WBJ: Over the last 15 years, how many business customers has Wyjątkowy Prezent served?

Jakub Matuszewski: We have served over 8,000 unique business-to-business customers. We have six sales channels. Customers can reach us online, of course, and we also have more than sixty-four display islands in stores and commercial stands, as well as external retail networks, B2B, a customer service hotline, and a Voucher-o-Mat, which is a machine that prints out vouchers, enabling you to select a gift for anyone at any time, even on a non-working Sunday.

What kind of gifts do business customers choose for their teams? 

The range of gifts being given is huge, from personalized gifts for two or three staff members to gifts for over 10,000. The most important thing to note is that these are not simply gift vouchers; they are experiences that customers will remember for a long time, maybe even forever. 

We offer clients the option to buy individual experiences, such as a parachute jump, a super car ride, a massage, or a dinner in the dark. Or they can give their employee the opportunity to select their own experience from a hundred unique offers. This type of gift package is based on a general location or a theme, such as culinary degustation. Our clients can also select a nominal gift card, such as PLN 500, that their employees can apply towards any experience they choose. 

Sometimes B2B clients choose to work with us to produce tailor-made packages, especially if they do not want their employees jumping out of airplanes. 

How has the pandemic changed the B2B segment?

We faced a challenge dealing with clients who didn’t want to lose out on events which were obviously restricted during the COVID pandemic. For example, Amazon Poland, a key client, came to us asking what could they substitute for the picnics that they would normally offer their employees? We proposed vouchers that their employees could enjoy with their own families or friends. This was a challenge for our team, but we overcame it by using customer surveys to find out what people truly wanted to do in their free time. During the pandemic, we discovered that people really valued being able to spend their time on high quality experiences. Clearly, the pandemic has changed their mindset; people are now realizing the fragility of life and how precious their time is. 

One key value driver that we developed during COVID times, was extending the validity of our products from one year to three. This was something that pleased so many of our clients that we decided to keep it as our new standard. 

Can you name some of your long-term business clients?

Bosch, British/American Tobacco, Deloitte, Polska Press, Żywiec and ING Polska. ING Polska was a fabulous client who we collaborated with for many years. They had a lot of super ideas about how to utilize our packages to tailor their quarterly experiences by creating unique activities such as ropewalking, Go-Karting, and even workshops on things such as learning photography. 

What do you guarantee to companies that decide to give a voucher experience to their teams or partners?

An individual approach. We are on the top of our industry in terms of new offers and we have a team who are able to work with clients to create tailor-made packages from over 8,000 products. We personalize clients’ gift giving experiences so that they can do things such as print out the vouchers themselves. We also focus on understanding our clients’ needs. One time a client wanted a gift card that could be used more than once. So we worked with IT to create customized vouchers for them. We also work with clients to offer discounts. 

Besides guaranteeing these things to our clients, I would like to say that it is also important to note that we guarantee each supplier’s performance for every experience. We constantly send out surveys to our clients and request honest feedback after each experience. If anyone is even slightly unhappy, and if the problem persists, then we will switch to a better supplier. 

Additionally, we keep the price the same as the supplier, and even sometimes lower, as we get volume discounts for the collaboration. So a client on a B2B or B2C level can be confident that they are not paying more when they purchase an experience through us.

How many business partners does Wyjątkowy Prezent currently have?

We have over 1,200 business partners and we are always growing, as our clients are looking for new and exciting experiences. For example, have you ever wing surfed on a Foil board?

No, I haven’t but I have seen people do it. Maybe I will check out your site to try it next summer. What does the cooperation with your partners and service providers look like? 

Understand that we are not a grupping-type portal selling coupons.. We do not offer a supplier a quick turnaround and we do not look for short-term validity in order to get clients. We build a long-lasting relationship with our suppliers, and they know that they can trust our brand. There are two types of suppliers  who work with us: one type is excited for the opportunity to win sales with our long list of clients, and the other sees us as a marketing tool that can help them be seen in shops and with other suppliers in B2B sales. We cover the expense of advertising their experience and producing the vouchers. 

How do you set up collaborations with suppliers?

When we started 15 years ago, there weren’t many companies creating unique experiences, but now the market is changing dramatically. We get over 50 enquiries a month from new suppliers who want to work with us because we have built such a strong brand. We do accept all of these, and we are in a good position to offer a range of prices for a single type of experience, such as spas. We can offer a really luxurious experience for more money as well as something more affordable, so that there is something for everyone. This is key to making our customers happy and keeping them coming back for more.

Our mission is to change gift giving culture, so that people receive less material things and more experiences as a gift. This goes in line with the philosophy of many businesses - so we will keep developing our offer and available products to serve their needs. On the top, experience gifts are more sustainable, which is also in line with trends followed by business. Overall it is all about caring for people and the planet.    

For more about Wyjatkowy Prezent, visit:
wyjatkowyprezent.pl