The Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts: 24 Personalized Gifts your Customers will Love

Updated April 2023

The best Customer Appreciation Day gifts honor your relationship with your customers and show that you value them.

Customer Appreciation celebrations can be held on any day, week, or month that works well for your company and customers. Many companies observe April 18th as National Customer Appreciation Day. Other businesses opt to choose a different annual date to show gratitude to their customers.

Dairy Queen, for example, has generated great publicity and customer goodwill over the past decade with their deep discounts (50% off all menu items) during their annual “fan appreciation day” promotion held near the end of January. Similarly, many Jimmy John’s franchise locations have a $1 sub day promotion each Spring to show their regulars how much they appreciate them.

Wireless carriers T-Mobile and Boost Mobile frequently give away snacks and raffle off promotional merchandise, such as branded t-shirts and hats, at customer appreciation events across the nation.

Banks, car dealerships, utility companies, hair salons, restaurants and retail stores also hold annual “customer appreciation” open house events with free food, product samples, and gifts.

Other businesses choose to send handwritten thank you notes and/or personalized swag (such as calendars, gift baskets, and apparel) to their loyal clients once a year.

The Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts Improve Customer Retention

While offering serious discounts and freebies on an annual basis takes a chunk out of your marketing budget, regular customer appreciation promotions are well worth the cost. That’s because it is significantly cheaper to keep a current customer than attract a new one. According to Harvard Business Review, increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%.

Showing gratitude to your customers goes a long way towards improved customer retention and increased business growth. According to AYTM, a market research company, 91% of respondents to their customer appreciation survey stated that they would be more likely to do business with companies that show appreciation to their customers. Yet only 62% of respondents felt that most of the businesses they shopped at have shown good customer appreciation. Furthermore, 68% of customers stop doing business with a company because of a “perceived attitude of indifference on the part of the company.”

Gifts, Not Discounts

With research strongly pointing to the value of having a well-developed and well-funded customer appreciation strategy, we examined the benefits of distributing free customer gifts (aka swag) as part of a customer appreciation day promotion.

Several academic studies have sought to measure whether consumers prefer discounts to free gifts or “bonuses.” Research published in the Journal of Marketing found that shoppers “much prefer getting something extra free to getting something cheaper. The main reason is that most people are useless at fractions.”

While many companies, especially those in the restaurant industry, choose to offer discounts instead of free gifts during their customer appreciation day events, others elect to provide gifts instead. When it comes to expressing sincere gratitude to your customers, carefully selected gifts are one of the best options available. According to Benedict Clark of customer engagement platform Acquire“Giving a gift ‘just because’ shows appreciation without an obvious attempt to get something in return, emphasizing your authenticity. There is no hidden agenda.”

The Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts for 2023

Some of our favorite customer appreciation gifts to say thanks and show your appreciation in 2023:

Modern Sprout Tiny Terracotta Grow Kit Thank You Daisies

Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts - daisies

A unique and fun way to say Thank You, the Modern Sprout Tiny Terracotta Grow Kit Thank You Daisies clever gift delivers everything they need to nurture and grow a houseplant. Perfect for spring promotions, celebrations, and events, this petite terracotta kit has a glazed interior and is outfitted with a passive hydroponic system known as “wicking,” which brings water and nutrients up to the plant’s roots. This customizable kit comes equipped with everything you’ll need to start growing, just add water and set in a sunny window.

Because You’re A Favorite Gift Bag

Our popular custom blended berry nut mix, the Because You’re A Favorite Gift Bag, is the perfect little something to say thank you. Ideal as a small edible gift for customers or clients, this item can also be paired with drinkware for a more deluxe custom gift.

Thank You Blanket Band

The Thank You Blanket Band is the perfect way to personalize a blanket gift. Band fits around standard size blankets with hook and loop closure.

Thank You Mixing Glasses Set

The Thank You Mixing Glasses Set features four 16 Oz. drinking and mixing glasses and a thank you box.

Ellipse & Chroma Softy Rose Gold Classic Thank You Gift Set

The Ellipse & Chroma Softy Rose Gold Classic Thank You Gift Set brings together two rose gold trimmed soft-touch products, the Ellipse Softy ballpoint pen & Chroma Softy LED flashlight. Choose from a variety of classic colors to showcase your company name, logo, or advertising information.

Both products are imprinted in full-color with ColorJet & presented in an attractive box with “Thank You” set in metallic rose gold text in multiple languages – a thoughtful way to express gratitude to your employees, business associates, and clients. Laser engraving is also available for this gift set.

Inexpensive Customer Appreciation Day Gifts

Small demonstrations of customer appreciation can make a big impact – without busting your budget. Some cost-effective customer appreciation gifts for 2023 include:

Mint Keychain

Add your logo to this handy Mint Keychain – a smart (and tasty) marketing product for your business.

Natural Lip Moisturizer in Clear Tube

Add your company logo to the Natural Lip Moisturizer in Clear Tube, a natural beeswax-based lip moisturizer in clear tube. This product is USA Made. The packaging is made from 35% post-industrial recycled materials. Flavors available include berry and vanilla.

5”x7” Premium Microfiber Tech Cloth

Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts - microfiber

A widely appealing, easy-to-mail promotional gift that’s USA made. The 5”x7” Premium Microfiber Tech Cloth is a dual-sided microfiber cleaning cloth for smartphones and other touchscreen devices. Perfect for cleaning dirt, dust, and smudges off everything from mobile devices to large panel flat screens.

Hot Rod Vent Stick

The Hot Rod Vent Stick air freshener slides gently inside your car’s air conditioning vent while the A/C system circulates fresh scents from the stick. Brilliant full color Fireglaze imprint displays your brand where it can be viewed every day.

Dual Pocket RFID Phone Wallet

This RFID card sleeve encases your credit and ID cards and keeps your identify safe! The Dual Pocket RFID Phone Wallet can be placed on the back of your phone for convenience. With two large pockets, the phone wallet can hold up to four cards.

Wellness & Self-Care Gifts for Customers

Wellness gifts are quite popular right now with consumers seeking stress relief and self-care. A few of our favorite wellness-themed customer appreciation gifts for 2023:

Lemon Verbena Candle in Screw-Top Metal Tin

Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts - candle tin

Add your logo to this zen mini (2. oz) Lemon Verbena Candle with Screw-Top Metal Tin.

Outdoor 5-Piece Wellness Set

The Outdoor 5-Piece Wellness Set includes a 0.33 ounce pen spray bottle of Hand Sanitizer, SPF30 Sunscreen, After Burn Spray Insect Repellent, and After Bite Spray. All components are packed inside a sturdy travel case. Meets FDA requirements.

Restore Yoga Block

The Restore Yoga Block is a durable and functional yoga block that can be customized with a brand logo and colors.

The Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts for Summer Promotions

Summertime is a great time to show your customers some appreciation with customized gifts! Check out our Summer Swag guide for additional ideas.

Port Authority Easy Care Cap

Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts - hat

The Port Authority Easy Care Cap is a comfortable custom baseball cap. Available in a range of colors including black, navy blue, white, beige, and steel gray.

Jar Kaddy

The Jar Kaddy is a collapsible beverage insulator for mason jars. Available in rustic fabrics like burlap and denim. Pair with a 16 oz. Glass Beverage Jar.

SPF 30 Jumbo Sunstick

The SPF 30 Jumbo Sunstick is a sunscreen tube makes a handy giveaway for spring and summer promotional events. This product is PABA Free and USA Made in an FDA registered facility. This unscented sunscreen meets updated FDA standards for broad spectrum protection and water resistance.

Draft Top

Add your logo to the Draft Top, an innovative bar tool to create a fun, inexpensive promotional item for summer. The Draft Top is designed to safely remove the top of aluminum beverage cans. The Draft Top tool creates a smooth pour and releases the full aroma of your beverage. 100% American Made.

Eco-Friendly Customer Appreciation Gifts

We love green products – and so do your customers! Consumers are increasingly interested in sustainable and environmentally friendly products. Additional eco-friendly corporate gift ideas are included in our recent guide to Sustainable Swag.

Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts - bamboo cutlery

Bamboo Fiber Cutlery Set

This 3-piece Bamboo Fiber Cutlery Set includes fork, spoon, and knife in a convenient carrying case – all made from sustainable, environmentally friendly bamboo fiber. This set is perfect for being on the go and eliminating the use of disposable plastic utensils.

This environmentally friendly gift is one of our favorite customer appreciation day ideas for restaurants! The perfect giveaway or raffle item for your regulars.

Recycled Cotton Grocery Tote Bag

The Recycled 7 Oz. Cotton Grocery Tote Bag makes an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags. The material contains recycled 7 Oz. cotton collected from garment cutting waste blended with recycled polyester to produce a strong reusable bag. Through a partnership with 1% For The Planet, one percent of sales of EcoSmart products will be donated to nonprofits dedicated to protecting the planet.

Premium Customer Appreciation Gifts

Premium gift ideas for customers and clients include deluxe gift sets and quality apparel that can be customized with your company logo and colors:

Volunteer Knitwear All-American Tee Shirt

Looking for a great USA made item for your next promotional event? The Volunteer Knitwear All-American Tee Shirt is a heavyweight tee forged in one of the last great textile mills in America. 100% cotton.

Chyrp Wireless Speaker

Best Customer Appreciation Day Gifts - chyrp

Looking for a way to easily transport your tunes? The Chyrp Wireless Speaker is a portable, lightweight wireless speaker equipped with a carry strap for your backpack or your bike.

Cocoa Cozy

Help them experience year-round coziness with Cocoa Cozy – a collection of hot cocoa essentials: a 12 oz. double-wall stainless mug, imprinted stir sticks, & an 8 oz. tin of gourmet cocoa mix. Packaged in a customizable box with a personalized note.

Kick Start

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it’s time to Kick Start the best day ever. This delicious gift bundle includes Atlas Chocolate Cacao Mind + Body Protein Bar, Backporch Coffee Roasters Pour Over Pack, and Early Bird Foods & Co. Farmhand’s Choice Granola. Comes packaged in a customizable box with a personalized journal and slate coaster.

Yay, You! Gift Box

Bright, colorful, fun food and sundries designed to make them smile. The Yay, You! Gift Box includes whimsical products like The Konery Birthday Cake Ice Cream Cones, Maud Borup Unicorn Dream Cotton Candy, The Crispery Rainbow Nonpareils Marshmallow Rice Treat, and a 3-pack of celebration pins. This gift box is available in regular and deluxe sizes.

Treat your Customers Well Year-Round

Whether you want to hand out gifts at an open house or networking event or kit and send your gifts via mail, showing gratitude to your customers is an important part of any company’s marketing strategy. The best Customer Appreciation Day gifts are the perfect way to show your customers and clients that you appreciate them. And letting your customers know how much you appreciate their business is one of the absolute best ways to improve your company’s customer retention rate and increase business growth in 2023.

If you would like assistance with selecting the best gifts for your next customer appreciation day promotion, Contact Us or fill out the form below.