How Do You Track Inventory?
It’s good procedure, before visiting trade shows, to review the products you have available for gift basket making.
Your gift basket items will be listed in one of three categories:
1. Enough on hand
2. Needs replenishment
3. Will not purchase
When I began my business, I had no choice but to review products on my own, but I found it easier to decide what to stock before attending a show by having someone assist me.
The cost for that temporary helper saved me lots of money.
What’s your system for tracking gift basket inventory?
Are Flea Market Items Popular in Gift Baskets?
A friend who’s considering starting a gift basket business asked me if it’s okay to put candies and similar treats that are sold at flea markets into some gifts.
Here in New Jersey, one of the most popular flea markets is held every Saturday at the Meadowlands, home of the New York Giants.
My friend went there and saw packages of candies being sold in unopened cartons.
My response? While the product may not be expired (it might also be impossible to find an expiration date on the boxes), the taste may be questionable due to storage.
For long-time gift basket designers, the answer to this question is a no-brainer, but it’s not so easy for a person who’s eager to start designing and selling to immediately comprehend.
To new designers, unopened food packages may appear appropriate on the surface. A better option is to purchase edibles from a reputable distributor or manufacturer, a firm that stores food with safety, care, and responsibility.
Companies listed at GiftBasketWholesaleSupplies.com fit this category. Buy from them, and you’ll have little worry when customers open and eat what you’ve selected.
What Product Anchors Your Gift Basket Items?
Long ago, at a gift basket conference, a designer demonstrated how she secured the contents of a gift basket before applying shrink wrap.
“I use a lot of tape.”
That sentence was an understatement. The contents were practically welded together with tape wound around everything. Customers no doubt had to arm themselves with scissors to free every package before enjoying it.
Her demonstration convinced me that tape may not be my preferred technique. That still left me and others at the conference with a dilemma. If a veteran designer taped her gift basket products in that manner, what would we choose?
My solution came in steps. First, I selected quality baskets, not the flimsy ones available at most discount stores. Next came beads of glue from a glue gun added sparingly between items only when anchoring was absolutely mandatory.
Finally, shortened bamboo skewers taped to products and hoisted down into floral foam became an acceptable solution until liability issues for these potential weapons started to surface.
How do you anchor your gift basket products? Is it with some type of glue substance, or does another supply deliver results?
REMEMBER: Tune in tomorrow and upcoming Wednesdays for our Wholesaler Q&A segment. Peters Imports is the first featured company.
How to Give New Life to Old Gift Basket Inventory
After buying gift basket products, you may find that some of the items you thought would be big sellers won’t be very popular.
Customers will reject them in favor of other preferences they’ve become accustomed to over time.
This happened to me in the early years as I learned about clients’ tastes.
I began giving away some of the items as marketing tools.
A video on the Solo Business Marketing site entitled Small Promotions, Big Impact shows a product that was purchased as a container, but I later used it in my marketing campaigns. Scroll down the page to find the video.
Not all of your inventory will sell briskly, so be ready to squeeze juice from products that may have become lemons.
Share here how you were able to salvage your inventory investment.
Wholesale Florists – A Great Local Resource
Baskets, pre-packaged foods, cellophane, and enhancements — you’ll find all this and more through wholesalers outside of your area, but have you located a florists’ facility in your own backyard that provides alternative inventory?
If not, keep searching. You’re missing out on a bounty of items that can be purchased on site a minimum of six days a week.
My region includes four such wholesalers, with the closest being five minutes away from my workspace. They have a $30 minimum. Their baskets are shallow and not gift basket friendly, but gift merchandise and enhancements are attractive and plentiful.
You won’t find everything required for gift basket design at every local wholesaler, but it’s still good to know each one’s location and what they sell.
How many wholesale florists are in your area, or are you still searching for local suppliers?
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