Ever noticed how "Starbucks" has become the generic term for coffee? Kind of like how we say "Kleenex" for tissue or "Band-Aid" for bandage. It's sneaky, but it's happened.

And guess what? When you send a client or employee a Starbucks gift card, it might just come off as generic too. Uninspiring. Impersonal.

It's not that Starbucks lacks quality. With millions of gift cards purchased every year, it's clear the brand has a loyal and global following. The same goes for Dunkin’ Donuts, Caribou Coffee, or even Peets.

Given the ubiquity of these national chains, and Americans’ love of sweet drinks, it’s astonishing to see how often these vendor-specific gift cards are available at a five to 18 percent discount on reseller sites.

That’s because even if your company offers recipients a few options for their coffee gift card, they still don’t have complete control of where they get their next cup.

Meanwhile, a 2022 Business Insider report found $160 million-plus in Starbucks gift cards go unredeemed annually. Ouch!

What causes such a disconnect?

Perhaps the reason lies in the missing human touch.

Imagine, instead, presenting a sales lead or a standout employee a gift card to their local artisanal coffee shop. You know, the kind of place where they greet you by name, the latte foam looks like a mini masterpiece, and every sip feels brewed just for you.

Now, that sounds like a token your recipient will truly appreciate.

How To Get Recipients To Spill The Beans On Their Favorite Brew

So, you’re on board with a personal approach to gifting coffee. Here’s a few ways you can get to know the preferences of your prospects, customers, and employees.

For customers and prospects

Virtual Meetings: Remember that Zoom call where your client's chic coffee mug was in plain sight? That's an invitation. A simple "I love your coffee mug! Where do you usually get your coffee from?" could lead to valuable insights.

Local Café Meetups: Next time you’re on your customer’s home turf, skip the office. Instead, suggest a less formal meeting at a local café. Their order, be it a complex latte or a simple espresso, tells a tale.

Client Surveys: Sure, you need to know your customers’ business needs, but there’s nothing wrong with sneaking in a question like “what’s your favorite cafe?” into something like a customer satisfaction survey to show your personal interest.

For employees

Chat apps: Slack isn’t just for project updates. They can be bustling hubs for casual polls, or themed days like “Mug”shot Mondays that make it easy to get to know your team‍
Employee profiles: Besides skills and talents, you can use onboarding or other HR check-ins to invite employees to share a little about themselves. Questions like, “what’s your go-to morning brew?” can be insightful for when you want to make their special days even more memorable

Whether you’re trying to close a deal, or rewarding a hardworking employee, a coffee is a great gesture of gratitude. And it means even more if that cup of coffee comes from their favorite cafe.

Navigating The Gifting Grind

It’s easy enough to buy a single employee or client a cup of joe at their favorite coffeehouse in person. The problem with replicating that experience at the corporate level is twofold:

1. Not all local coffee shops have the means to offer a gift card
2. At a certain scale, keeping track of the java tendencies of every employee, client, and prospect becomes impossible no matter how caffeinated you are

A cash gift card is one solution.

In our recent poll, employees were 41 percent more likely to prefer a cash gift card over a branded one like Starbucks.

It’s easy to see why. If you don’t like Starbucks, that green mermaid-branded card is about as valuable to you as a plastic hotel key card after you’ve checked out of your room.

But now we’re back to our original problem. Handing someone a Visa cash gift card feels a little, well, impersonal. That’s where Giftly comes in.

Giftly: The Thoughtfulness Multiplier

Giftly lets you send a personalized gift card to any coffee shop, whether or not it offers certificates. No more settling for the generic; Giftly makes your gifts just a little bit more thoughtful.

Use the new Giftly Corporate dashboard to create a coffee-themed gift card template, upload your list of recipients, write a note, and then Giftly automatically personalizes each card.

With Giftly, you can suggest recipients get a cup of coffee wherever they want, however they want. Just send them a digital (or physical, for that extra touch!) card for coffee, and they can use it anywhere, even that quaint cafe near their office. Now that’s a connection!

You can also track your gifting program at a glance. If you see high open rates and utilization rates, you know you’re on the right track in making a thoughtful gesture.

Plus, if the gift card is part of a sales strategy, Giftly tells you exactly when someone opens the card, so you know the right time to follow up with that prospect!

Here’s the cherry on top: you hold onto the data, so you know if your gift connected the way you hoped. With Starbucks? That's their data now.

Bottom Line: Make It Personal, Make It Matter

Next time you think of rewarding a client or team member, skip the generic Starbucks option. Dive into the world of thoughtful gifting with Giftly.

Show them you've noticed the little things. Show them you care. Show them they're more than just another coffee lover in the sea of Starbucks enthusiasts.

With Giftly, your gifting game just leveled up. Coffee, anyone? But not just any coffee — their coffee. Their favorite brew.

And that, dear reader, is the Giftly difference.