“As more than 2 million U.S. couples sort out their wedding budgets–which averaged $28,732 in 2007, according to The Wedding Report Inc.–they’ll collectively be spending more than $62.8 billion this year to make the experience as memorable and personal as possible.” Full Article
Wow! So how can you create a niche for your gift basket business within this lucrative industry? Maybe it’s best to start in your own community and find out what goods and services are already being offered to brides and grooms. Over the slow summer months, visit some of these businesses in your neighborhood.
- Florists
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Bridal Shops
- Tuxedo Rental Shops
- Hair and Nail Salons
- Bakeries
- Photographers
- Caterers
At each stop, make sure you leave information about the services that you offer and discuss how you might work cooperatively. For example, a florist who only does bouquets and reception flowers may be willing to give your name to the bride who is interested in “welcome” gift baskets for guests who are coming in from out of town. The photographer might allow you to leave one of your samples in his showroom.
Also check out your Yellow Pages for “bridal or wedding consultants”. In the past decade, the need for someone to “take care of all the details” has grown and consultants are involved in all phases of planning and organizing the wedding. Creating a good working relationship with the local wedding consultant may go a long way to helping you get involved in the wedding business.
You may also want to think about carrying some wedding items that you can include in your gourmet basket. Wine glasses for the couple’s first toast, a guest register book and plumed pen, or a wedding garter would be perfect accessories to add in your wedding gourmet designs.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:48am
Lorie Obernauer
Marketing, marketing, marketing! As business owners, we hear that we should do this to make our businesses grow. But what does that mean? What do we really have to do? How much time will this take?
It’s sounds overwhelming, but if you consider marketing to be all the things you do to sell your products and services, it’s actually much simpler than you think.
I recently read an article written several years ago: 33 Tips for Marketing Success and I think the ideas that the author describes are still the way to go for the busy business owner. The author suggests that you do 3-5 of these activities every day and get into the habit of marketing. Some of these involve more work than others, but all are suggested as a way for you to keep thinking about how you can make your business better!
Here are some of my favorites:
- Write a hand-written thank you note to one of your customers.
- Ask your staff what your best selling gift basket was during the past month and get their thoughts about why customers chose that basket.
- Visit a competitor’s web site.
- Invite a customer in to look at some of your new design ideas.
- Visit your neighborhood businesses and look at how they display their products.
- Call your local newspaper and find out who writes articles about local businesses.
- Review your customer list and make sure that it’s up to date. Make notes about customers who you haven’t heard from in a while and make a personal phone call to remind them that you’re around.
To be a good marketer, you need to think creatively about your business and think about it every day! What are some of your successful marketing ideas?
July 30th, 2008 at 10:08pm
Lorie Obernauer
Although we are all concerned about the economy, it’s still important to plan now for your holiday line of gourmet baskets and gifts. It is more critical than ever to offer something unique to your customers. While gourmet treats are always appreciated, consumers are looking more and more for gift items that are keepsakes.
Apex Gift Foods is now offering a line of holiday table accessories, including placemats, coasters, napkins and rings and table runners. These exquisite items, in ivory satin and embroidered with red, jeweled poinsettias, will be a lovely accessory to add to your holiday gourmet designs. Go to Apex Gift Foods for more details about this exclusive line of holiday table accessories.
Keep your eyes peeled for gourmet gifts and accessories that will make your gourmet baskets stand out from the crowd. Your customers, who are sending gift baskets to their friends, families and business associates, want their gift to be meaningful and remembered. Try something new in your designs and you’ll find that customers will come back for more!
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:52am
Lorie Obernauer
In a on-line newsletter that I receive, I read that “according to some estimates, spam increased over 150% in 2007 and represents nearly 70% of all email traffic.” When I first open my email in the morning, I take the time to delete the spam from my mailbox. On some mornings, this takes just a few minutes. On other mornings, I might have over 100 spam messages to delete. And it takes up way too much of time to delete!
If you want to know more about spam filters and how to reduce spam coming into your mailbox, read the full article: “Internet Tips & Traps: Stop the Resurgence of Spam”. One of the challenges in using spam filters is how to avoid filtering messages that you do want to receive.
You may be surprised to learn that one of the best ways to avoid spam is to DO NOTHING! What could be easier than that? You can also get a second email address for your private correspondence.
For more tips and information about all things “internet”, go to “Go Daddy Connections”.
July 15th, 2008 at 01:08pm
Lorie Obernauer
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 at 05:27pm
Lorie Obernauer
Looking for a new idea for creative gift baskets? Check out Moviegiftbaskets.net. The author has some great ideas for putting together baskets that include a DVD plus gourmet treats, gift cards and other items that are “educational and inspiring”.
Not only will you read about special gift basket themes for kids, coworkers and friends, you’ll find a list of popular movie titles and step by step instructions for building a movie gift basket.
Delight your clients with this new basket design. Ask them to tell you what types of movies the recipient prefers: comedies, action, drama, etc. Encourage your customers to offer suggestions about what to include in the basket. And don’t forget the popcorn!!
I think you’ll find this to be lucrative and fun! Go to Moviegiftbaskets.net for more information.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:24am
Lorie Obernauer
Specialty Food Magazine, June 2008, includes an article by Ari Weinzweig entitled “Strategic Merchandising”. Try to get hold of a copy of this issue. As usual, Mr. Weinzweig offers some great ideas for enhancing our customers’ shopping experiences. Following are some ways that we can “do better” with our marketing.
When we’re creating sales materials, brochures or signs, we should “use a beginner’s mind”. The author suggests that we shouldn’t assume that the reader is familiar with what we’re selling. Cut back on technical terms and use plain, simple language to describe your products or promotions. Show your materials to someone who doesn’t work for you and see if he/she understands what you’re selling or trying to promote. If that person has questions, so will your customers.
Also, make sure that your product descriptions accurately describe what you’re selling. Don’t exaggerate! If customers get something different from what you’ve described, you’re sure to have unhappy customers.
Another place where we can improve our marketing is on our web sites. After you create your web site, your work is just beginning! We need to update and scrutinize our sites on a regular basis. Try to set aside 1 hour a week to look at your web site. Work on 1 page at a time. Make sure your links are working. Make sure that your product descriptions are up to date and your prices are correct. There’s no better way to antagonize a customer than to show a price on your web site then charge something different! Once you’ve looked at the full site, go back to the beginning and start again. Add new products, change the order in which products are listed: keep it looking fresh!
It takes work to continue to please our customers. By providing accurate information in a clear, concise, and attractive manner will do a lot to increase customer satisfaction.
June 22nd, 2008 at 08:40am
Lorie Obernauer
It’s in all the news: plastic vs. paper! I just read about some proposed legislation to require consumers to pay a fee to carry groceries home in plastic or paper! Personally, I am a supporter and follower of the “reusable bag” camp. If you are too, consider a new gift to add to your gourmet baskets: Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags.
Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bags are spreading the environmental message with style. Lightweight and portable, each bags roll up into itself and snaps shut. Help your customers support an eco-friendly alternative to paper and plastic bags by including an Envirosax in your gift basket designs.
June 15th, 2008 at 06:24pm
Lorie Obernauer
The 54th annual Fancy Food Show will be held in New York, June 29 - July 1, 2008. This is NASFT’s largest show ever, with over 200 exhibitors. According the Specialty Food Magazine, there will be an “unprecedented number of natural and organic products shown throughout the show”.
Go to the NASFT web site for registration information, exhibitor list, educational programs, and hotels and travel.
If you’re unable to make this show, think about attending the Winter Fancy Food Show to be held in San Francisco, January 18-20, 2009.
June 10th, 2008 at 08:18pm
Lorie Obernauer
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 at 01:42pm
Lorie Obernauer
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