Gift Basket Business Blog

New Digital Magazine Ideal for Gift Basket Businesses

Lorie Obernauer — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:24:48 +0000

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.

Prepare Now for Holiday Gift Basket Profits

Lorie Obernauer — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 04:03:10 +0000

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.

Handling Employee Stress

Lorie Obernauer — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:54:09 +0000

If you listen to the news or read the newspaper on a regular basis, you are bombarded by problems and crisis: oil spills and accompanying safety issues, displaced workers striking out against former employers and co-workers, nations at war, economic problems, political dissent and more, more, more. As business owners, we need to recognize that these critical situations can affect our workers too and create new challenges the in workplace. As our employees are faced with stressful situations outside of the work situation, they often bring their worries into the workplace and negatively affect the work environment.

As business owners, we can’t solve the world’s problems, or even our employees’ problems, but we can still help our employees and ourselves during these uncertain times. An article that I read in Incentive Magazine describes 10 ways that we can keep our staff motivated and energized while at work.

I especially like the two following suggestions but read the full article for a new look at things you can do to alleviate stress in your organization.

“Hold regular team or staff meetings. Consistent communication and awareness-building are essential. Keep everyone posted on the latest developments and be upfront about the unknowns. ”

“Emphasize the importance of looking after oneself. Provide internal and external resources for health and wellness improvement, with tips for getting proper rest, healthy nutrition, and keeping physically fit.

Are You Ready to Change Your Gift Basket Business?

Lorie Obernauer — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:56:01 +0000

This is a quote from “The Week”, July 2 – 9, 2010.

“The more successful companies become, the more difficult it is for them to recognize when they must change. We all know that many industries, such as entertainment, education, publishing and financial services, are going to look very different tomorrow, yet today’s market leaders will probably be the last ones to transform themselves, even if they realize they must in order to survive. Why do companies find it so tough to tackle the obvious? One reason could be that over time, successful enterprises create distinct business ideologies–specific ideas about how to compete, performance measures, organizational structures, and whom to reward. The beliefs and practices constitute a company’s dominant logic. Every employee know: That’s the way we do things here. But these success factors often turn into orthodoxies, and no one challenges them”.
C.K. Prahalad in Harvard Business Review

Does this describe your business? Even if you’ve been very successful, things change. The economy takes a nose dive. New office equipment becomes available that works faster and more efficiently. Your customers buying habits and preferences are shifting. We need to keep our eye on market trends and consumers behaviors. We need to watch what’s happening in other business sectors, see how they’re adapting to new market forces and think about that applies to our gift basket businesses.

But most importantly, we need to be willing to change. We need to be willing to consider new ideas and take some risks. We need to be open to the possibilities.

Don’t Forget About Print for Gift Basket Marketing

Lorie Obernauer — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:51:33 +0000

In May, 2010, FedEX Office released the results of its third annual survey of small businesses. Read the full article and consider their findings as you make your marketing for the remainder of the year.

The first interesting and encouraging finding: “almost three-quarters (72%) of small business owners say they will be the driving force behind the U.S. economic recovery in 2010″. This optimism is a real testament to the veracity of small business owners and the importance of small businesses in the marketplace.

Other provocative findings: 61% believe traditional marketing and advertising methods are more effective than web-based counterparts at bringing in customers”. And 44% of small business owners plan to grow business in 2010 by increasing communication with customers via printed materials”.

While we need to keep up with our on-line presence, don’t forget about more traditional avenues for advertising such as newsletters and direct mail.

Sizzling Summer Marketing for Your Gift Basket Business

Lorie Obernauer — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:23:48 +0000

There are many ways that you can get the word out about your business. Yes, we should all be learning about social media and how we can make it work for us in our marketing efforts. But don’t forget about the “old fashioned” ways of letting people know about your business.For some inexpensive, simple ways to do some marketing, read the from Vertical Response, a company that specializes in email marketing for small businesses. Here are some ideas I like:

Ask your loyal customers to spread the word. Offer them a discount or gift for new customer they refer.

Consider offering free samples of your products. A small sample of one of your favorite gourmet treats may do the trick. Most people love free food! Make it something that they’ll remember and will help them remember you.

Make your network work for you. Other businesses can help you by putting your business card or flier in with their purchases. Offer to do the same for them.

Sometimes, the simplest connections that we make with our customers will be the most effective promotion we can do! The techniques presented in this article rely on personal contacts to make connections to customers. Remember the lemonade stand that you set up with your friends? Your neighbors stopped by because they knew you and your family and bought a glass of lemonade because of that connection. Maybe we need to think about this when we think about marketing strategies for our businesses.

Don’t Miss the National Gift Basket Convention

Lorie Obernauer — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:22:50 +0000

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!

Should Gift Basket Businesses Get on the Social Media Bandwagon?

Lorie Obernauer — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:57:49 +0000

We hear and read so much about Facebook and Twitter. We are advised that we should be using social media marketing techniques in our businesses. Many business owners are scrambling to get online and post, post, post! But does all this networking really matter?

Read John Jantach’s post on Duct Tape Marketing: “Why Social Media Doesn’t Matter Anymore”. To put it simply, John’s take on the issue is this: “Everything that we called social media is irrelevant and mislabed – there’s a new way of doing business and marketing for sure, but it’s a behavior and focus on customer involvement that’s become a new norm – and that’s all there is to it”.

I find this to be a very refreshing and interesting way to look at this issue. We can get so tied up in setting up our web sites, our Facebook and Twitter pages, that we may be forgetting the most important thing to do to market our businesses: find ways to create connections between our businesses and our customers….and this is often accomplished through the “personal touch”. Connecting on a personal level with our customers may still be the most important way we can acquire their loyalty.

Read the full article and weigh in with your opinion….What are you doing to make “real” connections with your customers? Maybe we should all be spending more time on “face to face” meetings with our customers instead of Facebook connections!

Gift Basket Design Contest

Lorie Obernauer — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:03:02 +0000

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”.

Use Teamwork to Build Your Gift Basket Business

Lorie Obernauer — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:27:46 +0000

I just got back from a conference where I was facilitating the creation of a new organization for people who work in alumni relations. What struck me most about the meeting was the power of the group as we shared information about the work we do and brainstormed ideas for promoting our new organization. It occurred to me that if we use the power of the “group” in our gift basket businesses, and help our employees feel comfortable working as a team, we can probably be more successful than when we try to carry the burden alone.

In order to encourage teamwork in the workplace, it is critical that as business owners, we recognize and value the people who work in our companies. Each employee brings a unique set of skills and a special perspective to the workplace, based upon his/her past experiences. Author Ken Blanchard says it best: “None of us is as smart as all of us”.

Check out this article on Buzzle.com for many links to articles about teamwork in the workplace, why it’s important, and how we can cultivate a workplace that emphasizes it’s importance. Our employees will thrive if we ask them to share their perspective and utilize some of their ideas. In turn, they are likely to work harder if they’ve had input about the products and services you offer. Customers will be more satisfied and your business will profit. It’s a win/win for everyone!