High-resolution copies of handwritten notes can double repeat spending.

A team of researchers tested thank-you notes in e-commerce deliveries. Four versions: handwritten, scanned and printed, machine-typed, and none at all.

The results were wild.

Customers receiving no note spent about $26 later.

A typed in a generic font gave the same result.

And handwritten:

About $52, or DOUBLE.

That’s about the best ROI you can get from a single action.

And interestingly, a photocopy (or scanned and printed copy) of that handwritten note ALSO netted about $52.

So the “human” feel mattered — but not the ink from your pen.

A South Korean beauty retailer ran this experiment with over 1,200 customers.

The printed copy of a handwritten note was EVERY BIT as powerful as the real thing.

Which means brands can scale gratitude without hand cramps.

There’s always a catch: it only works on people who already feel some loyalty.

It can be augmented by scenting your packaging (if appropriate to the product), which adds an impactful sensory layer.

And it FLOPS if you throw in a freebie or discount.

The extra gift seems to cancel the effect, contrary to what you might expect.

It reeks of an ulterior motive.

Think of a cosmetics maker tucking in a note that says, “Thanks for trusting your skin with us.”

Customers who already love them buy more — without coupons.

Want to make your product irresistible? Perfect… that’s what we do as product marketing consultants at Graphos Product, helping innovators turn need-driven ideas into market-ready successes.