How to Create A Gift Basket Club Program

June 12, 2008 · Filed Under Sales and Marketing 

After ordering a gift basket starter kit, an aspiring designer sent me a question about the business.

“How can I get people to buy from me every month?”

My answer — create a “gift basket of the month club.”

You’re familiar with these types of clubs. They’re offered by record companies, fruit firms, and book sellers, so the model is already in place. Your mission is to:

  • Research their terms to write your program’s rules
  • Decide what type of gift basket will be offered each month, and
  • Market these specialty baskets online and through direct mail (postcards, brochures, etc.)
  • It will take planning on your part to create each basket’s theme and determine product selection. However, the revenue generated will show a huge increase in your monthly sales.

    Corporations are prime targets for this campaign. They have employee-of-the-month programs for which your baskets make perfect gifts. And that’s just one idea. You’ll find more as you develop your club program.

    If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

    Comments

    2 Responses to “How to Create A Gift Basket Club Program”

    1. Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. on June 12th, 2008 4:02 pm

      Shirley,

      This is a great idea for gift basket retailers. One basketeer created a basket of the month at a set price and notified customers every month by postcard. She priced it affordably, a little below the average costs of her baskets.

      The beauty of this plan is it allows you complete freedom in the design, you can use inventory that is slow-moving, and it motivates customers to buy since they don’t have to quibble over what will be in it–it’s already been decided.

    2. Shirley George Frazier on June 12th, 2008 11:37 pm

      Flora, what you share is a terrific example of how such a program is beneficial to both the designer and client.

      I love what you say about slow-moving inventory, which easily blends with everyday favorites to create beautiful baskets each month.

    Leave a Reply