CHERRY HILL, N.J., Aug. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The world is
going digital, but 84 percent of people still prefer an in-person
thank you, especially if it's accompanied by a gift, according to a
recent survey by TD Bank. The study found that people of all ages
think a face-to-face thanks is best, leaving the value of a phone
call, email and text in the dust.
Regardless of how gratitude is expressed, consumers across all
age groups agree that appreciation should be conveyed by saying
thanks directly to the individual recipient (60 percent) and
personalized (44 percent).
For brands, the proof is in the giving
More than three out of four consumers like when brands
demonstrate their appreciation (77 percent). But today's consumers
expect more than a generic email blast or even a written thank-you
note. They prefer that brands say thanks in the form of gifts and
rewards.
Here's what consumers told TD:
- From millennials to Gen Xers, consumers like freebies (39
percent and 38 percent, respectively).
- Only 25 percent of boomers indicate a preference for
freebies.
- Rewards programs are also a great way to say thanks – with
roughly one third of respondents reporting that they prefer their
thanks in the form of points or miles.
- An old-fashioned thank-you note has gone the way of dial-up.
Only seven percent of millennials and 4 percent of Gen Xers like
receiving a written thank-you note from a brand, while email moves
the needle for only 3 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
"As the Human Bank, we focus on providing legendary customer
experiences at every touchpoint, and that includes saying
'thanks,'" said Michael Rhodes, head
of Consumer Bank, TD Bank.
Have you thanked your boss today?
Given how much time people spend at work, TD studied how
employees express appreciation:
- Only 8 percent of respondents say they thank their boss the
most, compared to colleagues (28 percent) and clients (14
percent).
- Millennials have the edge when it comes to client relationship
building: 22 percent are more likely to thank their clients,
outpacing Gen X (13 percent) and boomers (8 percent).
TD Bank partnered with renowned etiquette expert Lizzie Post, President of The Emily Post
Institute, to analyze the results of this study. The Emily Post
Institute has been America's go-to source for etiquette advice for
nearly 100 years.
"Customers know that they have a choice when it comes to where
they spend their money and where they take their business," said
Ms. Post. "When a brand demonstrates genuine gratitude and respect,
it builds consumer trust. And business success relies on that
trust."
Additional highlights are available on the TD Bank Media
Room.
TD knows banking and thanking
This summer, TD Bank is saying #TDThanksYou to customers from
Maine to Florida by creating "TD Thank Accounts'" to
deliver personalized gifts of appreciation. Many of these moments
were captured in an inspiring video, which was released today.
"We're very excited about this campaign," said Rhodes. "Through
this campaign and TD Thank Accounts, we're letting customers across
our footprint know how much we appreciate them."
Survey Methodology
Research company MARU/VCR&C conducted the survey among a
nationally representative sample of Americans. The online fieldwork
occurred between July 19th and July 25th
2016. In total, 1,009 completes were gathered in the U.S.
Data has been weighted by age, gender, and region to reflect the
populations. Margin of Error for each sample is +/-3.1%.
About MARU
MARU/VCR&C, formerly the Research
& Consulting division of Vision Critical, is a professional
services firm dedicated to improving its clients' business
outcomes. It delivers its services through teams of sector-specific
research consultants that have technology in their DNA,
specializing in the use of Insight Community and Voice of Market
technology. MARU/VCR&C's research drives decision-making across
all aspects of customer experience, including innovation, product,
branding, commercialization and communications.
About Lizzie Post
Lizzie Post is the
great-great-granddaughter of Emily
Post and co-author of Emily
Post's Etiquette 18th edition as well as
Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette
6th edition and The Etiquette Advantage in
Business 3rd edition. Lizzie does speaking
engagements across the country sharing advice about entertaining,
weddings, dating, dining etiquette, tech-etiquette, finance and
lifestyle. She has worked as a spokesperson for companies including
Bank of America, American Express, AirBnB, and Genentech. She is a
columnist with Women's Running magazine, Good
Housekeeping magazine, and Houzz.com. She is the co-host of the
Awesome Etiquette podcast on American Public Media's podcast
network Infinite Guest. She is a regular guest on American Public
Media's The Dinner Party.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient
Bank®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10
largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 8 million customers
with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking
products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations
throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas
and Florida. In addition, TD Bank
and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth
management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle
financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance.
TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill,
N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank
Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services
company in North America. The
Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New
York and Toronto stock
exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit
www.td.com.
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SOURCE TD Bank