Gift Basket “Shop at Home” Service
Want to offer personalized service to your customers?
Here’s a thought: How about a “Shop at Home Service”?
Let’s start with something that many gift baskets businesses may already do:
1. Create a brochure or flyer that shows your most popular holiday designs. Be sure to include a variety of styles, colors and price points.
2. Mail this to your customers and suggest that they can make their purchases from home by simply calling you and choosing the baskets they want to send to friends and family.
Now let’s take this a few steps further.
3. On the back of your brochure or flyer, show photos of the gourmet treats that you carry. Include those that you use frequently and try to keep in stock at all times. Also include photos of a few containers, and a variety of ribbons from which your customers can choose.
4. Create two columns (A & B) and sort the items so that products listed in column A are ones that sell for about the same price. Repeat for column B. Also choose containers and ribbons that are comparable in value to one another.
5. Create a formula. For example, for $50, suggest that customers pick four items from Column A , three items from Column B, a container, and a ribbon.
Sort of reminds me of Chinese take-out! But it may offer a fun way for customers to pick and choose what they like. At the very least, it may prompt customers to call you and ask lots of questions. Here are some caveats:
1. Expect that substitutions will be requested! Be ready for this and explain that you will not be able to match the price listed on the brochure, but would be happy to quote a price for a basket that includes the specific products they want.
2. Cover yourself by stating on your brochure that products of similar value may be substituted if you are temporarily out of stock of a particular item.
3. Set a date for the end of the promotion. Stop taking “Stay at Home” orders 10-14 days before the holiday. These could be time consuming calls, and you don’t want to turn something fun into a hassle for you and your staff.
Any thoughts about adding to this idea or modifying the format of the promotion? I’d love to hear your ideas!
1 comment November 6th, 2006
