Gift Basket Industry on the Internet
Here are links to visit while enjoying your morning beverage.
Do pictures speak louder than words? They do when Flora Brown shares a beautiful gift basket photo.
Check out her wordless Wednesday submission, a coffee maker and mug all dolled up as a basket-less gift.
Is branding an important part of your business? Lorie Obernauer of Apex Gift Foods shares her insights from a recently-published article. At the end, I bet you’ll realize how much you’re automatically building a brand.
Gift basket makers are getting younger. An 8 year old has made it his mission to create gift baskets for premature babies. You can read the story here. Too bad this online article doesn’t include a photo.
I’m attending the New York International Gift Fair this weekend so I can update entries on the Gift Basket Wholesale Supplies site. The nice thing is that it’s not really work because I enjoy connecting with wholesalers with great gift basket products.
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Gift Basket Sales are Slow for the Big Boys
Did you see the earnings breakdown recently released for 1-800-Flowers?
Here’s the story, and be sure to read the last paragraph:
“Sales in Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets fell 11.9%, to $22.9 million…”
You may be saying to yourself, “I’ll take a hit like that anytime if my sales are $22.9 million,” but remember that this firm works with thousands of small outlets that receive orders through the 1-800-Flowers wire service.
If you’re part of that service, the numbers indicate that gift basket orders arriving at your location, in all probability, decreased.
If you work independently, sales may have also slowed, but the tide might be turning this month with student care package orders created by you and arriving at schools worldwide, a big boost for your revenue.
See this article for incentive to go after that market.
The big boys can afford a temporary dip in sales. I can promise you that they will experience a big increase during the holidays. Are you planning the same for your business?
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What are Your Frequently-Asked Questions About Gift Baskets?
How many products should I put in a medium-sized basket?
What’s the best way to organize catalogs?
When do you start contacting customers for holiday orders?
Those are three popular questions that I hear at my classes and seminars, and there are many more. These questions are asked frequently because:
1. New designers enter the industry each year.
2. Designers want to know if new or updated information is available.
3. Everyone appreciates reminders and motivation.
Questions and answers on designing, maintaining, and selling gift baskets are cataloged in its own FAQ section. Beginners often consult the start-up basics page, while designers interested in selling through other retailers review these tips.
When you find a solution in the FAQ section, be sure to put it to use as soon as possible. Then you can move on to capture more sales and selling opportunities.
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Who’s Telling You Not to Start a Gift Basket Business?
When you’re excited about selling gift baskets, you feel like telling the world. But some people in the world won’t be happy with your decision.
I told an uncle about my choice to make gift baskets. He bombarded me with questions. I happily answered him with responses that proved I’d done my homework, but it didn’t matter. He thought my decision was, for lack of another way of saying it, a crock.
How would you feel if a friend or family member tried to stop you from making gift baskets? Would their harsh words deflate you, or would you take their words with a grain of salt and move forward with your plans?
I address this issue in the first chapter of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business because most of us have felt the sting of strong opinions coming from people who are closest to us. They don’t believe you will be successful. They say you won’t make it, that this will be another failed attempt at running a business.
How can you proceed if your spirit is deflated?
1. Stop sharing your plans with naysayers.
2. Research the rewards and challenges of participating in the gift basket business so that you’re ready for just about anything.
3. Keep working at your day job until revenues match your employment income for at least nine months.
4. Consistently market your business to clients through online and offline methods to grow your following.
5. Surround yourself with entrepreneurs who support and understand your beliefs.
6. Share your concerns here and at Ask The Gift Basket Expert.
Had I listened to my uncle, I would not have grown my revenue year after year, stopped working for someone else, marketed my gift baskets on television and cable shows, or developed the Gift Basket Business site and blog (what you’re reading here) where I share ideas and information with you.
Most of all, the books How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book would not be available to guide you and thousands of other designers in the right direction.
Listen to your inner spirit. If gift baskets are your passion, let no one’s words take you off course. Keep people who understand business ownership and management in your corner. They are the ones who will bombard you with good guidance.
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Do You Recall this Gift Basket History?
We’ve made great strides in the gift basket industry.
Some of you will remember this blast from the past I’m about to share, and those of you who are new to gift baskets will say, “You did what?”
Just make sure you shout those words in your design studio and not where you work for someone else.
Remember when filling the inside of your basket’s cavity included a floral foam brick?
I used to wrap my floral foam in tissue paper before adding it to the basket. Covering the foam assured that the recipient didn’t get the foam’s gritty surface all over their hands when emptying the basket.
It’s a technique I added to the early editions of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business.
Now that we rarely, if ever, use foam, manufacturers are making these bricks in pretty pastel colors.
It’s too late to select a color other than gray, but isn’t it great that there’s a better way to fill the inner basket?
Remember trying Mylar shred for the first time?
Like me, you probably saw this unique-and-different shred at a trade show.
I bought this thin, shiny shred in three colors. It was beautiful, but it was also annoying. It stuck to your hands like a magnet and wouldn’t let go.
I smiled broadly when I used the last handful of this shred. It seemed to have a mind of its own.
Remember when NASFT Showcase (now Specialty Food Magazine) and Gifts & Decorative Accessories included a gift basket article in every issue?
The gift baskets were as bountiful as they were beautiful. Each featured designer shared tips for starting from scratch and increasing sales; however, their words never strayed from what you already know:
Is there something you remember about this industry that’s endearing or would be nice to see return?
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