1311 giftcardreceivingexperience v2 · pdf...

Temkin Group Insight Snapshot

Gift Card Receiving Experience Best Practices From Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CVS, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart

By Bruce Temkin Customer Experience Transformist & Managing Partner With Isabelle Zdatny, Research Associate Temkin Group November 2013

Temkin Group [email protected] (617) 916-‐2075 www.temkingroup.com

Temkin Group Insight Report www.temkingroup.com

Copyright © 2013 Temkin Group. All rights reserved.

Executive Summary As a follow-‐up to a recent Temkin Group report, we examined the experience of receiving a gift card from eight large retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CVS, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Evaluating Online Gift Card Purchasing Experiences In a recent research report we used Temkin Group's SLICE-‐B experience review methodology to evaluate the experience of buying a gift card online from eight retailers (see Figure 1).1 But those journeys don't end when the gift card is sent; there's an important person on the other side of those gifts—the recipient. So, to analyze the entire end-‐to-‐end gift-‐card experience provided by each retailer, we took a look at the experience from the viewpoint of the person who received the gift cards. While we didn't apply our full review methodology, we still identified a number of strengths and weaknesses of the experiences (see Figure 2). Here are some of he best practices we found:

Format email like a website’s home page. Starbucks, CVS, and Target all turn the recipient’s email into a central hub through which the recipient can access subsections of the company’s website without having to go through a home page (see Figure 3). Providing tabs at the top and bottom of the email enables recipients to reach their destination—whether it be shopping, customer service help, or locating a store—more quickly and efficiently by minimizing the steps it takes to get there.

Use a fun, friendly tone to capture recipient’s excitement. While most companies use a bland, formal tone in their email to the recipient, Starbucks writes in a lively, informal manner that perfectly matches the joy people feel upon receiving a gift (see Figure 4). For example, Starbucks told recipients that the sender, “wanted to make your day, so they’ve sent you a $25 Starbuck eGift to spend on your favorite beverage.” Additionally, the company signs off with a, “see you soon,” and encourages the recipient to make someone else’s day by sending them a gift card as well. This fun tone not only captures the positive feelings associated with receiving a gift, but it also upholds the company’s mission statement to “uplift the lives” of their customers.

Encourage the recipient to send a gift card of their own. Both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts encourage recipients to pass on the delight they felt upon receiving a gift by sending a gift of their own (see Figure 5). According to psychological studies, giving gifts makes people even happier than receiving gifts, so by encouraging recipients to pay the delight forward, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are increasing the positive feelings associated with their company.

Encourage the recipient to send a thank-you note to the sender. Dunkin’ Donuts and CVS encourage the recipient to thank the sender (see Figures 6 and 7). In both cases the company facilitates a thank-‐you note by providing a link that sends an email directly from the recipient to the sender without going through the company. By promoting this polite gesture, Dunkin’ Donuts and CVS help to personalize what could be an impersonal electronic transaction.

1 See the November 2013 Temkin Group report Best and Worst of Online Gift Card Purchasing Experiences.



Animate the gift card. Remember the excitement you felt opening up a birthday or holiday card? CVS manages to capture some of that anticipation in its electronic gift card using animation (see Figure 8). When the recipient opens the gift card an envelope appears with the names of the recipient and sender. The envelope turns and opens, and a message informing the recipient that they have received a gift card emerges with great pomp and ceremony. Although the end result is similar to the gift card found in the body of emails from other companies, CVS makes the receiving experience more exciting by animating the gift card to resemble opening a letter.

Provide a store locator. Because there are no shipping fees, buying products from brick-‐and-‐mortar stores is cheaper than buying products online. Barnes & Noble, Target, CVS, and Starbucks all provide a store locator in the recipient’s email, which makes it easier for them to redeem their gift card (see Figure 9).

Open the gift card in a separate window. Most companies show the gift card within the body of the recipient’s email, but Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and CVS all have their gift cards open on a separate page devoted entirely to the gift card (see Figure 10). This new window offers a few benefits to the recipient. First of all, it makes it easier to print out the gift card for use in stores. It also allows companies to ensure that the proper person received the gift card, as recipients must enter their email address in the new window before viewing their gift. Additionally, when opened on a smart phone, this window can be downloaded to the home screen, making the gift card easier to find and use than if it was on a piece of paper.

Offer comprehensive instructions for redeeming the gift card. Although all companies explain how the redeem the electronic gift card in one location, Barnes & Noble provides explicit instructions on how to use the gift card online, at stores, and on a Nook (see Figure 11). In addition to making it easier for the recipient to use their gift card in all these locations, it also immediately lets them know that their gift card is valid for all Barnes & Noble products—which isn’t true for the gift cards from some other companies.



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About the Author, Bruce Temkin

Bruce Temkin is a Customer Experience Transformist & Managing Partner of Temkin Group. He is also the co-‐founder and Chair of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (cxpa.org).

Bruce is widely viewed as a leading expert on how organizations can build differentiation though customer experience. He has worked with hundreds of large organizations on the strategy, operational processes, organizational structures, leadership, user-‐centric design, and culture required to sustain superior customer relationships. He regularly coaches senior executives who are leading customer experience transformation efforts.

Bruce’s research focuses on identifying current and emerging best practices. He has published seminal reports such as The ROI of Customer Experience, The Future of Customer Experience, and The Four Customer Experience Core Competencies. He uses this insight to advise companies on their customer experience journeys, identifying opportunities for sustainable breakthrough performances.

Bruce is the author of the popular blog Customer Experience Matters® where he regularly posts insights on topics such as customer experience, branding, leadership, and employee engagement. His eBook—Six Laws of Customer Experience—which is available for free on the blog, has been downloaded by tens of thousands of people around the world.2

Prior to forming Temkin Group, Bruce was Vice President & Principal Analyst with Forrester Research. During his 12 years with Forrester, he led the company's business-‐to-‐business, financial services, e-‐business, and customer experience practices. Bruce was Forrester’s most-‐read analyst for 13 consecutive quarters and remains one of the most respected analysts in the industry.

Bruce authored several of Forrester’s most popular research reports, including Experience-Based Differentiation, The Customer Experience Journey, and Voice Of The Customer: The Next Generation. He created Forrester’s Customer Experience Index and Voice of the Customer Award and also led the creation and expansion of many of Forrester’s experience evaluation methodologies and training workshops.

Prior to Forrester, Bruce co-‐founded and led a couple of Internet start-‐ups. He also held management positions with GE, Stratus Computers, and Fidelity Investments.

Bruce has been widely quoted in the press, including media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week.

Bruce is a highly demanded public speaker who combines deep expertise with an engaging, entertaining style. He has delivered keynote speeches at hundreds of industry and corporate events and is often recognized as one of the top speakers.

Bruce holds a master’s degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he concentrated in business strategy and operations. He also holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Union College.

2 Customer Experience Matters is a registered trademark of Temkin Group.

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