9 Ways to Check Your Gift Basket Competition

September 5, 2008 · Filed Under Competition · 4 Comments 

Whether you’re new to the gift basket industry or a veteran designer, you’ll either be: 1) the new competition that existing retailers watch, or 2) a veteran retailer watching the new competitor.

How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business includes a chart to document everything you find out about the town newbie. Here are nine ways designers tell me they spy:

1. Call to ask theme questions or to learn if the phone is manned by a live person or machine.

2. Enter the store posing as a customer (supermarket executives do this all the time at new supermarket openings).

3. Send a friend or family member into the competitive shop for a look around.

4. Attend the grand opening or open house event.

5. Pay a college student to monitor the store’s walk-in traffic on a weekday and weekend day. Read more

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