In a on-line newsletter that I receive, I read that “according to some estimates, spam increased over 150% in 2007 and represents nearly 70% of all email traffic.” When I first open my email in the morning, I take the time to delete the spam from my mailbox. On some mornings, this takes just a few minutes. On other mornings, I might have over 100 spam messages to delete. And it takes up way too much of time to delete!
If you want to know more about spam filters and how to reduce spam coming into your mailbox, read the full article: “Internet Tips & Traps: Stop the Resurgence of Spam”. One of the challenges in using spam filters is how to avoid filtering messages that you do want to receive.
You may be surprised to learn that one of the best ways to avoid spam is to DO NOTHING! What could be easier than that? You can also get a second email address for your private correspondence.
For more tips and information about all things “internet”, go to “Go Daddy Connections”.
July 15th, 2008 at 01:08pm
Lorie Obernauer
Do you have a university or college in your town? Young consumers are becoming an increasingly vital part of the marketplace and you might want to consider some gift baskets that cater specifically to this group.
Snacks, cookies, and candies are all time favorites for this age group. Why not create some moderately priced gifts and market these in local coffee shops, the university book store, video stores, and sporting goods stores? Advertise your business in the local college newspaper. Your small packages of nuts, candies, and cookies are the perfect size to toss in a backpack to take on a hiking or biking trip or to the library for some instant energy when studying.
Find out where the kids hang out and see if you can set up a small display. Include a coupon for a discount on their first purchase. Remind them that you can also send a gift to mom or dad for that “almost forgotten” special occasion.
July 6th, 2008 at 05:27pm
Lorie Obernauer
Looking for a new idea for creative gift baskets? Check out Moviegiftbaskets.net. The author has some great ideas for putting together baskets that include a DVD plus gourmet treats, gift cards and other items that are “educational and inspiring”.
Not only will you read about special gift basket themes for kids, coworkers and friends, you’ll find a list of popular movie titles and step by step instructions for building a movie gift basket.
Delight your clients with this new basket design. Ask them to tell you what types of movies the recipient prefers: comedies, action, drama, etc. Encourage your customers to offer suggestions about what to include in the basket. And don’t forget the popcorn!!
I think you’ll find this to be lucrative and fun! Go to Moviegiftbaskets.net for more information.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:24am
Lorie Obernauer
Specialty Food Magazine, June 2008, includes an article by Ari Weinzweig entitled “Strategic Merchandising”. Try to get hold of a copy of this issue. As usual, Mr. Weinzweig offers some great ideas for enhancing our customers’ shopping experiences. Following are some ways that we can “do better” with our marketing.
When we’re creating sales materials, brochures or signs, we should “use a beginner’s mind”. The author suggests that we shouldn’t assume that the reader is familiar with what we’re selling. Cut back on technical terms and use plain, simple language to describe your products or promotions. Show your materials to someone who doesn’t work for you and see if he/she understands what you’re selling or trying to promote. If that person has questions, so will your customers.
Also, make sure that your product descriptions accurately describe what you’re selling. Don’t exaggerate! If customers get something different from what you’ve described, you’re sure to have unhappy customers.
Another place where we can improve our marketing is on our web sites. After you create your web site, your work is just beginning! We need to update and scrutinize our sites on a regular basis. Try to set aside 1 hour a week to look at your web site. Work on 1 page at a time. Make sure your links are working. Make sure that your product descriptions are up to date and your prices are correct. There’s no better way to antagonize a customer than to show a price on your web site then charge something different! Once you’ve looked at the full site, go back to the beginning and start again. Add new products, change the order in which products are listed: keep it looking fresh!
It takes work to continue to please our customers. By providing accurate information in a clear, concise, and attractive manner will do a lot to increase customer satisfaction.
June 22nd, 2008 at 08:40am
Lorie Obernauer
It’s in all the news: plastic vs. paper! I just read about some proposed legislation to require consumers to pay a fee to carry groceries home in plastic or paper! Personally, I am a supporter and follower of the “reusable bag” camp. If you are too, consider a new gift to add to your gourmet baskets: Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags.
Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags are spreading the environmental message with style. Lightweight and portable, each bags roll up into itself and snaps shut. Help your customers support an eco-friendly alternative to paper and plastic bags by including an Envirosax in your gift basket designs.
June 15th, 2008 at 06:24pm
Lorie Obernauer
The 54th annual Fancy Food Show will be held in New York, June 29 - July 1, 2008. This is NASFT’s largest show ever, with over 200 exhibitors. According the Specialty Food Magazine, there will be an “unprecedented number of natural and organic products shown throughout the show”.
Go to the NASFT web site for registration information, exhibitor list, educational programs, and hotels and travel.
If you’re unable to make this show, think about attending the Winter Fancy Food Show to be held in San Francisco, January 18-20, 2009.
June 10th, 2008 at 08:18pm
Lorie Obernauer
In these days of high gas prices, consumers are making fewer shopping trips than ever before. Coupled with increased demands on our time, we, as consumers, are looking for more services that will make our shopping experiences easier and more efficient.
Consider adding a “Personal Shopper” to the list of services that your business offers to customers. Think about assigning one of your salespeople this new role. This person needs to be up to date on all the trends in the gourmet and gift industries. Reading industry magazines such as Gourmet Retailer and Specialty Foods will be helpful in this respect. Rave Reviews Magazine is perfect for seeing the latest trends specific to the gift basket industry. And of course, this person needs to be very knowledgeable about the products that you carry.
When a customer calls your Personal Shopper, he/she just needs to explain what the gift is for, how much he/she wants to spend, and a little about the person who will receive the gift. Then, the Personal Shopper can take it from there. If your Personal Shopper can create a reputation as a “life-saver” for your customers, this will go a long way towards building a loyalty among your shoppers and will help you acquire many new customers in your area.
June 3rd, 2008 at 01:42pm
Lorie Obernauer
Do you have an on-line store for your gift basket business? If the answer is yes, you need to make sure that your customers have a positive experience while shopping on your site.
Keep in mind that shopping at your on-line is much like shopping in a brick and mortar store. Think about a store that you like to visit. It is probably clean and well organized. Merchandise is displayed attractively and in a sensible order. At your local department store, women’s clothing is probably grouped on one floor. Then, departments that feature sportswear are separate from evening wear. If you’re shopping for a gift for your mother, it is fairly easy to find what you want once you get to the right floor. At a really well organized store, accessories that can be worn with sports wear or evening wear would be shown near-by. This can result in add-on sales: the buyer may purchase something she didn’t originally intend to buy once she sees how it all can work together.
In the same way, your web site should be organized so that customers can easily find what they want. Obviously, birthday baskets should be displayed separately from baskets designed for corporate buyers. But within the birthday basket category, you can go further by showing baskets for children, then baskets for women, for men, for sports enthusiasts, etc. If you sell other gifts on your site, make sure that they are displayed where they’ll have the most impact. For example, spa products may be shown on your site in a separate area, but also in the section that show gift baskets for women. Don’t be afraid to display your products in more than one section of your site.
Some final tips: make sure that your home page is appealing and invites the shopper into your store. Check all your links and make sure that they work correctly. Try to educate the shoppers who come to your store: why should they buy your products? Include product information (eg. a specific list of items included in each basket) or suggestions about other items they might like (eg. customers who bought this item also bought _____).
Visit other web sites and think about what appeals to you. What makes it easy to shop at other web sites? If you shop on-line, spend time at that web site and consider what you like about it. Then go ahead and make your site the best it can be for your customers.
May 25th, 2008 at 09:23pm
Lorie Obernauer
I was just browsing though the May issue of Deliver Magazine, published by the US Postal Service. An article about “cause marketing” caught my eye. According to author Linda Formichelli, “Co-marketing (or cause marketing) your business with a charity helps not only the cause but also your business…87% of Americans ages 13 to 25 would switch brands if one were associated with a good cause” (assuming the brands are comparable).
How can a gourmet gift basket business owner incorporate cause marketing into day to day business planning? The author gave some suggestions about how to go about starting this type of program. First, you need to think about your own values and how these mesh with your business objectives. In other words, ask yourself: What do I stand for? What is important to me? From this, you can logically come up with a cause to support.
For example, if you only use all natural, organic foods in your gourmet baskets, you might pledge some money from each gift basket sale to an organization that supports “green businesses”.
Or you might support a cause that is related to a more personal issue. A gift basket business owner that I know has a nephew with Down Syndrome and at holiday time, hires part-time workers with Downs Syndrome to help with tasks such as packing, putting bows onto baskets, etc. She also donates part of her holiday sales to the national organization.
These days, when people are being more careful about where they spend their money, you may be able to create a win –win situation for your business, the particular cause you support and your community.
Are you interested in “going green”? Check out the new Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags at Apex Gift Foods. These colorful satchels can be used for packing your gourmet baskets or you can insert one in your basket as a gift.
May 17th, 2008 at 08:19pm
Lorie Obernauer
Every month in Gourmet Retailer Magazine, a promotional calendar lists special events and holidays for upcoming months. Create and send your own calendar to your customers by email or direct mail so that they are aware of your creative promotions.
Here are some interesting and fun promotional ideas that you can use to spruce up summer sales.
June 9th is Donald Duck’s birthday. How about a newborn baby basket that includes duckie toys, bibs, cups, and other baby gifts? A cartoon video for older brothers and sisters would also be appreciated!
June 13th is the only Friday the 13th in 2008. Offer a 13% off sale on some of your newest basket designs.
Strawberry season starts on June 22nd. Design a basket that include all of your strawberry flavored items: tea, hard candies, cookies.
One hundred forty nine years ago, on June 27th, the “Happy Birthday to You” song was composed. Offer special pricing on all your birthday baskets during the last week of June.
One last note: June is Effective Communications Month. This might be a good time to have a staff training session that focuses on learning new customer service skills.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:34pm
Lorie Obernauer
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