Gift Basket Business - Hosted by Shirley George Frazier

Choosing Your Baskets

Shirley George Frazier — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:04:56 +0000

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.

© 2008-2009 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is known as "the gift basket expert." She speaks at trade and business events worldwide and is author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for videos, CDs, reports, tips, a free online newsletter, and much more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

Is Drop Shipping Helpful or Harmful?

Shirley George Frazier — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:04:41 +0000

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?

Get Designs and Marketing in Gear Now

Shirley George Frazier — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:04:15 +0000

The summer season is a vibrant time for your business, but only if you believe that it is and treat this as a time for planting, building, and succeeding in the coming months.

Here are three things that veteran gift basket retailers are doing right now to guarantee higher profits.

1. Reviewing old design photographs to remind themselves of techniques that have worked in the past and can be revived in fall and winter.

2. Contacting customers by postcard and through other direct marketing methods,
telling them what they’re finding at trade shows that will wow their customers.

3. Sending small tokens of thanks and appreciation for past purchases, whether it’s items found in inventory or specialized packages of M&M’s with their gift basket logo on the candies.

My marketing campaigns are underway now, especially since many people I’ve met at recent events are interested in distributing gift baskets to their customers.

These people include presidents and directors of agencies, public relations officers at non-profit organizations, and sales vice presidents of pharmaceutical firms.

This is the time to get your business ready now for big sales ahead.

Which designs are you creating, and what marketing products will you mail?