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My answer here is more relevant to an e-commerce company but the basic idea can be adapted to any company. So, back in 1994, my dad and me started an ecommerce
by chrissnell 10y ago
My answer here is more relevant to an e-commerce company but the basic idea can be adapted to any company.
So, back in 1994, my dad and me started an ecommerce company (bikeworld.com) that sold bicycle parts online. It was an extension of his brick-and-mortar bicycle business and I took a couple of years leave from college to help him build it.
He did one thing early on that generated amazing word-of-mouth support: send a little treat in every order box. Our company was based in San Antonio, TX and Dad decided to include a little local flavor with each order to make us stand out from the few competitors we had back then (incumbent mail order outfits). At every good Mexican restaurant back home, they sell Mexican chewy candies at the cash register when you pay after your meal. My dad and I loved these things so he went to the manufacturer in town and bought a few cases of them. They were really expensive, like $0.50 each, and it became a big expense but the customers went nuts. Dad printed up a little card that he put in the bag with the candy, explaining the tradition and thanking them for their business. It worked well--we quickly became one of the largest online bicycle stores of the late 90s.
- abakker 10y agoSweetwater sound still includes a handful of smarties, and other similar basic candies with every order. I always enjoyed this, even when I didn't want to eat all the candies. Its just fun.
- Cerium 10y agoThanks for the story. Advanced Circuits (aka 4pcb.com) includes a package of microwave popcorn with every prototype order—since they know you will be up all night when the package arrives.
- thearn4 10y agoHa, I should have read down a few comments, I didn't even see yours!
- fraserharris 10y agoThey used to (maybe still do) have a pizza & pop special for students. It was something like $199 to print 4 copies of your PCB and you get a large pizza and 2L of pop from Domino's Pizza. I got it as an engineering student in Canada, and was disappointed to learn upon delivery that the coupon could only be used in the USA. I had to wait to use it til my next climbing road trip to Red Rock Canyon.
- cdelsolar 10y agoYes! I will never forget this and definitely made me pick 4pcb over the competition back when I was a EE.
- GenWintergreen 10y agoGoulet pens, a favorite in the fountain pen community, includes a tootsie pop with orders. It's super nice of a touch, even for a person who doesn't dig them.
- sperglord 10y agoNo one digs them. It's no longer the great depression.
- samstave 10y agoI am actually down to about a quarter-of-digging-them. I love the flavor, but I don't like to eat a whole one... just for nostalgia..
- GenWintergreen 10y agoI happen to. You may want to use use a less universal quantifier.
- desireco42 10y agoI love Goulet pens and Brian is doing fantastic job.
- heysunshine123 10y agoInteresting how the Aleppo story we commented on was censored off of HN already :) You know you're supposed to talk about "fake news" in conjunction with some "fringe" website - not a highly esteemed, reputable news agency like The Guardian!
- thearn4 10y agoThe bag of microwavable popcorn that I get from Advanced Circuits in CO did get me to mention them to other people. It's a good strategy.
- homero 10y agoI put mints in my ebay shipments
- peterb 10y agoBack in the late 90's and early 00's I did the same thing. We had an online record store, homebass, and we would give free records (mostly promos) to our best customers. I would also include a hand written note thanking them for their business.