A good friend recently ordered a gift basket for a charity event to be held later this month.

She requested that the gift include spa items.

Lotions, creams, powders, and sponges were selected from my inventory along with herbal teas and a rose petal-covered tea cup and saucer.

Then I began looking for a container to arrange this large selection.

I checked my baskets and then searched for a miniature bathtub to accentuate the theme, but there was one container that stood above all others – a mahogany treasure chest with leather straps on the front.

This chest is deeper than the one displayed in The Gift Basket Design Book, and similar to that chest, this one turned an ordinary gift into a luxurious presentation.

You can see the finished results (before the bow and shrink wrap were added) in the above picture.

How often do you choose a gift basket container that’s not an exact match for the theme but does match the elegance of the overall arrangement?

Shirley George Frazier

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If you’ve seen beautiful baskets or containers in the past with wide openings between the wicker or wire, which made you shy away from buying it because you were unsure how to create an attractive design, the above video shares an easy solution to this problem.

I only purchased tightly-woven containers when first entering the industry, but that couldn’t continue.

Baskets in gorgeous colors, styles, and shapes were too hard to pass up, so I figured out how to design them without allowing the shred to escape or floral foam to show.

The fix is very simple. Watch the video. Then share with us other solutions in the comments section that you have for masking the design elements of wide weave baskets and containers.

Shirley George Frazier

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Baskets reign in our industry as the basic foundation.

Containers, boxes, wire-framed items, and more also anchor great designs, but the basket identifies this business more prominently than other vessels.

That’s why designers are so choosy about sizes, colors, shapes, and pricing.

It’s all to make sure that our customers and recipients are pleased with what they give and receive.

We’re also very careful to find the best basket sources in the closest locations. If you’re located 3,000 miles away from the supplier, shipping charges will cost a pretty penny. But if you happen to live close to a facility, the cost per basket will stay low. That’s a big part of the profit potential.

Want to know more about your basket choices? Start here. There’s a link at the bottom of that page to a second page which explains more on selecting your vessels.

Shirley George Frazier

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One day a well-known retailer will see your design work and ask for your services to help them create a prototype gift basket to sell in their store.

This contact occurs more often than you realize, as retailers understand that outsourcing a project to a more-experienced designer is a smart way to complete a project.

I know because it’s happened to me.

The last time was several years ago when a popular wine retailer asked me to create a gift that staff in all of their stores could easily recreate.

I’ve mentioned trays to you in the past. This wood-based container is a corporate favorite, and in general, a popular container for many occasions. Read more about tray-based gifts at BasketsGiftBaskets.com.

For me, the tray ensured that bottles and all accompanying items would be secure as they traveled to its destination, and designing a prototype with it meant there wouldn’t be as much labor involved as with a basket.

When you get the call from a retailer who’s ready to work with you, first consider the products to be selected so that you know which type of container is best. Sometimes a basket is preferred, and other times a tray will be the better option.

Did you choose to work with trays at the beginning of your business or when a customer requested it?

Shirley George Frazier

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Containers come in many shapes, and one that’s seemingly challenging to style is the wired shoe.

I’ve talked about shoes in the past, which sparked a great conversation.

The first time I looked for this non-basket container was when a client asked me to create gifts for six friends who were traveling with her on vacation. She wanted the gifts delivered ahead of time to the spa where they’d relax and enjoy an extended weekend.

A shoe was the one container I knew would wow them, and I was right. Each shoe was filled with chocolates, French twist cookies, and there was just enough room to include a mini book about girlfriends.

Each shoe was wrapped in cellophane and topped with a hand-tied bow with yards of curling ribbon cascading from the center.

Thankfully, working with a basket-less design wasn’t as difficult as I expected. In fact, it was fun.

You’ll find numerous wrapping tips on this page at CellophaneWrapTips.com.

Think for a minute about your designs. What type of container seemed at first to be a challenge but wasn’t, and which one that looked easy to work with was a major headache?

Shirley George Frazier

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One question I’ve heard many times from designers when they see my tote bag displays at gift basket seminars is:

“How do you stabilize the inside?”

The answer depends on the reason why you’ve selected a tote bag as a container.

For example, if you want to structure a tote bag gift similarly to a gift basket, a mechanic is added within the bag to elevate the products above the rim.

Mechanics include newspaper, Kraft paper, or the small cardboard bench that’s paired with Boxco boxes.

One good thing about tote bags is that it’s not always structured to resemble a gift basket. I’ve provided many of my clients with thousands of tote bag gifts where the inside is lined with tissue paper and the products are laying flat within the bag.

The client’s business card is added along with the products, and the tote bags are delivered to the client’s customers. That’s it. No fussing with shred or cellophane. The colors and presentation make it an instant gift that makes people smile when handed to each recipient.

If you absolutely must enclose the tote bag with cellophane or another closure product, you’ll see an example of how that’s done on this page at RetailWraps.com.

Which of your customers prefer tote bag gifts?

Shirley George Frazier

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Top hats, red wagons, and tabletop rocking chairs were the types of containers I chose back in the 1990s when starting my gift basket business.

I didn’t buy baskets because many competitors sold their gifts with that vessel. There was nothing wrong with baskets, I simply wanted my customers to see the clear difference between me and them.

After a while, I decided to check the prices of baskets to decide if I wanted to add some to my inventory for gift basket making.

Where were the baskets?

I found a lot of high-priced ones at retail stores. That couldn’t be the source. Then I saw some featured in a trade magazine and ordered catalogs.

Finally, I attended one of the gift basket trade shows along with the New York International Gift Fair and found some terrific baskets. Without those two shows, I might have given up on baskets, staying with the containers most customers adored.

There are more than 70 wholesale basket sources throughout the U.S., which are listed in a report, but it seems that a big industry problem is finding affordable baskets.

Many of the suppliers within the report sell quality baskets that are also affordable. The flip side of the problem is finding resources that are close to your location.

Which is your basket problem – finding baskets in your region or finding affordable baskets?

Shirley George Frazier

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Baskets reign as the most-used vessel in our industry. Containers, boxes, wire-framed items and more also show off contents, but the basket is what’s made this business great.

That’s why designers are so choosy about sizes, colors, shapes, and pricing. It’s all to make sure that our customers and recipients are pleased with what they give and receive.

We’re also very careful to find the best basket sources in the closest locations.

If you’re located 3,000 miles away from the supplier, shipping charges will cost a pretty penny. But if you happen to live close to a facility, the cost per basket will stay low. That’s a big part of the profit potential.

Want to know more about your basket choices? Start here. There’s a link at the bottom of that page to a second page which explains more on selecting your vessels.

Shirley George Frazier

No related posts.