Use Coupons To Promote Gift Baskets
An article in Gourmet Retailer, April, 2007 touts the advantages of sending coupons to customers that can be redeemed at your store or on your web site. According to the authors, “coupons drive traffic!” Their research indicates that customers who shop with coupons “spent 24% more than those shopping without them”. Full Story
Coupon offers can be efficiently offered if you communicate with your customers via: email. Collect email addresses when customers call in orders or make a purchase at your store. You can then send an email weekly, biweekly, or monthly, featuring a coupon for a particular gourmet basket. These offers can be related to a particular holiday and might encourage customers to make a purchase that they weren’t planning (eg. a coupon for 10% off a chocolate basket sent a few weeks before Easter.) Or the coupon might promote a seasonal basket that you’ve designed (eg. a coupon for $5 off your picnic basket designs during the month of June).
The authors point out that a coupon program such as this can have two positive effects. “First, it may increase your ability to connect well with your customers”. Oftentimes, customers will call in with questions about your coupon promotions, wanting details about exactly what they get with the coupon. This provides an opportunity for you to talk about your products, the services you offer, and establish a friendly relationship with the caller (which can lead to future sales!). Second, if the caller is ultimately not interested in what the coupon offers, you will be able to talk about other products that you sell! “The bottom line is that you have their attention and they are interested”. What a great opportunity to sell your products and yourself!
4 comments May 30th, 2007
