Archive for January, 2008
While people may be cutting down on purchases of high ticket items, the specialty food industry reports that business is booming. According to NASFT (National Association of Specialty Food Trade), specialty food sales have grown considerable over the past two years. Full Story.
People may still be buying high ticket specialty foods like those you use in your gourmet baskets, but business owners need to stay aware of well priced products available in the market place. Now, more than ever, it is important to be a “careful buyer”. Look closely at products offered by all your suppliers and find those that are the quality you want at the price you want. Take advantage of promotions offered by your suppliers. While you may not want to compromise on quality, sample new products on the market to find those that you offer at a reasonable price to your customers.
To keep up in a competitive economy where consumers are thinking carefully about their purchases, gift basket designers will have to make a greater effort to offer gourmet baskets that are high quality AND affordable.
January 28th, 2008
I just read a story about plastic bag bans. Many grocery chains and other retail stores are thinking about ways to cut the use of plastic bags. “The move comes as environmental groups have argued that plastic bags endanger wildlife, pollute waterways, exacerbate neighborhood blight and generate thousands of tons of unnecessary waste.” Full Story.
When I was at the Fancy Food Show in San Diego, I stopped at a booth of a company that was selling reusable totes. These can be customized with your logo. Think about buying some totes printed with your company information and using these to pack your gourmet baskets. If your basket is too large to pack in a tote, consider using a tote in the design itself.
These days, there are stories in the news and lots of discussion about how people are developing more awareness of environmental concerns. The consensus is that people are trying to be more “sustainable” in their daily lives. You can do your part while marketing your business!
January 24th, 2008
In her Gift Basket Business Blog, Shirley Frazier writes that gifts are a welcome addition to gourmet basket designs. She suggests that items such as photo frames, kitchen utensils and cookbooks, spa products, and pet toys are some of the gifts that are popular.
Maybe it’s time for you to attend a trade show to see what’s new in this growing market. The International Home Housewares Show 2008 will be held in Chicago, IL, March 16-18. Go to the International Housewares Association web site for show information and events.
January 22nd, 2008
“MAUSSANE-LES-ALPILLES, France (AFP) - Thirty-five years ago olive-grower Raymond Gonfond pondered giving up on his olive trees — because olive oil was not selling. Now the whole world is enamoured of this green gold, which underpins the famed ‘Mediterranean diet’.” Full Story
Once the holidays are over, most of my friends will complain about how much they ate. New Year’s resolutions will abound with pledges to eat sensibly. On the other hand, I recently read that Whole Foods did a survey and found that “a majority of Americans are tired of making New Year’s resolutions and instead prefer to create lasting lifestyle solutions”. Full Story. The point is that you can be attuned to what your customers want and offer a “sensible” alternative to the gift basket laden with sweets and snacks.
Suggest a “healthy” basket full of fixings for a complete “healthy meal”: whole wheat pasta, spicy marinara sauce, tangy sun dried tomatoes, nicose olives, fragrant olive oil and pungent balsamic vinegar. Offer an upscale version of this basket that includes a bottle of red wine. And considering the health benefits that are touted, you can even include a few pieces of dark chocolate candy!
You can snag some extra business between Christmas and Valentines Day by offering something unique. Please share your ideas for other ways to attract business between the holiday rush.
January 15th, 2008
I’m registered to attend the Fancy Food Show in San Diego. I’ve received regular reminders from the show organizers about show events. I just received a planning guide that I think would be helpful to anyone attending this show or other trade shows.
See below for a copy of the email that I received. I like that it covers “things to do” before and during the show. It would be simple to adapt this list to cover events at other shows.
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January 13–15, 2008 |
The Winter Fancy Food Show
is Almost Here!
Use this checklist with final tips to get the most out of this record-breaking Show.
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Before you leave:
At the Show:
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Start at What’s New, What’s Hot! onsite in the 5300 aisle—the only area organized by category (What’s New?, Natural & Organic Foods, Gift & Holiday). sofi™ award Winners/Finalists and Focus on Diversity will also be displayed here.
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Don’t miss the Natural & Organic Pavilion with natural/organic food and beverages products from 250+ exhibitors starting in Aisle 4700.
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Cook-Off Corner—be inspired and entertained in this competition area spanning the 500–700 aisles. Events sponsored by American Culinary Federation and National Pork Board.
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Buy Educational Program and Meet the Tastemakers® tickets at any registration counter, or buy online before January 11 to save!
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Look out for electronic Product Locators to organize and print a personal shopping list.
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Getting to the Show
and around San Diego:
See you in San Diego!
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I would also recommend some things to do after the show:
- Organize all of the business cards and price lists you collected.
- Make notes about those vendors with whom you want to follow-up.
- Show the brochures that you collected to your employees. Point out the products you like and ask for their opinions.
- File all of your information for future reference. Since you probably have brochures from companies that you’ve never done business with, file by product categories: cookies, chocolates, beverages, etc. Six months later you may remember that you saw some really cute tea sachets, but if you’re like me, you won’t remember the name of vendor. By filing by category, you’ll be able to retrieve the information you want.
January 9th, 2008
You may be looking forward to some quiet time after the holiday rush is over. But with 7 weeks between Christmas and Valentines Day, there’s lots of opportunity for some fun promotions to boost your sales in January.
Here’s a list of events that you can promote with your gift basket business.
- January 9: Elvis Presley’s Birthday. Include some CD’s in your basket along with Elvis paraphernalia. The official Elvis Web Site has lots of ideas for other items you might include in your designs.
- January 15: In honor of Pizza Week, join together with your local pizza shop and put some pizza gift certificates in your baskets and showcase a basket in that shop!
January is also National Hot Tea Month, National Soup Month and National Book Month. Please share your ideas for baskets you could design for these special occasions.And of course, don’t forget that Super Bowl XLII will be held on February 3rd. Buy your football baskets and snacks to be ready for this ever popular event.
January 7th, 2008
Gourmet Retailer Magazine has launched a new Events Calendar that will keep you informed of industry happenings. “This new technology allows users to download calendar information into their own calendar system and even plan email reminders for events of interest”.
While you’re on the Gourmet Retailer Magazine web site, check out the Sales Support Materials Guide. This reference includes “vendors, contact information and a list of some of the support materials these companies have created to help you better promote their products”. Even if your favorite vendors are not included on this list, this is a terrific reminder that your suppliers can provide a wealth of information to help you sell their products. These days, many of your suppliers have web sites that you can reference. If not, give them a call. They’ll be anxious to help you sell their products.
January 1st, 2008
