Written by Radhika Sethi
Don’t you just love it when you get something more from a brand? A little surprise with something you ordered. People love surprises, gifts, and gestures; it’s just human nature. For small businesses, especially, this is a point to be noted. They must work to create little moments of customer delight.
“Many small businesses feel they are never going to be able to shine in their markets because they don’t have budgets for the big gestures like television ads or prominent billboards. But bigger isn’t always better. In branding, it’s often the small, overlooked, magic moments that cut through.”
— Twist: How Fresh Perspectives Build Breakthrough Brands by Julie Cottineau
So, depending on the nature of your industry, product/service, create that little moment of surprise. Something that will make your customers go awwww.
Here are a few examples of some of our favourite delight moments!
Emirates
In the COVID-travel world, cabin crew handing out little sachets of sanitiser has become quite the thing. How many of us are even using those? For those who do too, dump the empty packet into the seat pocket, left for the cleaning staff to take care of.
In this sanitization-obsessed world, Emirates hand out little pouches with goodies which include a little red tube of sanitiser. Easy to use, easy to store, and a great way to amplify the brand story.
Takeaway: If the competition is already doing something and you feel you need to do it too, don’t merely copy. Get creative!

HealthFab
Little surprises come in different ways and forms. When you order period panties from HealthFab, your box comes with a little card full of good news. Apart from the exclusive offers that allow women to take better care of themselves, there’s a special message in there too. HealthFab donates 1% to their social impact partner, Yuwa. Upon reading more, we learn that Yuwa is an organization that works with underprivileged girls and empowers them through sports training and education.
Takeaway: Make your customers feel like they are part of something big, a movement. By associating with your brand, they are doing good. Give them the feeling of giving. You might already be doing social good with your customers’ help, but do they know?

Taim, New York
If you are ever looking for good Mediterranean food in Lower Manhattan, head to Taim. We ordered some home delivery and while the food was beyond great, these tissues caught our eye. What a simple and engaging way to do something a little bit extra. It’s as simple as that. While munching down on the falafels, we actually spent 15 minutes solving the crossword. That’s 15 minutes of brand engagement.
Takeaway: Find newness in the norm. You might be already doing things considered the bare minimum for your product/service. But can you make that plain, ordinary a little bit more special?


We hope these examples give you a little bit of inspiration to create those little moments of customer delight.