Gift Baskets Newsletter » Baskets

Gift Basket Design Techniques that Increase Sales

Shirley George Frazier — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:11:00 +0000

What catches your eye when searching for home decor or landscaping products?

There’s something about the shape, color, and overall attractiveness that makes you select specific items. That’s the same principle that convinces customers to say yes to your gift baskets.

When asking for feedback on the reasons why a customer chose a particular gift, the person won’t always pinpoint your design elements, but their buying patterns will give you lots of insight on what makes them buy. Here are three factors that may be high on their preference list.

1. Think Tall. Height is a motivating criteria. I noticed this not only with my clients but also when judging gift baskets at conferences years ago where other designer judges gave high marks to tall designs.

Your baskets or container gifts qualify to be wide when the required size is large. Outside of that, build up, not out. That’s a strategy that seems to be consistent in our industry.

Read more about this in the article, Tall Baskets Add Height and Sales Value.

2. Color KaChing. Let food and fashion alert you to each season’s popular color choices. This is one tip I remember hearing from the president of The Color Association of the United States. For me, she was right.

The more I stayed aware of seasonal colors and applied them to my gift baskets through shred, tissue, and bows, the more my sales increased. Look at your inventory, check the holiday color palette, and match them together.

3. Name Fame. Themes are a big attraction with individuals and corporations, and both want a name associated with each design.

Your baskets may start with names such as Welcome to the World or A Star is Born for newborns. As you expand your designs, news articles and personal conversations will help to broaden your design name options. Remember that people resonate with theme names, so make sure each of your gift baskets has one.

The answer in this article to the question, Why Name a Gift Basket? sheds more light on this topic.

What other elements of gift basket design convince your customers to buy?

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is the world's expert on the gift basket industry, professional speaker, and author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for DVDs, CDs, reports, tips, and more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

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How to Stabilize Bottles and Price Nested Baskets

Shirley George Frazier — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:32:36 +0000

How to Anchor Bottles in Gift Baskets

Sparkling ciders and other bottled beverages need to be stabilized, or they may break during transit.

That may have happened to my gift baskets if I hadn’t anchored the bottles.

Is this your problem, too? Watch this video to stabilize bottles the right way.

Basket Pricing 101

Nested basket sets can be a great bargain, but how do you price each basket size?

One popular pricing formula is found on this baskets page at GiftBasketBusiness.com, and if you don’t know the meaning of “nested baskets,” you’ll find an explanation, too.

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An Easy Way to Find Baskets

Shirley George Frazier — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Baskets were everywhere when I started designing. I’m talking about empty baskets, the vessels that are the foundation for building the beautiful masterpieces our clients crave.

Now, due to consolidation, attractive baskets seem to be more difficult to find, especially in my state where I can see and touch what I’m buying before spending my money. Is this your problem, too?

A solution is closer than you think, and that’s the subject of this week’s newsletter.

You’ll find more about baskets here:

BasketsGiftBaskets.com
Basket Suppliers at GiftBasketBusiness.com
How to Price Nested Baskets

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Another Way to Sell Mini Baskets

Shirley George Frazier — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:55:41 +0000

How to you rid your inventory of the small-sized baskets that are too tiny to create a gift basket design?

That’s the subject of this week’s newsletter.

Designers no longer keep these dainty vessels in stock because they’ve learned a better method for turning these products into instant sales tools.

You’ll learn more about this technique and the new Basket Biz print newsletter, which is distributed online and by mail to premium subscribers.

Get your copy by enrolling here.

Product of the Week:

If you expect to sell many gift baskets this holiday season, results will be dismal if you fail to plan. Putting a strategy in place ahead of time and following that strategy in a step-by-step format is the only way to fill your bank account while making lots of clients and receivers happy. If you’re ready to develop a winning strategy, it’s time to book an appointment with me.

I have openings in my schedule to talk with nine serious-minded designers by phone or in person (if you’re in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut/Pennsylvania area) to get your plan in order before the big selling season begins.

Here are the dates and times (EST), and for this short-term opportunity this mentorship is $197, which is lower than the regular $350 investment. Choose a date and time, then click this link to schedule your appointment.

Once these dates are filled, there will be no additional opportunities to increase your business success.

Sunday, July 26 – 2:15-3:15 pm
Sunday, July 26 – 7:00-8:00 pm

Tuesday, July 28 – 12:30-1:30 pm
Tuesday, July 28 – 8:00-9:00 pm

Wednesday, July 29 – 2:30-3:30 pm

Thursday, July 30 – 11:15-12:15 pm
Thursday, July 30 – 7:30-8:30 pm

Friday, July 31 – 8:00-9:00 am

Saturday, August 1 – 7:45-8:45 pm

Click here now to schedule your appointment.

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How to Increase Sales, Buy Baskets, Drop Shipping

Shirley George Frazier — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:14:07 +0000

CREATE A GARDEN OF GROWTH

I remember when I thought my promotions weren’t helping my business. Nothing was working. All of a sudden, the phone rang off the hook, and sales seemed to be coming from everywhere. Did my clients wake up from a long nap, or were the seeds I planted months ago finally sprouting?

Wednesday’s newsletter plants seeds to inspire you to market every day in whatever method works in your region. I can tell you, from personal experience shared in the newsletter and above, that your efforts will not be in vain.

“B” IS DEFINITELY FOR BASKETS

All week you’ve been reading about baskets, the favored industry vessel that anchors most designs. Articles have centered around where to buy, how to add accents, designing with value in mind, and more.

Here’s the last entry, all about wrapping difficult shapes, and at the bottom you’ll find links to an entire week of ideas.

DROP SHIP SHORT CUTS

Drop shipping is here to stay. There’s lots of pro and con conversation about working with these firms and making sure they deliver what’s promised.

I just answered a question at Ask The Gift Basket Expert on how to choose a drop shipper. Read what I suggest, think about your experience, or consider my advice before selecting a drop ship company.

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