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Gift baskets represent a great opportunity to offer a product that can be specifically customized to suit the client.
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Gift baskets can complement your floral offerings, as they are often seen as more gender neutral and have the benefit of longevity. Financial times may still be a little tough for companies, but they are loosening the purse strings a bit over last year’s drought. As the recession recedes, businesses are realizing more than ever that thanking valuable customers and employees is important in terms of retaining them. When targeting the corporate sector, having a product line that skews a bit to males is generally a good thing. It’s helpful to break out the various corporate occasions where gift baskets may play a key role. Christmas is an obvious place to start, and it’s important to understand that these decisions are often made in early fall, so your marketing materials need to be ready to go by then. The trick in targeting the corporate gifting sector lies in determining who the decision-maker is. Tommy Gomatos of Glitter Gift Baskets in Laval, Que. has navigated this issue many times over the years. “That decision-maker may be an executive assistant or even marketing assistant,” points out Gomatos. “It’s generally wise to call and ask reception who handles the gifting process internally.” Glitter Gift Baskets has found that sending a sample gift basket can be extremely effective in terms of being top of mind when the decision is made. It would be great as well to book a face-to-face meeting with the decision-maker, and bring a sample gift basket for them to the meeting. Carla Karkheck of Baskits in Toronto often sees businesses rush at the last minute too. “Sometimes there’s a flurry of activity because gifts from other business contacts have been arriving at an office and they suddenly panic and decide they want to reciprocate,” says Karkheck. At Glitter Gift Baskets, branded collections to tie into product launches or business conferences often appeal to those brand managers looking for a way to rally the sales force around a new product introduction. While the corporate sector is loaded more heavily into the Christmas season, there is another market segment that has less seasonal volatility.
“Gifting for new babies is consistent all year round,” shares Karkheck. It’s a happy occasion and a segment that is increasing in strength as the Generation Y group start families. Glitter Gift Baskets offers an incredibly beautiful line of Baby Diaper Cakes. Brand name diapers are stacked and held together with a wide ribbon to mimic a tiered cake. A beautiful stuffed animal tops the “cake.” The sender can include some lovely bubble bath or chocolate for the new mom and dad, or even a second small toy for the new baby’s older sibling. “Our diaper cakes are very popular,” confirms Gomatos. “It’s especially important that the best name brand products are used, so our diaper cakes include names like Gund, Pampers, Huggies and Kaloo.” Karkheck agrees that quality is king. “At Baskits, we only purchase toys that come from reputable suppliers,” she says. When it comes to babies, safety is paramount. Both Glitter Gift Baskets and Baskits offer their customers the ability to customize their gifts by embroidering the baby’s name onto sleepers or blankets included in the gift basket. To do this effectively, you’d need to source a local business that could embroider the items to go in the basket. A pop-up window on the website allows the sender to input all of the information to ensure that spelling is correct. Toys can be used as the base in place of a basket to make the presentation even more impactful.
Gift baskets are becoming a popular choice as a wedding gift, especially when the sender is at a distance and wants to give the couple something with staying power. Their non-perishable nature makes gift baskets easier to ship and less susceptible to damage in transit. Gourmet themed gift baskets offer some wonderful customization options but it’s imperative that the elements you include are premium brands and that they are fresh. You could have themed baskets that are gluten free or made from locally sourced artisan producers (the 100 Mile basket perhaps?). Baskits in Toronto has gourmet food gift baskets made for coffee lovers.
They even have one for chocolate lovers filled with Godiva chocolates, with Godiva-branded ribbon completing the presentation. Be aware that shipping food items to other countries involves possible levies and restrictions, so make sure you get advice from a customs broker before you embark upon this direction. Karkheck points out that gourmet food baskets really lend themselves to innovative baskets. “Gourmet salad bowls really make the carrier interesting,” she shares.
For those florists who would like to tap into the gift basket sector, Glitter Gift Baskets may offer a strategic alliance of sorts that could be very advantageous. The company drop ships for florists. “A florist could include pictures of our gift baskets in their catalogues or on their website as part of their lineup. The florist could then send us ribbon and cards printed with their logo and then we blind ship the gift basket for them,” says Gomaz. Retailers can also talk with their suppliers and wholesalers as many offer products that fit nicely in a gift basket, and can also advise florists on some unique combinations. Saksco Gourmet Baskets Supplies has a vast selection of gift basket options on their website and a catalogue full of great ideas.
When it comes to gift basket design, it’s generally about impact. Leverage different textures in packaging with fashion fabrics by blending three or more materials to provide depth in both colour and texture. Customers equate a tall gift basket as having extra value. As with your other floral offerings, gift baskets should be
arranged on your website by life event and price point – that’s the decision-making tree most consumers employ first. Have a sample gift basket on display in your store. One of your fastest wins will be to get existing floral customers to use your gift basket service in addition to their floral occasions. For corporate accounts, make sure they have a customer representative within your organization so they know they’ll be taken care of properly.
Sweet Survival, gift basket industry consultants, estimated that the U.S. gift basket market reached roughly $3.3 billion in sales in 2008. This sector continues to expand as consumers seek out personalized gift options, and this remains a great opportunity for florists willing to tackle this market with effective targeting, innovation and marketing. Diversification is good for business. After all, you don’t want to have all of your eggs in one basket.
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