Posts filed under 'New Products & Trends'
There’s a new trade industry magazine for gift basket business buyers who want to expand their product line. Gift, Gourmet, & Decor Plus is for the buyer who wants to stay ahead in the competitive marketplace. Presented by Giftware News, a long time resource for gift basket businesses, Gift, Gourmet, & Decor Plus will allow buyers to view products in a variety of market segments, identify trends, find out about industry trade shows, and discover new opportunities for cross merchandising.
Check out the August issue of this new online magazine and find the perfect products for your gourmet and gift sales. Go to the Gift, Gourmet & Decor Plus website, and sign up for your complimentary, online subscription.
September 1st, 2010
Now is the right time to prepare for the holidays. Yes, it’s not even Labor Day, but the holidays will be here before you know it. And by preparing now, you can be ready for any surprises that may come up during the hectic days in November and December.
I just read a good article that offers six suggestions for holiday prep work that you can do right now. Read the full article for all the suggestions….and consider some of these:
- Think about the customers who you want to attract. Who bought your gift baskets last holiday season? Were most of your holiday sales made to women? to men? what age group? Use this information to design advertising materials and promotions that will appeal to those customers.
- Start looking through industry magazines and web sites to get an idea of the gourmet products that are “hot” this year. Specialty Food News is a great resource to learn about trends in our industry.
- Browse the internet and look at holiday products that are being shown by large retailers. Are you seeing certain design styles or colors?
- Confirm with your vendors that you’ll be able the items that you want to use in gift baskets will be available.
- Check with your usual shipping company to find out if rates will be increasing. Take the time to check other shippers to find out about their current rates.
August 27th, 2010
Mark your calendars and make your travel plans: The Ultimate Gift Show National Gift Basket Professional Convention will be held in Canton, Ohio, July 23 – 25. Don’t miss this opportunity for 13 hours of seminars, 10 hours of trade show, unlimited networking and hands-on workshops.
Check out the fantastic selection of educational seminars and workshops. Top leaders in the gift basket industry will be sharing their best ideas! You’ll learn how to organize your design room for maximum efficiency and your displays for maximum impact. Debbie Quintana, from the Gift Basket Association, will tell you how to promote yourself and your business. Learn how to expand bridal events with Mary Anne Jacobs. Get tips on managing your inventory, handling your customer service phones and much much more.
You still have time to take advantage of special registration and hotel rates. Don’t miss this premier industry event!
June 26th, 2010
Are you ready for a challenge? Enter the Gift Basket Association Design Contest! Winners will be chosen in four categories and those designs will be featured on the Gift Basket Association web site as well as in Trends and Tips magazine.
Don’t know about the Gift Basket Association? GBA is a “community of gift basket professionals that work together to uplift the gift basket industry”. Debbie Quintina launched this membership organization one year ago, and it has quickly become an essential resource for gift basket retailers. The GBA web site offers opportunities for networking, advertising, and learning. You will learn about the latest design trends, business strategies, the newest technology for marketing and promotions, and much, much more. And GBA Talk will connect you to other professionals from whom you can learn.
Get involved and join other gift basket professionals in the “spirit of support and collaboration”.
June 15th, 2010
Mark your calendar for the Summer Fancy Food Show, June 27 – 29, 2010 in New York City. Here’s what you can expect: “180,000 products including confections, cheese, coffee, snacks, spices, ethnic, natural, organic and more. 2,500 exhibitors, 81 countries represented and 24,000 attendees!”
Register for the show before May 21st and pay just $35. After May 22nd, the registration fee will be $60. You can also take advantage of New York City Deals: discounts on dining, entertainment, parking and more.
Educational workshops start on Friday, June 25th and include topics such as 7 Ways to Evaluate Your Product’s Branding and Packaging to Respond to Changing Markets, Social Media Strides in Specialty Food, Pricing Your Gift Baskets with Profit and Goals. Check out the full slate of workshops and sign up for special discount packages.
If you want to do some “pre-show” shopping, or you’re not able to attend the show, check out “What’s New, What’s Hot” on the Specialty Food web site. Browse new products, organic products and a special section that lists holiday and gift items.
May 6th, 2010
Chicago, Illinois is the home for the 2010 Sweets & Snacks Expo (formerly the All Candy Expo), May 25 – 27, 2010. This is the largest venue in the Americas to see new products and new trends, in new categories, with new merchandising concepts, from new exhibitors.
At the New Products Showcase, you’ll see the best new products that will be introduced at the show. Over 450 exhibitors will be displaying chocolates, candies, cookies, crackers, snacks, nuts and more. And keynote speakers at informative education sessions will present topics that will help you grow your business.
For registration details, go to Sweets & Snacks Expo 2010.
April 6th, 2010
Packaged Facts, a marketing research company, estimates that total coffee market sales, including food service and retail, rose to $48 billion in 2009, with annual growth of 4% in 2008 and 2009.” And according to Consumer’s Reports, “The average coffee drinker consumes more than 1,000 cups of coffee a year, and for most people, it’s coffee blends.” With these numbers in mind, it certainly makes sense for gift basket retailers to continue to include a coffee in their basket designs.
Check out the variety of appealing coffees at Apex Gift Foods. You’ll find coffees in attractive colorful packaging that will complement many of your basket designs. Choose from coffees with liquor flavoring, sweet flavors including double chocolate or chocolate raspberry coffee, unusual flavors such as including blueberry muffin and sticky toffee buns, or more traditional blends such italian roast. Mention that you read this blog posting and receive 5% off your coffee purchase!
March 14th, 2010
Well gift basket business owners: if you weren’t able to get to San Francisco for the Fancy Food Show, January 17th – 19th, you can still read about new products in the marketplace and expected food trends for 2010. For those of you who have never attended, the Winter Fancy Food Show had over 80,000 products displayed. Displays included products for restaurants, large and small grocery stores, gift stores, hospitality venues,and yes….gift basket businesses. Although you may have missed tasting all the interesting and exquisite new foods, you can still learn a lot that will benefit your business.
According to a blog posting from Gourmet Retailer, “a panel of food experts selected the top five food trends for 2010, including good-for-you foods; coconut; gluten-free; exotic citrus; and nostalgic foods.” While it may be difficult to relate these trends directly to your gift basket business, i think it’s important to read the articles and blog postings about the show so that you can get a “picture” of what consumers will be seeing when they visit their grocery and gourmet food stores. This may lead you to making certain choices of products for your baskets. For example, if you frequently use fruit drinks in your designs, you may consider a coconut flavor or citrus flavor for 2010. If consumers are interested in “nostalgic foods”, then you may want to design a breakfast basket with pancake mix and maple syrup or a basket filled with soup and biscuits mixes.
I’ve listed some links below that will take you to articles and blogs about the Fancy Food Show. Some will be very useful, others will just be fun to read. Take some time to look at these, then keep your mind open to the possibilities when you plan your designs for 2010 gift baskets.
February 1st, 2010
The National Gift Basket Professional Convention has merged with the Ultimate Gift Show for a bigger and better opportunity for 2010! The convention will be filled with over 15 hours of seminars, including a 3 hour, hands-out workshops. Attendees can visit with vendors at the Trade Show to see the newest, hottest products in the marketplace. Time is scheduled for “Discussion Groups” so that you can get answers from the experts. And networking opportunities will be unlimited.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: JULY 23-25, 2010, CANTON, OHIO
Who should attend this extraordinary event?
- Retailers and Gift Providers
- Gift Basket Professionals
- Floral and Balloon Designers
- Hospital Gift Shop Managers
- Resort Gift Shop Managers
- Coffee Shop and Tea Shop Managers
- Garden Centers
- Wineries
- Event Planners
- Everyone who wants to take their business to a higher level!
Register today and take advantage of Early Bird Specials! Go to the Gift Basket Professional Convention or the Ultimate Gift Show web sites for full registration and travel details.
Representatives from Apex Gift Foods will be there to show you the best selection of gourmet products for the 2010 holiday season. Hope to see you there!
January 23rd, 2010
![MCj00902990000[1].jpg](http://www.apexgiftbasketpros.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/MCj00902990000%5B1%5D.jpg)
We used to call it a suggestion box. But now, Starbucks has taken the idea “high-tech” and is “getting ideas from customers via the Internet. The coffee shop chain launched the social web site “MyStarbucks-Idea.com” in March 2008. So far, it has received more than 80,000 suggestions through the site” – and actually implemented a few of these ideas in its stores. Full story.
Many companies are now using social networking sites to interact with their customers. No longer is this a “one-way” line of communication with the company promoting products and services. Now, companies are looking for suggestions from customers in an attempt to get some ideas regarding what will bring customers in and keep them coming back.
This doesn’t have to be complicated. If you have a web site, you might simply think about adding a link to your personal email address so that customers can communicate their ideas. Although many web sites have a “contact us” link, I usually think that those emails go to an empty room…does anyone really read those? Check out the Apex Gift Foods home page to see what I’m proposing. Then send me a message with your suggestions!
September 20th, 2009
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