Archive for April, 2006
Ask anyone! Eating chocolate can be habit forming! People eat chocolates for a variety of reasons: when we’re happy, when we’re sad, when we’re celebrating, when we’re discouraged. There are those that claim that by eating chocolate, you’ll live longer and those that claim it can cause everything from headaches to high cholesterol.
But most of us still love chocolate! And it’s the perfect addition to your gift baskets for Easter, Mother’s Day, Professional Adminstrator’s Day, and Father’s Day.
Right now, you can save 25% on all chocolates at Apex Gift Foods. Chocolates from Ghirardelli and Lindt! Elegant truffles, luscious chocolate covered cherries, nuts and pretzels!
Check out our Apex web site to take advantage of these tremendous savings and to see lots of other fine products for your Spring holiday baskets.
For some interesting facts about chocolate, take a look at the web site hosted by the Natural History Museum.
April 6th, 2006
Does your gift basket business make deliveries? Do you have many deliveries to hospitals? This can indeed be a sickening prospect! Sometimes it’s difficult to find patients’ rooms. Sometimes, the patient has already checked out!
In Floral Finance, March, 2006, this issue was addressed. This publication is put out by Teleflora and is geared to retail florists. I think there are some great points that apply to those of you in gift basket busineses. Here are some suggestions for a remedy to hospital delivery ailments.
Hospital stays are getting shorter and shorter. Here’s an idea to help you deal with the stress of trying to get the basket delivered in a timely manner. When you take an order for a hospital delivery, suggest that if a short stay is anticipated, the patient may prefer to have their gift basket delivered to their home. Point out that the patient won’t have to carry home a bulky basket AND they’ll receive a gift at home when they’re more relaxed and ready to enjoy the gift.
If hospital deliveries are a big part of your business, it might also be worth your while to get to know the volunteer staff. Often, it’s the volunteers who actually deliver your baskets to the patients’ rooms.
Try to meet with the person who manages the volunteers and ask what you can do to make their job easier. For example, something as simple as making sure that the patient’s name is spelled correctly could save the volunteer a lot of time in searching for the recipient. Or maybe it is easier to transport the basket if it is placed inside of a box. Whatever their suggestions may be, it’s worthwhile to consider them in order to ensure that your basket gets delivered in perfect condition.
April 5th, 2006
The wedding industry offers gift basket businesses a wealth of opportunities to attract new clients. According to Ellen Terrell, who compiled research for “A Guide to the Wedding Industry”, it is a large industry in terms of dollars. But, it is an industry that is made up of a lot of smaller enterprises, each offering a special service that contributes to the success of the whole venture.
So why not partner with these other “small businesses” to offer your gift basket services to the bride and groom?
Here’s a list of other businesses who provide products and services related to weddings. Visit these businesses in your town to see if you can put together partnerships that will mutually build sales for everyone.
- Florists
- Caterers
- Photographers
- Entertainers
- Travel Agents
- Dress/Bridal Shops
- Tuxedo Rental Shops
- Beauty Parlors
- Jewelers
- Wedding Consultants/Party Planners
- Limousine Rentals
- Hotels
- Bed & Breakfasts
- Restaurants
- Stationary Stores
This can be as simple as leaving your business cards with each of these other service providers. Or you can take brochures, photos, and samples of your work to leave at their place of business. Offer coupons that can be given to prospective clients for discounts at participating “partners”. The “partners” could participate in some local advertising efforts or organize a small bridal fair.
Check out the Library of Congress web site, Business Reference Services, for more information about the wedding industry: resources, associations, magazines, journals, services and more.
April 3rd, 2006
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