10x more sends, 40% higher ROI: How Verkada turned gifting into its #1 outbound channel

Verkada is a leading provider of cloud-connected physical security solutions, from video surveillance and access control to environmental monitoring and guest management.

When Senior Growth Manager Bayo Bankole took over the gifting program, it was a small-scale experiment centred around sending brownies to potential customers. There was no clear ICP, no scalable process, and no clear roadmap for growth.

We sat down with Bayo to learn how Verkada turned gifting into its #1 cold outbound channel in EMEA, scaling sends 10x+ while increasing ROI by 40%.

The challenge: Building a scalable outbound strategy beyond email

When Bayo took ownership of the program, Verkada’s gifting strategy in EMEA was in its infancy. Brownies were going out to prospective leads but with no clear plan on how to scale effectively. Email was the primary channel, but once you had emailed someone your only option was to email them again. The existing setup had serious gaps:

• No staying power: Food gifts disappeared the moment they were consumed. There was nothing left on a desk to keep Verkada top of mind.
• Unreliable address data: Without a systematic approach, delivery accuracy sat around 60-70%, meaning nearly a third of every send was wasted.
• No infrastructure to scale: Manual processes worked at 100 sends and fell apart at 1,000.
• An undefined ICP: Without knowing who to target, results were inconsistent and impossible to repeat.
• No attribution: Gifting sat outside the rest of the tech stack, making it impossible to tie sends to pipeline.

The solution: Turning gifting into a repeatable growth channel

Bayo rebuilt across three areas: a gift that resonated, a targeting strategy that scaled, and a tech stack that removed every manual step. Reachdesk sat at the centre.

The gift shift came first. The breakthrough was building blocks: Verkada-branded sets that build miniature monitoring stations and access control systems. A gift that reflected the product, resonated with a systems-thinking ICP, and felt nothing like a standard corporate send. Switching to building blocks increased ROI by 40% overnight.

On infrastructure, Bayo automated the pre-send process via a bespoke Clay workflow linked directly to Reachdesk. Key Reachdesk capabilities made it possible:‍

• Flexible API and workflow connectivity: By connecting Clay to Reachdesk, Bayo automated lead scoring, address verification, and gift sends end to end. Delivery accuracy for surprise and delight deliveries jumped from 60-70% to 95%.
• Native Salesforce integration: Every send and redemption flows into Salesforce, keeping gifting visible in the CRM and easy to justify as a core channel.
• Inventory and campaign management: Campaigns pivot in real time when stock runs low. Bayo can stand up a dozen campaigns in a day and adjust them as new data comes in.
• Operational reliability at scale: Even as gifting grew from thousands to tens of thousands of annual sends, the program remained easy to manage thanks to responsive support, dependable fulfillment, and close collaboration with the Reachdesk team.
• EU and UK warehouse fulfillment: One platform ships across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and beyond. Opening a new market means pointing the campaign there, not rebuilding logistics.
• Marketplace and Amazon integration: When reps have specific prospect intel, they can instantly send personalized Amazon gifts that arrive in 1–2 days, seamlessly complementing volume gifting programs without adding complexity.

On targeting, the program stopped trying to reach everyone. A hierarchy emerged: schools first, then manufacturing, then other verticals tested in parallel. Segmentation extended to the gift note. Cold sends carry a message tied to the recipient's industry. Warm sends take a different tone. Same gift, adapted message for complete personalization.

The results: Gifting became Verkada's #1 outbound channel

What started as a small-scale experiment became one of Verkada's most effective growth channels.

• #1 cold outbound channel in EMEA: Gifting overtook email as Verkada's primary outbound motion, driving more cold outbound pipeline across the region.
• 40% ROI uplift from a single gift change: Replacing disposable brownies with Verkada-branded building blocks transformed engagement and campaign performance.
• 10x+ growth in annual sends: The program scaled from single-digit thousands to tens of thousands of sends annually while maintaining performance and operational reliability.
• 99% redemption rate: A sign that Verkada had found the right combination of audience, messaging, and gift.
• 95% delivery accuracy: Automation and address verification increased successful surprise and delight deliveries from 60-70%, dramatically reducing wasted sends.‍
• 2–3% lift in warm conversion rates and 4–5% lift in cold: Small percentage gains that compound quickly at scale.

The metrics tell one story. The business impact tells another.

• Gifting opened markets where email struggled: In Germany and other German-speaking regions, physical outreach helped Verkada break through where cold email was less effective.
• The program earned its own seven-figure annual budget: As ROI became undeniable, annual gifting spend grew into a significant, dedicated investment.
• Sales started showing up to the conversation: Pipeline contribution from gifting became a standing agenda item in monthly reviews with sales leadership.
• Gifting moved from tactic to strategy: What began as a supplementary channel is now a core part of Verkada's demand generation playbook.

Campaign spotlight: How branded building blocks powered account engagement at scale

The building blocks campaign is the backbone of Verkada's EMEA strategy. It runs at volume, holds its conversion rate, and has never needed replacing. Here is what makes it work:

• On-brand in a way most gifts are not: Each set builds a miniature Verkada monitoring station or access control gate. Recipients get it immediately. The gift and the product tell the same story.
• Something people actually want to keep: Recipients who are not interested find someone in their life who is. Bayo regularly hears back from prospects saying their kids loved it, or that it will be added to the office charity raffle.
• Fully automated end to end: A lead goes from LinkedIn URL through the Clay-to-Reachdesk workflow to a completed send without manual steps. When one set runs low, the campaign pivots without disruption.
• Complemented by personalized sends via Amazon: When a rep has intel on a prospect, the Amazon integration inside Reachdesk lets them act on it, closing the gap between a cold send and something that feels personal.
• Other successful sends: Alongside the building blocks, Verkada has also seen great engagement with other branded merchandise, including a notebook and water bottle set, as well as a socks and YETI mug bundle. These sends helped keep outreach fresh while maintaining a consistent premium brand experience.
• Segmented note for every vertical: The same kit goes to a school facilities manager and a manufacturing operations lead, but the message says something completely different to each.

Looking ahead: Scaling personalization without sacrificing volume

The next step is moving from a single hero gift to a personalized model at the same volume. Several programs are in development:

• Scaling Amazon-powered personalized sends: What started as an ad hoc sales tool is becoming an evergreen program, acting on prospect intelligence at scale.
• Deeper BDR and AE enablement: Salesforce workflows so reps trigger personalized sends directly without needing marketing in the loop.
• Testing new hero gifts: Experiments already running to find what comes next, with the same rigor that identified building blocks as the winner.

The lesson is straightforward. When you find the right gift, the right audience, and the infrastructure to reach them consistently, gifting stops being a nice-to-have and becomes your most effective demand generation channel.

"In a world where mass undifferentiated outreach is everywhere, creating a sense of individual delight is incredibly valuable. You'll find real success if you can put a smile on people's faces." - Bayo Bankole, Senior Growth Manager, Verkada

‍