Posts filed under 'Promotions'
“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
Don’t miss the article in The Gourmet Retailer Magazine entitled “10 Best Customer Service Ideas”. Some of the ideas that are presented can be implemented easily; others require some more time and planning. But all are sure-fired ways to ensure that you and your staff will give your customers the best service possible (which will keep them coming back!).
One item in this article that astounded me is that “text messaging on mobile phones is becoming the preferred method for mobile marketing”. Now, I just learned how to send and receive text messages, so this suggestion seems a bit odd to me. But “more texts are sent per day than pieces of mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service”. So, why not give it a try?
The author of this article suggests: “To prepare for this technological ad campaign, offer customers a percentage off or gift in exchange for their e-mail address. This is the start of building your e-mailing list.” Once your list is built (and you’ve learned how to text message!), you’re ready to go.
Here’s some success stories: “A national ice cream store recently sent text messages to its customers with a coupon good for one free cone but only on the day of the text message. To receive the free cone, they had to show the text on their cell phone. The response was overwhelming. A pizza parlor in Utah sent a text offering a chance to win a pizza party. Over 1,000 people responded. That is almost unheard of with any other promotional advertising.” And at the Democratic National Convention, delegates were asked to send text messages to encourage voter registration! The Obama campaign used text messaging to announce the vice-presidential candidate and continues to use text messaging to get information to supporters.
I find this to be a fascinating concept and will think about ways to implement text messaging in my business. Please send your comments and ideas about this unconventional, inexpensive, but apparently effective method for marketing.
August 30th, 2008
Do you have a university or college in your town? Young consumers are becoming an increasingly vital part of the marketplace and you might want to consider some gift baskets that cater specifically to this group.
Snacks, cookies, and candies are all time favorites for this age group. Why not create some moderately priced gifts and market these in local coffee shops, the university book store, video stores, and sporting goods stores? Advertise your business in the local college newspaper. Your small packages of nuts, candies, and cookies are the perfect size to toss in a backpack to take on a hiking or biking trip or to the library for some instant energy when studying.
Find out where the kids hang out and see if you can set up a small display. Include a coupon for a discount on their first purchase. Remind them that you can also send a gift to mom or dad for that “almost forgotten” special occasion.
July 6th, 2008
In these days of high gas prices, consumers are making fewer shopping trips than ever before. Coupled with increased demands on our time, we, as consumers, are looking for more services that will make our shopping experiences easier and more efficient.
Consider adding a “Personal Shopper” to the list of services that your business offers to customers. Think about assigning one of your salespeople this new role. This person needs to be up to date on all the trends in the gourmet and gift industries. Reading industry magazines such as Gourmet Retailer and Specialty Foods will be helpful in this respect. Rave Reviews Magazine is perfect for seeing the latest trends specific to the gift basket industry. And of course, this person needs to be very knowledgeable about the products that you carry.
When a customer calls your Personal Shopper, he/she just needs to explain what the gift is for, how much he/she wants to spend, and a little about the person who will receive the gift. Then, the Personal Shopper can take it from there. If your Personal Shopper can create a reputation as a “life-saver” for your customers, this will go a long way towards building a loyalty among your shoppers and will help you acquire many new customers in your area.
June 3rd, 2008
I was just browsing though the May issue of Deliver Magazine, published by the US Postal Service. An article about “cause marketing” caught my eye. According to author Linda Formichelli, “Co-marketing (or cause marketing) your business with a charity helps not only the cause but also your business…87% of Americans ages 13 to 25 would switch brands if one were associated with a good cause” (assuming the brands are comparable).
How can a gourmet gift basket business owner incorporate cause marketing into day to day business planning? The author gave some suggestions about how to go about starting this type of program. First, you need to think about your own values and how these mesh with your business objectives. In other words, ask yourself: What do I stand for? What is important to me? From this, you can logically come up with a cause to support.
For example, if you only use all natural, organic foods in your gourmet baskets, you might pledge some money from each gift basket sale to an organization that supports “green businesses”.
Or you might support a cause that is related to a more personal issue. A gift basket business owner that I know has a nephew with Down Syndrome and at holiday time, hires part-time workers with Downs Syndrome to help with tasks such as packing, putting bows onto baskets, etc. She also donates part of her holiday sales to the national organization.
These days, when people are being more careful about where they spend their money, you may be able to create a win –win situation for your business, the particular cause you support and your community.
Are you interested in “going green”? Check out the new Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags at Apex Gift Foods. These colorful satchels can be used for packing your gourmet baskets or you can insert one in your basket as a gift.
May 17th, 2008
Every month in Gourmet Retailer Magazine, a promotional calendar lists special events and holidays for upcoming months. Create and send your own calendar to your customers by email or direct mail so that they are aware of your creative promotions.
Here are some interesting and fun promotional ideas that you can use to spruce up summer sales.
June 9th is Donald Duck’s birthday. How about a newborn baby basket that includes duckie toys, bibs, cups, and other baby gifts? A cartoon video for older brothers and sisters would also be appreciated!
June 13th is the only Friday the 13th in 2008. Offer a 13% off sale on some of your newest basket designs.
Strawberry season starts on June 22nd. Design a basket that include all of your strawberry flavored items: tea, hard candies, cookies.
One hundred forty nine years ago, on June 27th, the “Happy Birthday to You” song was composed. Offer special pricing on all your birthday baskets during the last week of June.
One last note: June is Effective Communications Month. This might be a good time to have a staff training session that focuses on learning new customer service skills.
May 13th, 2008
In the past, I have written posts on this blog about attending trade shows and how you can make the most of that experience. But, have you ever considered setting up your own booth at a trade show in order to sell your products?
I just read an interesting article “Escaping the Trade Show Money Pit”, that offers excellent advice on this topic. Granted, participating in trade shows as a vendor can be a very expensive and time consuming endeavor. But if you prepare correctly, you can make the most of this opportunity to get your product line in front of buyers.
- Set the Right Objectives. Keep in mind that your trade show experience offers more than just a way to market your product line. In addition to connecting with potential customers, do your homework before the show to find out what other vendors will be participating. You may find new suppliers for your own business. At the gourmet shows that I attend, I meet vendors who sell insurance, equipment, computer software and other products that can help me run my business better.
- Pick the Right Show. Make sure that the buyers who will be attending the show comprise the market that you want to reach. Contact the trade show management to get names of other vendors who will have booths and have participated in prior years. Make a few calls to those vendors and inquire about the types of buyers who attended past shows. Also, ask your current “good” customers which shows they attend and why they like to go to those shows.
- Do Some Pre-Show Marketing. You may be able to get a list of registered buyers from the trade show management. Contact potential buyers through email, direct mail or telemarketing to let them know that you’ll be there. Include your booth number and a short description of the products you’ll be showing. Consider offering a special promotion or giveaway to buyers who come to your booth.
Read the full article to learn more ways to make your trade show experience a success!
April 10th, 2008
This year, Administrative Professionals Week will be celebrated April 20th-26th. It is always observed during the last full week in April. According to IAAP, the International Association of Administrative Professionals, “this annual event was originally organized in 1952 as National Secretaries Week. It was established as an effort to recognize secretaries for their contributions in the workplace and to attract people to secretarial/administrative careers”.
In Volume 5, Issue 1 of Rave Reviews Magazine, author Gayle Gallager gives some great advice about how to make the most of this holiday. “You have to please two bosses on this occasion. Your gift recipient is the boss you have to please with your gift. Your customer is the BIG BOSS who must be pleased with the convenience, service and value that you provide.”
With this mind, take the time to investigate what will work best by interviewing both the “bosses”. Talk to some business owners that you know and find out what they would be willing to spend for a gift. Then talk to some administrative professionals and find out what type of gifts they would prefer to receive. By doing some informal research, you can please both “bosses” and make this a profitable holiday for your gift basket business.
March 25th, 2008
On the Gourmet Retailer web site, you can learn how to execute promotions that work! Several retailers shared their ideas about creative and fun promotions that have worked for them.
Chris Beykirch, a retailer who offered some ideas for the article suggests the following ideas that will help you be successful. Here are a few of his tips. Read the full article for more great ideas.
“Place someone outside your store to help people remember to come in that day. Ask vendors to provide merchandise to give away throughout the day. Free items always attract crowds.”
“HAVE FUN. No event should ever be so stressful that you hate it. Bring in balloons, set up posters and treat your staff to a catered lunch.”
“Get things ready at least two weeks before the event so that it is a low-stress day. Make sure the entire staff is on hand to help customers on the day of the promotion.”
I’ve also mentioned before that Gourmet Retailer Magazine includes a promotional calendar in every issue that highlights special holidays and events for each month of the year. Here are some ideas to help you plan great promotions for May, 2008.
May 5th is Cinco de Mayo. a Mexican holiday that celebrates freedom and liberty! Create a basket of Mexican gourmet favorites and promote this to your customers. If you have a Mexican grocery store or restaurant in your neighborhood, join forces to promote both your businesses.
May 7th is National Nurses Day. For any of your customers who work in the health care industry, offer a discount on a basket of their choice.
National Chocolate Chip Day is May 15th. Just imagine a whole basket full of delicious chocolate chip cookies. Include your favorites from a variety of manufacturers and ask your customers to vote for their favorites.
May is also Family Wellness Month, National Barbeque Month, and National Military Appreciation Day. Share your ideas with others for unique baskets and promotions that you can build around these holidays.
March 19th, 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
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