary, and thank you cards throughout the year, always hand-addressed and written. — Mark Kasuba, M. Edward Jewelers, Pittsfield, MA
• We used to send a card with a discount. But as years went by, it got lost in the muddle of all the year-end promotions coming from all the companies. Did not want our wishes to be seen as “junk mail.” — Alex Weil, Martin’s Jewelry, Torrance, CA
• Great idea, not enough hours in the day. — Janne Etz, Contemporary Concepts, Cocoa, FL
• Such a waste of time and money. Plus, I do not get my customers’ information. I do not want such things, so I would not do that to my customers. — Craig C. Curtis, Belfast Jewelry, Belfast, ME
• Specific holiday greetings are dangerous unless certainty about the customer’s faith is known. Non-specific holiday greetings have no more meaning than saying “good day.” — Gary Richmond, Van Horne & Co., Granger, IN
• We don’t send out cards because almost all of our business is bridal, and we don’t want to blow the surprise by accident. — Chuck Kuba, Iowa Diamond, West Des Moines, IA
• I base all of my email marketing on seasons, not holidays. — Annette Evans, RD Allen Freeport Jewelers, Freeport, ME