Gift Basket Business Blog

Present Your Gift Basket Prices With Confidence

As we attempt to come up with ways to attract new customers to our businesses, we might revert to discounts and price slashing. These days, as buyers are more careful about their spending, we can easily start to believe that we have to lower our prices in order to get their business.

If instead, we present our products and services with clarity and confidence, we may find that customers are happy to pay the prices we are asking. When showing a gift basket design to a potential customer, describe in detail, what is included in the basket. Do your research on the products that you offer. Many manufacturers have web sites that you can access for details about their products: ingredients, nutrition, etc. These web sites also can give you some interesting ideas about the history of the company and product line which will help to convince your customer that you “know your stuff”.

Also, be sure to be very clear about the services you offer and how those will benefit the customer. Be thorough in describing your delivery policies, shipping procedures, any follow-up that you might do after the basket is delivered, how you handle special requests, orders for special occasions, etc.

The more concise you are about what you offer, the more confident you are when making your presentation, the more likely you can get the price you want for your gift baskets.

1 comment August 29th, 2009

New Promotions for Your Gift Basket Business

As we move into the Fall and Holiday season with assurances that the economy may be making a comeback, we still need to think about ways to attract customers. Many people are still being very careful about what they spend. So it’s up to us to think about ways to assure our customers that we are still trying to give them the best quality products and service that we can offer.

With this goal in mind, Apex Gift Foods is introducing several new programs this year.

• With the “Apex Xtras Value Priced Items” program, Apex has designated many popular products that have been priced so that customers receive the best values in the marketplace. These are all “name brand” items from major manufacturers who cater to gift basket businesses such as Ghirardelli, Mille Lacs, First Colony, Vision Pak, Lindt, Walker and Nikkis Cookies. As a buyer for your gift basket business, you can be assured that your customers will receive high quality gourmet items while you save on your purchases.

• A new line of “Recession Buster Gourmet Assortments” is also available this year at Apex. The same fine quality nuts, snacks, candies and chocolates that Apex has sold for years, have been repackaged in smaller bags. Once again, you can feel confident that your customers will receive the excellent products they have grown to expect in your gift basket designs.

In your gift basket business, you can offer the same type of “value” in the baskets that you design. By pricing your most popular baskets at prices that are a lower than in the past, you may make up in volume what you will lose in your mark-up. For customers who are willing to spend a bit more, offer similar designs that include more products, a fancier container, or more enhancements.

You may also want to consider a line of “Recession Buster Baskets”. Design a line of gifts that are a little simpler than some of your current baskets. Use a fewer products or choose a less expensive container. Take advantage of sales offered by your vendors to purchase the products that you like. Continue to offer “good value” by creatively presenting the basket design accented with an inexpensive, colorful wired ribbon bow. Show these “Recession Buster Baskets” alongside more expensive versions of the basket for those customers who are willing to spend a bit more.

Now is the time to think creatively. Let your customers know that you have their needs and concerns in mind. You’ll be satisfying your existing customers while attracting a new group of buyers who will come back again.

Add comment August 16th, 2009

Hiring the Right People for Your Gift Basket Business

With the holiday season approaching, you may be considering whether you need extra help. If you’re thinking about hiring soon, first take some time to figure out exactly what you need. Here are some tips for tackling this process.

Spend several days with your staff and just observe. When do your procedures break down? When does customer service begin to deteriorate? If your designers have trouble getting back to their work after they answer a phone call, maybe you need someone to answer the phone and take orders. If finished basket designs are sitting in the design room for too long, maybe you need extra help in your shipping department. If the shipping department is backed up, watch what they’re doing. Maybe your shippers need some help preparing shipping boxes for packing and replenishing supplies. If your staff asks the same questions repeatedly, maybe you need to clarify certain procedures. Once you correctly identify the problem, you can more accurately come up with a solution.

Once you’ve identified where you need extra help, think about the skills needed to carry out those tasks. While we traditionally use interview questions to find out about an interviewee’s skills and experiences, many applicants know the “right answers”, but don’t really know how to do what they say they can do.

How about trying some role playing? Watch how the person puts together the pieces of the puzzle. If you need someone to answer the phone and take orders, watch and listen to them answer a phone call. Let the person you’re interviewing pretend that he/she works in a clothing store (or sporting goods store, food store or any business he/she is familiar with). Have one of your other employees be the “customer” and call in to place an order. How does the interviewee answer the phone? How does he/she begin the conversation? Are suggestions offered? Are good questions asked? Does he/she ask all of the pertinent information needed for getting an order right. If the interviewee handles the call well, it is likely he/she will be able to learn your products and procedures and apply his/her “telephone skills” to your business.

You can use role playing to discern skills needed for any task that needs to be done. Ask the person who is applying for a job in your shipping department to pack a fragile item. Have a “would be” designer create a basket using your products.  Have a potential customer service person handle a “customer” who comes into your store with a complaint.

What are some techniques you use to hire the right people for your business?

Add comment August 9th, 2009