Two Great Gift Basket Stories in the News
Gift basket articles are plentiful on the Web through media sources that are constantly searching for designers to interview now that the holiday season is here.
Here are two citings to stories that may be of interest to you.
My hope is that the article links added below are still be available online when you read this.
Company Adds Person Touch to Gift Baskets, an article from NewsAdvance.com in Virginia, interviews a designer in business for just under 20 years. The insightful point in this story is that she decided to work with a drop shipper this year.
Here’s her quote about the partnership:
“This year, I decided that with the economy, maybe we could do more business without having to stock thousands of items.”
You’ll find a video about working with drop shippers on this page.
California’s MyDesert.com interviewed the owner/designer of Gift Baskets and More in a snapshot article revealing details about the year started, number of employees, and costs.
One point I’m glad to read is that the designer not only wrote a business plan before starting but also reviews it regularly. This is a tip I stress in the book, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business.
Here’s what she says about her plan and pricing strategy.
“I update it every quarter. For instance, in this current economic climate, I lowered my price points to meet my objectives.”
It’s not too late to send your local media details about your business to encourage promotion. If you’ve already contacted the media, what did they say or Email about writing your story?
How a Drop Shipper Rescued a Gift Basket Business
“Why didn’t I think about working with drop shippers before?”
That’s what one designer asked me during our weekly problem-solving discussion.
This designer, who’s based in a Midwest state, learned from her city’s officials that although she is able to operate a gift basket business, there are certain products that she cannot sell.
This problem goes much deeper than the traditional wines, alcohol, and home-baked items we’re familiar with being on the “can’t buy” list.
The two of us started reviewing each drop shipper on the vendor’s list you’ll learn more about here, and we were able to find two drop shippers that solve her creation and delivery problems.
Finding these firms was vital to her success, as she already had an order for 642 gift baskets from four local firms that decided to place early holiday orders in exchange for a nominal discount.
No way did the designer want to return the full, up-front payments she received, and now she doesn’t have to. In fact, she won’t need as much space as previously thought for designing since the two drop shippers are taking care of one third of her orders.
I’ve recently received orders from long-time clients working in three industries, and for other companies that I cannot assist, I’ve introduced them to several local gift basket designers, two who work alone and one with a small staff.
All three have drop shipping accounts, so they can handle my referrals, which will earn each of them a third of the total $150,000 order.
A new video all about gift basket drop shipping is available on the Drop Shipping page.
How do you plan to handle the overload that’s surely on your way in a matter of weeks?
Is Drop Shipping Helpful or Harmful?
Every October, gift baskets are one of the main topics in Florists’ Review magazine.
The editor asks me about the trends in drop shipped gift baskets, a service that can be advantageous to gift basket designers and florists.
The benefits are numerous depending on your situation.
1. You cannot make gift baskets due to state restrictions on home-based businesses, so drop shippers provide you with a way to make money without breaking the law.
2. Your inventory is broad, and you cannot buy another thing, so drop shippers who stock alternative products fulfill orders with items you do not carry.
3. You are so overwhelmed with orders that in order to satisfy customer demand, you’re forced to outsource the overflow to a drop shipper.
On the flip side, many designers have little use for drop shipping because their clients prefer the unique appearance of customized gift baskets. They view ready-made designs as cookie-cutter replicas that have no place in their customers’ hands.
What’s your take on drop shipped gift baskets? Do you swear by the service or swear at it?
Why It’s Time to Start Drop Shipping
After speaking with Emmitt Holtzclaw, president and CEO of Gift Marketing Alliance, about how his firm elevates gift basket businesses into a brand new category of excellence, he nearly convinced me to re-enter the industry full time.
When my business opened in 1990, everything revolved around what I purchased, designed, delivered, and service provided to clients after the sale.
This is still true for most of us, but never did I imagine that joining ranks with a gift basket drop shipping firm could open so many doors of opportunity.
Customers who order gift baskets will also require cookies, cheesecakes, and bouquets. What happens when you cannot deliver these goods?
1. Customers go elsewhere.
2. They give someone else the sale.
3. You are considered a “gift basket retailer” rather than a “gift solution specialist.”
Why let clients go to another firm for their non-gift basket gift items when a drop shipper makes you the one and only person they call or Email every time a gift is needed?
I could go on, but Emmitt spilled all of the details on a one-hour CD we recorded yesterday.
Wednesday’s Basket Biz newsletter featured the call information and a deadline of Thursday for ordering the CD, but this is so important for you that I’m extending the pre-order pricing.
Until Sunday, the Drop Ship Report and CD interview with Emmitt are available for just $47. You can order through this link.
If you want to increase your business and sales without the hassle of ordering lots of inventory, this information is for you. Best of all, it’s not hype; it simply makes sense to let another company handle all of the details while you make money.
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