Jul

29

Gift Basket Design Techniques that Increase Sales

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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?

Mar

30

Containers, Take Clients to Lunch, Overcome Obstacles

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NO-BASKET OPTIONS ADD INTEREST
Umbrellas and rocking chairs are some of the unique containers I selected to grow my business quickly. There’s nothing wrong with baskets; I simply knew my customers and what motivated them to buy. Wednesday’s newsletter provides ideas for non-basket vessels that clients will appreciate.

LUNCH, LEARN, AND SELL
Question: How much will it cost you to treat a client to lunch? The answer: Pennies next to the sales and referrals that come from this almost-unheard of gesture. Read these tips if you’re ready to encourage orders while meeting with clients in a casual atmosphere.

HOW TO JUMP OVER AN OBSTACLE
Some prospects make it difficult for you to start a business relationship. You’ll have no choice but to give up on a few, but for others, it will take just one more step to get their attention and allegiance. Try the Side Door if the Front Door is Closed shares ideas on how to proceed.

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Mar

26

Are Containers in Your Future?

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Gift basket retailers separate themselves from the competition by placing foods and gifts into alternative containers instead of only using baskets. This kind of “out of the basket” thinking sparks the creativity needed to meet the increasing demands of today’s buyers.

What containers can you turn to when baskets won’t do?

  • Wheelbarrows and flower pots add growth to gardening and new home gift sales.

Another container that’s gained ground on baskets in recent years is the die-cut gift box.

Several manufacturers distribute these attractive vessels, which are designed on all four sides to resemble any imaginable theme. Available in various sizes and shapes, these boxes ship flat, demand little storage space, and are easy to assemble.

Thinking “out of the basket” increases your profit margin, proving that your style of gift basket creation is limited only by your imagination.

The price for 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Cash In on Administrative Professionals Week will increase on April 1. Read all about the CD here, and order today.

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Oct

28

Consider Containers as Baskets

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EXPAND YOUR CREATIVITY
An east coast wholesaler sells beautifully-styled drums as an alternative to basket-based designs, and designers buy them fast, especially during the holidays. Are containers part of your inventory? This article tells you about popular containers to consider.
 
HOW TO ATTRACT CLIENTS
Running out of ideas to jumpstart your sales? Here are three ways that brought clients to one gift basket company’s door.