15 eGift Ideas to Support Customers Working from Home Right Now

This article is brought to you by Sendoso Dir. of Customer Lifecycle Marketing Zackary Alspaugh.

Our current situation is very fluid, to say the least. We, as revenue teams, face an ever-moving target and it’s difficult to plan—let alone execute—as various sales and marketing channels continue to become temporarily irrelevant and others spring up around us.

We’ve seen hundreds of events get canceled. Hundreds more will go virtual. There’s a feeling of being in limbo as we decide where to invest and where to divest budget.

But as we scramble to adapt, two key sentiments from revenue leaders continue to reverberate across LinkedIn.

1. Remain hyper relevant. Take daily stock of what is happening around you, listen to conversations with prospects, customers, and peers. Be malleable. Be timely. And, above all right now, be considerate. As Sendoso Chief Marketing Officer Daniel Frohnen explains, “It’s all about being empathetic, showing your value, and offering partnership to your customers and prospects.”

2. Don’t do nothing. Even if your strategy is handcuffed for the time being, you can still take inventory of what has worked, clean up your processes and prepare for the second half of the year. Now is the time to develop your strategy and determine how you can exist within our new reality. As Mike Niergarten, founder and President of advertising agency Obility advises, “Regardless of what you plan to do […] plan to do something. Companies should be prepared for both a potential bounce back or prolonged uncertainty. Make decisions now that put you in the best position for the future.”

How eGifting Helps You Stay Hyper Relevant

Like most SaaS companies, our customers are at the center of our universe. Strong customer relationships, like any type of relationships, are developed over time through interactions, problem solving, and rapport.

Meeting in person isn’t an option right now, but there is still a strong desire for interpersonal connections. Teams are forced to consider more digital options. Sending, specifically, allows you to grow relationships and make customers feel special by delivering personalized experiences, tailored to individual interests.

One area we’ve seen a really strong response in has been eGifting because it’s very immediate, timely, and adaptable to the changes we’ve been seeing around us. You can reach your customers and prospects no matter where they are during the shelter-in-place order and provide something that matches their needs.

Here are ways we’ve seen customers and even our own internal teams use digital and eGift strategies to stay connected.

15 eGift Ideas to Support Customers Working from Home Right Now

1. Groceries: This is a great way to help people access all of the food and daily essentials from home so they don’t have to brave trips to their local supermarket and risk interacting with others. This is also crucial as store shelves continue to get picked bare. Customers can even order toilet paper (if they can find it).

Sendoso eGift Partners: AmazonFresh, PetCo,1-800-PetSupplies.com Target, Walmart

2. Pharmacy / Drugstores: Many are concerned how they will access their regular medication and various pharmaceutical needs. CVS is offering free Rx refills and deliveries. Target, which partners with CVS Pharmacy to provide services, is offering same day and 3 hour delivery options.

Sendoso eGift Partners: CVS Pharmacy, Target, Walmart

3. Meals and Takeout: With the challenges of getting groceries, customers will appreciate the ability to have a meal delivered to their doorstep. There are many options to choose from, whether it is a casual lunch option, a family dinner option, or a pizza party to win over your new WFH co-workers! Of course, you can also support your local businesses as we have with an Uber / Uber Eats eGift, or even a Visa or Mastercard eGift.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Applebees, Bubba Gump’s, Buca Di Beppo, Buffalo Wild Wings, California Pizza Kitchen, Chili’s, Chipotle, Domino’s, Jersey Mike’s, Olive Garden, Panera, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Uber and many more. See a full list here.

4. One-Size-Fits-All Options: These are the versatile options that will continue to pop up across this list but can meet almost any immediate delivery need of your customers. Amazon, Target, and Walmart offer just about everything and can be used a variety of ways. One of our more creative customers knew their client didn’t have a good remote work setup, so he sent the client an Amazon eGift and a link to an easy-to-assemble desk.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Amazon, Target, Walmart

5. Streaming Services: With everyone housebound, we’re all looking for activities to help pass the time. Share the gift of newly released movies or binge-worthy TV shows.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, SlingTV, PlayStation, Apple TV+, AMC (On-Demand), FandangoNOW

6. Gaming: Video games can be another great boredom-fighter, allowing customers to get lost in alternate worlds or stay connected with each other in online gaming. Plus, don’t discount a game’s ability to keep kids home from school pre-occupied while parents try to stay productive in a shared space.

Sendoso eGift Partners: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo

7. Books, Magazines or Audible Books: Some individuals are using the shelter-in-place mandates to get caught up on their reading lists. You can eGift both audiobooks or the ‘old school’ paperback. Couple your outreach with the best-seller list or some personal recommendations. We also offer magazine subscriptions for lighter reading options.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Amazon, Audible, iTunes, GooglePlay, Magazines.com, Target or Walmart

8. Music, Podcasts and Audio Platforms: Other engaging eGifts include music platforms like iTunes, Spotify, and SiriusXM. We’ve seen customers share gift cards and custom playlists in their outreach. Platforms also offer hours of Podcasts and interviews.

Sendoso eGift Partners: iTunes, GooglePlay, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify

9. Hobbies: Help customers to indulge in their favorite hobbies or develop new skills. There are gift cards from Guitar Center for musicians, Rosetta Stone for those who want to learn a new language, ProAm Golf gift cards for links-lovers who want to practice putting, and Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops for fly fishing fanatics with a little space in their backyard to practice casting. We even have eGifts to Home Depot and Lowe’s for when working from home helps you identify needed home improvement.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Guitar Center, Home Depot, Lowe’s ProAm Golf, Rosetta Stone

10. Wine: Some of us are spending our in-home time in an entirely different way. You can keep customer spirits high with eGifts to Wine.com which offers a whole cadre of wine and spirit options as well as Wine Enthusiast which boasts a full catalog of wine accessories.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Wine.com and Wine Enthusiast

11. Toys for Kids: More important than keeping yourself entertained is keeping out-of-school children preoccupied when you need to be productive. Board games, jigsaw puzzles, books/picture books, art supplies, and science experiments are all stimulating options from Walmart, Target, and Amazon. Build-a-Bear makes for a great incentive or treat. (Pro tip: They have newly released Frozen II bears!) Plus, building a stuffed friend together is a fun bonding activity to pass the time.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Amazon, Build-a-Bear, Disney, Nintendo, PlayStation, Target, Walmart, Xbox

12. Tablet and Phone Games: Pass the time with tablets. Challenge your child to reach a certain level while you conference call. There are a ton of child-friendly mobile game options across available on various eGift platforms.

Sendoso eGift Partners: Facebook, GooglePlay, iTunes

13. Thinking of You: Offer some peace of mind with eGifts that allow your customers to stay connected with remote family members. eGift recipients can send flowers or even edible bouquets and a note to loved ones. eGifts to Shutterstock allow customers to build thoughtful family photo gifts that can be shared with loved ones as well.

Sendoso eGift Partners: 1800 baskets.com, 1800 flowers.com, Cheryl’s Cookies, Fruit Bouquet, Popcorn Factory, Shutterstock

14. Charity: Our hearts go out to those who have been directly and indirectly affected by the pandemic. We also offer and recommend charity gifting to help support medical research, disaster relief coalitions, and more. Our partners, CharityChoice and For Good Causes, allow you to donate to thousands of certified philanthropies and causes—both at a national or local level. Here are some options to help those impacted by the pandemic:

• World Health Organization has set up the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund as a secure way for individuals, philanthropies, and businesses to contribute to the WHO-led effort to respond to the pandemic.
• The American Red Cross needs help preventing medical supply shortages during the outbreak.
• Local Food Banks need support for those who are unexpectedly out of work and others struggling to feed their kids home from school and currently don’t have access to lunch programs (local options from across the country are available in CharityChoice).
• Meal on Wheels delivers food to elderly or sick people who cannot leave their home which is especially critical now as this population is advised to shelter-in-place.
• ASPCA and Animal Shelters are in threat of closing and animals need resources and adoption support.

Sendoso eGift Partners: CharityChoice and For Good Causes

15. Sendoso Choice: Finally you can give the gift of choice with our new Sendoso Choice feature which allows you to send 2-4 options and let the recipient select what matters most. Any of the eGift options listed above can be mixed and matched, ensuring hyper relevance. Pro tip: Many customers have appreciated the option to use their eGift to support local businesses by ordering through UberEats or donate it to charity (pictured below).

Sendoso eGift Partners: For a full listing of what is available to eGift send click here. To learn more about Sendoso Choice, read this article.

In times like these, it’s more important than ever to support each other and show how much we care. Hopefully, these eGift ideas offer some inspiration to do just that. Happy sending.