Archive for January, 2011
The newest issue of Gift, Gourmet and Decor magazine is now available online. One of the best features in the magazine is the “Idea Calendar”. In the January issue, you’ll find an idea for promoting your gift baskets for each day of February and March.
In this same issue, I found several articles that prompted marketing ideas that could be applied to any gift basket business. For example, the article entitled “Lasting Ties” talks about how you can promote your business in the collegiate market. Another article, “Plush Perfection” lists the latest products and news from the plush toy industry. (Stuffed animals have long been a popular addition to many gift basket designs.) After reading “Not Your Mother’s Diaper Bag”, I realized that a diaper bag might in fact, be a terrific container for a New Baby gift basket!
Don’t miss future issues of Gift, Gourmet and Decor magazine. There’s a lot to learn! Go to Gift, Gourmet and Decor Plus to receive your own free, digital copy.
January 30th, 2011
The 2011 NASFT Fancy Food Trade show is over. Even if you weren’t there, you can still learn about the newest products and trends in the gourmet industry. During the 3 day show, a group of industry experts toured the show and compiled a list of “top trends”.
“Among the trends identified were:
- Chocolate for Breakfast, including tea, Belgian waffles, granola and hot chocolate on a stick.
- Foods for Healing, such as ancient teas, aloe and cucumber drinks, plus micro-batches of healthful beverages.
- New Noodles, made of ingredients such as yam, kelp, farro and spelt.
- Heat with Flavor, including ingredients such as ghost peppers and wasabi paired with yuzu.
- Creative Chips, made with ingredients such as pinto bean, naan, peas, mung beans, kale and wild rice.
With this list in mind, ask your current suppliers whether they carry any of these categories of products. Or, go to the NASFT web site and check out “What’s New, What’s Hot” for an extensive list of products shown at the 2011 Fancy Food Show. Included is a complete directory so that you can contact vendors directly for more information.
Note: In the January issue of Specialty Food magazine, you’ll also find an article “2011 Trends: What to Expect in Confections”.
January 25th, 2011
You may attend a certain number of industry trade shows to find new products for your gift basket designs. I recently posted a blog about one of the biggest trade shows for gift basket businesses: The NASFT Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. But there are also many trade show opportunities where you can display and sell your gift baskets.
Go to SmartTradeShows.com to learn how to find a trade show that’s right for you. The first step is to write some goals: what do you want to accomplish by being a vendor at a trade show? For example, do you want to “engage current customers, initiate new contacts, or reach future key decision makers?”
Next, you can easily find information about trade shows all over the country. “Public libraries and the internet both provide directories and descriptions of upcoming trade shows. Another good idea is to check for regional and national conventions, since many associations hold trade shows simultaneously with conventions.”
Once you identify the trade show opportunities where you might set up a display, contact the show organizers to collect some more information. Find out how many people attended prior shows and collect demographics to determine if attendees might be potential buyers of the products you sell. You can also get a list of other vendors who displayed at the show in the past and call them directly to find out about their experience.
Read the full article for more trade show tips. Also, check out Amazing Mail, one of many companies that can help you promote your business at a trade show.
January 19th, 2011
In the world of electronics and social media, I often feel like a dinosaur. I’m told to connect to everyone that I know (and knew in high school). Mechanized devices have taken over my life. I’ve finally given in to using my phone to help me find my next meal, entertainment, and look up definitions for obscure words that I read on my Kindle.
This year, I’m going to try a “new” way to connect with my customers (and my friends and loved ones). My plan is to buy some new stationary and write some personal notes!
I think that first month of the New Year is a good time to write a note to my best customers. I might suggest that we meet for coffee. I might ask about their kids or mention my new dog. I hope this type of connection will be meaningful to my customers, but that’s not even important. It will give me an opportunity to consider the people that I do business with in a new way, and share a bit of myself without a device in my hand (other than a pen!)
P.S. You can “google” and find 100’s of web sites that will teach you how to write a personal note. Does everything have to be on the web????
P.P.S. I may just buy a fountain pen!
January 9th, 2011
