How to Surprise a Customer on Their Birthday: Strategy Examples

A birthday is one of the most emotional occasions of the year. It’s not just a date—it’s an opportunity for a brand to show care and attention, and in return, gain profit. A well-crafted birthday greeting not only delights the customer but also strengthens loyalty, increases engagement, and can even drive sales.

Here’s how to congratulate customers wisely without slipping into clichés.

Why Should a Brand Send Birthday Greetings

Let’s start by understanding why we should congratulate customers in the first place.

Take advantage of this mood and offer the customer something valuable and enjoyable—even if it’s something small. The key is that the bonus should be easy to use, like a free dessert for the birthday person.

Choose gifts that are simple to redeem, increasing the likelihood that the customer will make a purchase during their special moment.

Crafting an Effective Birthday Message for Your Customer

Subscribers know that your birthday messages are sent automatically, and that doesn’t bother them. But boring, generic emails are still a bad idea. If you're preparing your email campaign in advance, make it more engaging and creative. Congratulate with thoughtfulness and real value.

Always address the customer by name — it creates a sense of personal connection, even if the message is templated. If you recommend products or offers that are tailored specifically to that person, the impact will be much greater.

If you want the message to feel personal rather than like part of a mass email, consider sending it on behalf of an employee or company leader.

A beautifully designed birthday greeting with interactive elements is more memorable than the rest — especially when it includes promo codes and bonus points.

If you're delighting subscribers with generous offers, it's best to clearly state how long the promotion is valid. A good idea is to add a countdown timer to create urgency.

This approach requires more effort: you'll need to prepare subscriber lists and different email templates. But personalized offers significantly increase the likelihood of purchases. And that's the level worth aiming for in email marketing.

Using the marketing platform, you can automate not only birthday greetings but the entire customer communication cycle — including email, push notifications, and SMS.

For short messages, consider:

• Text messages — fast, simple, and doesn’t require an internet connection.
• Push notification — perfect for mobile apps.

• Email with a promo code.
• Push notification on the birthday: “Your gift is waiting inside — take a look!”
• SMS two days later: “Only 3 days left to use your promo code.”

This way, you’re not only congratulating the customer but also effectively increasing your reach.

Birthday Greeting Ideas: From Simple to Impressive

Alternatively, offer a discount on premium features or useful tools. Yes, it may be seen as less valuable than a direct gift, but it still holds meaning.

It’s ideal for special customers, active users, or members of premium programs. Segment your audience and prepare a few versatile videos that will still feel personal.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Cliché templates. Phrases like “Happy Birthday, wishing you happiness and health” don’t work. Add your brand’s voice. Also avoid long, generic messages — short but personal greetings perform much better.
• Sending too early or too late. It’s best to send the greeting on the birthday itself, or at most the day before or within 1–2 days after.
• Spam. Don’t send the same message across all channels at once.
• Empty greeting. If you’re not including a bonus or special offer, make sure the message is genuinely warm and heartfelt.

How to Automatically Send Birthday Greetings to Customers

Altcraft Platform makes it easy to send personalized birthday greetings automatically, right on time, and through the appropriate channel. Here’s how you can set it up:

Define the condition that will launch the campaign. Set a filter based on the customer’s birth date — the condition being that the day and month match the current date. The platform will automatically search each day for customers celebrating their birthday and send the message.

Create segments based on age, interests, purchase history, or communication channel. This allows you to send more relevant birthday greetings — for example, offering younger customers a discount on trending products, while giving more mature audiences a gift for a significant purchase.

Altcraft supports omnichannel workflows: you can send birthday greetings via email, SMS, push notifications, or messengers. Choose the channel that works best for each specific segment.

Build the birthday email using the editor and include the key elements:

• Subject and preheader — use personalized greetings with the customer’s name, mention the gift or bonus, and include a short birthday message.

• Header — include your company or brand logo.
• Banner — a visual birthday greeting: an image or animation with a festive message and mention of the gift.
• CTA button — a clear call to action, linking to the gift or displaying the promo code.
• Main text — the greeting itself, tailored to your brand’s tone and audience, explaining the offer or promotion details.

• We’re wishing you a happy birthday and want to give you a little gift — a 20% off promo code, valid for just 5 days.* Use it on your favorite products or try something new — it’s up to you! Your promo code: WOW20

The campaign will run daily without any manual input from you, and only subscribers whose birthday is today will receive it.

Conclusion

Wishing your customer a happy birthday isn’t just a polite gesture — it’s a powerful tool for building loyalty and boosting sales. Personalized, creative, and timely messages with valuable offers create an emotional connection with your brand and encourage purchases.

Use segmentation, multiple channels, and automation to make every birthday greeting unique and memorable. Give your customers more than just discounts — give them a positive emotional experience, and they’ll respond with trust and loyalty.