Archive for September, 2008
I’m sure you’re busy planning for the upcoming holiday season, but even with the best laid plans, you may get unexpected orders. Although you’ll be thrilled to receive these orders, you might be caught without the products you need to get the order shipped per your customer’s instructions. Or you may have the products, but not enough staff to make the baskets so that they can be shipped by the required date. Or maybe you have a customer who wants a “themed basket” which you rarely make and you’re uncertain about investing in the containers and products to make a basket of this type.
If any of this sounds familiar, think about buying pre-made gift baskets. Flora Brown recently compiled a list of vendors who you can contact to buy pre-made baskets. These baskets will come to you already shrink wrapped and ready for you to deliver to your customer. While you may not make the same profit on these pre-made baskets as you might on those you create on your own, you’ll be making points with your customers when the baskets are delivered in a timely fashion. It’s better to make a smaller profit and be able to satisfy your customer then risk sending baskets that were made in a rush and may not be up to par with your usual quality.
Many of the vendors who sell pre-made baskets also offer drop-shipping options. Flora Brown also has compiled a list of companies who drop ship. You can have the baskets delivered directly to the recipient from the company that makes the baskets. Most often, you will be able to have a card attached to the basket with a personal note from the sender.
Whether you decide to buy pre-made baskets and deliver them yourself or have pre-made baskets drop-shipped, make sure you find out about the shipping charges and factor those into whatever price you establish.
September 29th, 2008
“Creating success begins with picturing it” says Ari Weinzweig in an article in September’s issue of Specialty Foods Magazine. Weinzweig calls this process “visioning” and he defines it this way: “A vision is a picture of the success of a project at a particular time in the future…It’s a vivid description of what success looks and feels like for us…what we are able to acheive, and the effect it has on our staff”.
I started thinking about using this process to plan an event for your business. Let’s say that you want to have a Holiday Open House. Start by getting together with your staff and talking about what it will “look like”.
Imagine 100 people strolling through your store. Create your displays in your mind; think about your favorite color schemes. See customers tasting your products and picking up the gifts that you sell. Visualize your staff walking through the store and talking to customers about the products (ingredients, customers’ favorites, how items can be used together in a basket). Want to provide some entertainment for your customers? Envision some musicians playing holiday tunes in a corner of your store. Then, picture your customers ordering holiday baskets for their family, friends and business colleagues.
Now that you have a vision, what do you need to do to actually create this scenario? Ask questions and elicit suggestions from your staff. Your questions should be specifically related to your vision. For example:
- How can you notify as many people as possible so that you can get 100 people into your store? Should you use email, phone contacts or do a mailing? is there a way you can get your local paper to advertise your open house?
- Do you have the materials and fixtures to set up your displays as you envisioned? If not, where can you get them? Do you know someone who can help you build or borrow what you want?
- What does your staff need to know in order to discuss products and designs with your customers? What needs to be done to help them prepare for the big day?
- Do you know anyone who can provide music? If you can arrange this, what do the musicians need in order to set up?
- What products do you want your customers to taste? Do you need coffee pots, plates, napkins, etc. Have you contacted your suppliers to request tasting samples?
- What does your staff need to know to take orders? What would make this an efficient process: new order forms? more computers? Is there a location in the store where you’d like customers to go when they’re ready to order?
This is just a preliminary list of questions. The more questions you ask, the better prepared you’ll be. This process, where you visualize your dream, then work backwards to work out the details, can be applied for any special project you may undertake. I think you’ll like the outcomes!
September 24th, 2008
I always like to see the newest issue of The Gourmet Retailer because it includes a promotional calendar that lists all the special occasions and events of the upcoming month. These “national holidays” can provide a plethora of ideas for gift basket promotions that your business can offer.
Here’s the list for November and some of my ideas for gift basket promotions:
- General Election Day is November 4th. All during the month of October, ask the customers who come into your store to vote on their favoritie cookie. Let your customers know ( by email or text message) that you’ll be sampling cookies all month. Then, on November 4th, promote a gourmet basket that uses the top three winners.
- November is Peanut Butter Lover’s month. Create a basket that includes all the peanut butter products in your line. And don’t forget the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels!
- November 11th is Veterans Day. Offer a holiday discount to military families who want to send something to a loved one overseas. Check out Apex’s Treats for Troopers basket.
- Mickey Mouse’s 80th birthday is on November 18th. Design a new birthday basket for kids using Disney products.
- Thanksgiving fall on November 27th. In mid-October, start notifying your customers that you will have a variety of “Thankful” gourmet baskets that they can send to friends and family. Use email and promotional fliers to show customers your designs. Use a cornucopia basket and fill with fruit plus cookies, cakes and chocolates for a bountiful design. Don’t forget to add a beautiful bow that suggests the Fall season.
Please share your ideas for more Fall Promotions that will bring customers to your store.
September 14th, 2008
Flora Brown does it again! Check out her new web site: Gift Baskets Containers. This resource will help you locate wholesale baskets, bags, boxes, trays and many more unique containers for your gift basket designs. Search the site by type of container or if you are concerned about shipping costs, search by state and find a wholesaler located near your business. In addition to the state by state listing, Flora also includes container resources in Canada.
While you’re visiting the Gift Baskets Containers site, be sure to spend some time looking at Flora’s list of Sister Sites. A wealth of information is included on these sites including gift basket design ideas, gift basket business strategies, ideas for starting a craft business, things to consider when running a home based business and more.
Thank you Flora for providing these valuable resources for gift basket designers and business owners!
September 8th, 2008
“Question: What was the hottest accessory in the United States in the past year? Jewelry? Designer handbags? Oversized sunglasses?
Answer: None of the above. It was reusable shopping bags, sales of which jumped 72 percent from May 2007 through May 2008, according to consumer and retail information company the NPD Group. The bags are at once practical, eco-friendly and trendy, and they’re as likely to be seen on the arms of shoppers in the aisles of your local supermarket as they are on celebrities.” Full Story
Go with the trend and include a reusable shopping bag in your next gift basket design. Available in trendy prints and bold, solid colors, these bags are small enough to fit into a purse or pocket.
You might even create a “Green Gift Bag” promotion featuring these bags. If you sell individual products (in addition to selling finished gift baskets), use the bags to encourage people to return to your store. If you include a reusable shopping in your design, offer customers a discount on some of the products that you sell “over the counter” when they bring their bag to your store. Or ask other merchants in your neighborhood if they’d like to include a coupon in the bag you put in your gift basket design. In return, they could promote your “Green Gift Basket” in their stores.
September 4th, 2008
