Online shopping has the element of surprise. And anticipation. It’s not that you don’t know what you ordered (although sometimes this might also be the case..) but if you WILL receive WHAT you ordered. Is it going to be how you expected it to be? Will it arrive on time? Will it finally fit you? How will the packaging be? It’s like a mystery gift (sort of a Farmville feature) of which you know the contents, you know you paid for it (your credit card statement is the proof) yet you feel the same level of excitement as you would feel if you’d open an actual surprise gift or if someone else had paid for it. In my opinion this is why more and more people are shopping online except for the obvious reasons (i.e. to find sold out elsewhere items, for the convenience of not having to wait in check out lines, low prices during sales).

Packaging might tell a lot about a shop and how they value their goods and your opinion as a customer, but don’t judge a shipment from its outer normal post box with all the customs papers, tape and marks.  This is to protect the goods which decent online shops place in a second cute box wrapped or ribboned so to give you the joy of unwrapping.

Most online shops, in order to make up for the absence of a personal contact with their customers and to reward their courage for buying online without actually having seen the product, they offer little surprises along with the goods. Discount vouchers are always welcome and I have received many in the past from Abercrombie and Juicy Couture. Samples of perfumes or totes are great and can come of use in a fashionable way, especially if they have Victoria’s Secret logo. But my magic moment is when I open the box to check my treasure and find a thank you card. Preferably a hand-written one. I am old-fashioned and this little trick shops are using to make the online shopping experience more personal, is the one that does wonders for me. And it brings me a smile.

So here are my top 3 thank you cards from online shops. I would include one thank you note I received from HEX who make cases for MacBooks, iPhones, iPods and iPads but unfortunately after I moved to my new house I can’t find it. The reason why I was pleasantly surprised from this thank you note was that HEX is more of a gadget shop where you’d expect a “cold” transaction, yet not only did they send a handwritten thank you, they also send a small gift to show their appreciation for our business. It didn’t matter to them that my order was less than 15 USD! That means generosity and that every customer matters to them. Check out their amazing cases by clicking here.

No. 3

Juicy Couture prefers to keep it simple and straight with a printed Thank You in gold background.

No. 2

Tessabit sent me a beautiful postcard from Lago di Como of the past… I enjoyed my purchase which came in a black signature box beautifully wrapped in the shop’s ribbon as much as this little surprise thank you which I kept.  🙂  So romantic! I like especially this one as it brings me memories of my high-school pen-pals.

No. 1

Last but not least the surprise of this card from Département Féminin was amazing for it tricked me since the first minute I opened my box: A beautiful rosy-musky perfume filled the air. I couldn’t figure out where it came from until I saw an envelope which I brought close to my nose… This eureka moment made me open the envelope first and then check for the box’s contents! Needless to say I kept the card in my scarves’ drawer… As for my shopping experience… incroyable! Will tell you all about Département Féminin  on my next post.. In the meantime MERCI BEAUCOUP!

Have you ever received a special Thank You Card that brought a smile on your face? Feel free to share it with us.