Visual WOW! presentation is the ultimate key to selling gift baskets. For local deliveries, each basket delivered can mean dozens of future basket sales. It is generally thought that delivered baskets should allow recipients and others to get a peek of what is inside, but keep a good deal of the contents ‘under wrap or ribbon’ so that the recipient finds surprises as they open and go through the contents. The presentation has more value as it becomes an “experience”.

Part of presentation is adding more height and style -- often achieved through using patterend cellophane wrap. These wonderful cellophane patterns can be overwhelming -- too busy -- when the entire basket is wrapped in the pattern. Instead, consider wrapping the basket itself in clear cellophane (ar a strip of clear cello for local deliveries), then adding a plume of patterned cellophane.

Using a narrow strip of cellophane to wrap a basket only works when the components inside the basket are fairly secure, and when the basket is delivered locally. Use Glue Dots® to keep components together.

Gift box, ribbon and cellophane courtesy of Nashville Wraps.

According to the eHoliday Study released by BizRate Research for Shop.org and Shopzilla prior to the 2007 holiday buying season, free shipping was credited to driving more online sales than any other promotion. Tied to conditions that required customers to purchase a certain item or a certain number of or dollar amount of merchandise, free shipping offers were the top promotions used by big-league retailers to push consumer hot buttons. Last year, 78% of online retailers offered this incentive.

Also in the bag of successful tricks to drive sales: free shipping upgrades (offered by 60% of retailers), discounted shipping (te% or retailers), and free shipping without conditions (41%). Of course, “free shipping” is not free for retailers, so careful anaylization of costs and margins are required before putting free or discounted offers into place.

In addition ot offering free shipping promotions, retailers reported plans to use a variety of other marketing techniques to increase sales. Online shoppers reported that the most important factor to them was good value for the money. Clear product descriptions, a merchant’s reputation, and guaranteed on-time delivery were also important features when deciding where to buy.

What you see is just the beginning of what you might receive in a gift like the one shown here. Peeking behind the eye-catching ornament plate is a box of tasty toffee. Why hide the toffee if it is a great product? Because the charming old-fashioned packaging clashes with the sharp contemporary styling of the gift box. That holds true for the tempting truffles inside the gold gift box (overwrapped in a leftover trim piece of cellophane).

The coffee mug (imported from Italy) and the ornament plate are the most expensive components in the gift design. It makes sense, because of their color and cost, to bring them forward to the focal point of the design. To keep cost down and build more value and fullness into the presentation, the designer pulled common stock items from inventory, then smartly wrapped the smaller piece to fill one half of the front of the gift box.

Another success scoop employed in this design is the ribbon weave applied to the back corner (see earlier post in Gift Tips). The decorative element keeps the presentation looking full by using an empty space!

File this strategic design plan and use it with customers who want more giftware/less gourmet food, and a basket that can meet the under-$50 price line. Or -- tuck this idea into the bag of tricks you use to earn a better profit margin.

Gourmet food may the most popular holiday gift basket category, but non-food gifts are moving up the chain as more consumers become aware of the health challenges many Americans face. When non-foods are requested, be ready with an impressive collection of affordable gift basket components.

One of my personal favorites is the Meyer’s Clean Day products. The company offers aromatic and environmentally friendly products, ranging from hand soap and lotion (shown here) to actual cleaning products for the home or office, fragranced for the season. Shown here, a small nail brush is boxed and bagged to separate the two Meyer products, stretching the value and filling the space inexpensively. To complete the ensemble, add candles and a tin of holiday potpourri, room fragrance, ornaments -- kitchen towels -- whatever pleases you and your customers.

Look what you can do to the back of a box bench! A decorative focal point on the back can pave the way for moving merchandise that may be too small or short for the space. Place a fluffy bow, a short square box -- use your imagination for resourceful ways to move merchandise.
(Box, box bench and ribbons courtesy of Nashville Wraps)

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Christmas is coming and you want your profits just as fat as the goose! One way to achieve this is by being smartly frugal with the number of gift components used to create each gift basket. Quality and quantity need to be considered equally, with an eye on what the consumer wants, and is willing to buy. And there is always a difference in what we all want as consumers -- and how much we are ultimately willing to fork over in an actual purchase. My advice regarding quality/quantity has always been:
(1) buy the best tasting food available for the price your target group of consumers will buy, even if it means fewer items per basket.
(2) balance the cost of higher quality by building in better perceived value, filling in empty space with tissue and other inexpensive fillers, using texture, and building height.
(3) keep labor costs down by using quick-to-pack items.

Another dilema is packaging. Consumers want Christmas packaging. But, you, as a designer and buyer, know you could be stuck with a warehouse of unsold perishable gourmet foods if sales fall short of your goals. The compromise may lie in clever packaging tricks that make year-round stock look like brightly wrapped holiday goodies. In the design shown above, two gourmet components were put into colorful cello bags with colors and trimmings of the season. To make the basket appear fuller, striped tissue paper was applied to the a cardboard back (bench box from Boxco, available through Nashville Wraps).

There is also wisdom in mixing perishable gourmet foods with hard goods, like the floral arrangement and snowman (above photo). Should holidays sales fail to move all Christmas merchandise, hard goods can be packed and used next year. Only three items were gourmet components. All three were larger sizes and could be used as stand-alone gifts, stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, etc.

More notes on the basket shown here:
- all the florals are in a container arrangement that can be placed on a desk or elsewhere. No loose floral stems that are useless to most recipients. The floral designs can be made well in advance of the season, sold separately, and quickly placed in a basket. Great time saver and money maker!
- the addition of scattered felt snowflakes makes the basket look very full and cost only pennies each.
- frosted greenery, a snowman, striped tissue to match the sides of the box . . . DETAILS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

(Box, box bench, cello bags, and ribbon courtesy of Nashville Wraps)

Harrison’s & Crosfield® Ltd. have introduced a seasonal rendition of their fine teas -- ready to ship for holiday orders. The Christmas Tea is a jolly blend of premium black teas with aromatic orange peel, almonds, spicy cinnamon and luscious marzipan. Just the thing to cozy up with on a chilly winters’ night.

What do I like about it? As a gift basket designer, I like the size and packaging. The larger tin is a good “bulk” component that will fill a good amount of space, and serve as a focal point that can establish the seasonal theme. The smaller cube is less expensive and can fit into smaller budget baskets. Again, this one seasonal product can set the Christmas theme, and that will allow you to use standard inventory to fill the remainder of the basket. Best of all, this is a tea that smells so good you can close your eyes and believe it is already Christmas morning.


The red and gold packaging, with its enchanting winter scene, is designed to evoke warm memories of holidays gone by. It is available in three different packages:
(1) Individually wrapped tagged tea bags in clear cube
(2) English style tea bags in an elegant gold and red caddy
(3) Loose leaf tea in a 4.41 ounce starry night gold and red caddy.

Each tea bag contains the necessary amount of tea to brew a “proper” cup of tea -- 25% more than the average tea bag.Harrisons & Crosfield’s London master tea buyers and blenders have over 30 years experience in the art of tea tasting, blending and buying. For more information and to see the company’s full line of teas, visit their website www.harrisonsandcrosfield.com.

Tall Plumes Add Value . . . and Detailing WOW!

Your eyes will be wowed! This beautiful new design is just one of the styles shown in GBR Online’s new article: “Coming Into Focus .” What a difference the plume makes, transforming a great basket into an extraordinary gift presentation. The basket, featuring Godiva chocolates and Gaviña coffee also illustrates one of the primary changes in theme development over the past few years: brand gift baskets. Themes often feature the well-known brand of a focal point gift. Instead of a “Giving Thanks” theme, a designer may name the basket after the brands in it, like, “Giving Thanks Godiva Chocolate Basket”, or “Giving Thanks Gaviña Coffee Basket”.

Gift box, cellophane, ribbons, fabric and cello bags, and ribbon were supplied by Nashville Wraps; Giving Thanks book by Red Wheel; coffee by Gaviña.

Coming into Focus . . .

What is coming into focus? Holidays! And Gift Basket Review Online has a beautiful article that brings a few fine points of design detail into sharp discovery. Details make the difference.Whether it is planning, buying, designing, marketing, or customer service, focusing on the miniscule details can transform the ordinary business into an extraodinary success. In the new article, you’ll find a delightful array of holiday ideas, money saving tips, repackaging tricks to heighten perceived vaue and camouflage mismatched inventory items, and more. Watch for the article to be posted in the next few days.

Six New Christmas Designs Added to the
“Sassy Bite” Family of Organic Chocolate Bars


Gig Harbor, WA – August 13, 2008: Olive Sandwiches is pleased to announce the addition of six
new Christmas-themed organic chocolate bar designs to our Sassy Bite product line.

The Sassy Bite family was first introduced in July 2008 at the Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago
gift shows, with a very positive response to the initial ten designs. By combining the well-known
Olive Sandwiches brand of retro-images and women-oriented humor with specially prepared
organic chocolate flavors, the Sassy Bite series has “taken edgy taste to a whole new level.”

Each Sassy Bite bar contains 1.25 ounces of fine organic chocolate with a variety of flavors that
match the humor on the wrapper, ranging from timeless favorites such as milk chocolate to
exciting new mixes such as “Hot Habanero Mandarin Espresso”. The new Christmas chocolates
offer flavors such as Peppermint Dark Chocolate, Dark Coconut Almond, Mint Milk Chocolate,
and Gingerbread Pecan Dark Chocolate.

According to Jim Hunt, Managing Partner for Olive Sandwiches, “We’ve been extremely pleased
with the market response to the Sassy Bite organic chocolate bar line, from both retailers and our
end customers. With a growing number of women (and men) already enjoying Olive Sandwiches’
brand of humor, there is a built-in appetite for new products – and the chocolates have been a big
hit by satisfying that hunger. In addition, these newest Sassy Bite Christmas designs will make
great stocking-stuffers and party favors for the holidays.”

All Olive Sandwiches products are the artistic creations of Nancy Rider Hunt and are available in
more than 2000 stores throughout North America, as well as online at www.olivesandwiches.com.

diaper cake photo edited

Diaper cakes make a beautiful shower centerpiece. On the practical side, it is a useful gift for the mom-to-be. Plus, the diaper cake can provide an activity for the shower when guests are asked to guess how many diapers are in the cake.

This two-stack awesome cake uses 140 diapers. It measures 55 inches in diameter on the bottom, stands about 2 feet tall and weighs over 5 pounds. Each diaper is individually rolled in a cellophane wrapper, keeping the diapers clean and ready for baby. Wrapped in cello, the diapers can be tossed individually into a diaper bag or purse for on-the-go changes.

To make the cake, roll the diapers in a strip of cellophane. Tape the cello end to keep the diaper from unrolling. Line the inside of a hatbox with a shrink wrap bag, sized to fit the interior of the hatbox. Place the rolls upright in the shrink wrap bag inside the hatbox. Keep adding diapers until you can’t squeeze another diaper into the bottom. Pull the bag up just an inch or two above the rim of the hatbox. Apply heat to shrink the bag. Pull the bag up another inch and apply heat to shrink. Continue pulling up the bag and shrinking it until the circle of diapers is firm. Tie off the bag and trim it.

Add ribbons and other decoration as desired.

A video showing how to make this incredible diaper cake will soon be posted for members at Gift Basket Review Online (www.gbreview.com).

(I took this diaper cake to a baby shower and everyone LOVED it! Plus -- I took home 6 orders for future baby showers. This diaper cake with 140 diapers took two hours to make. The cost of the diapers, cello, shrink bag and ribbons was $25. Each cake sells for $75 plus, depending on the gifts attached to the top.)

No one really needs a gift basket . . . or a bouquet of flowers, a bunch of balloons, a cookie bouquet . . . or any other type of gift. What a customer needs is to express an emotion. Gifts help people say what they feel. So, in truth, the customer doesn’t need a gift basket, but the individual does need your help to express his/her thoughts and feelings in a way that gets the message across to another person. A one-basket-fits-all approach to birthday gifting may mean lost sales.

If you listen beyond the initial request, you’ll probably discover that there are at least 7 different reasons for sending a birthday gift. And once you discover the real reason, you can suggest the perfect birthday gift basket -- in the most appropriate price range.

7 Reasons for Saying “Happy Birthday”

1. I want you to know how very, very much I love you. (More expensive, with a romantic tone)

2. Gifts are my way of saying I love you -- without saying it. (Moderately priced with a reserved theme and style)

3. You’re a great friend and I love to share your laughter. (Inexpensive and lighthearted)

4. I treasure our deep, soulful friendship. (Inexpensive, but sentimental)

5. I’d like to develop a friendship with you. Maybe a gift will open the door. (Inexpensive with a personal touch)

6. I want you to know that I recognize you are a VIP, and I hope I’ll score a few points. (Moderately expensive and corporate in style)

7. Remembering your birthday is a social obligation. Here -- take this and have a happy birthday. (Inexpensive and generic)

Now -- brainstorm for 7 happy birthday gifts, themes, and styles, and you’ll make a reputation for your business as the people who know just the right gift to send -- every time!

What is hotter than summer? Fall sales! And with fall just around the corner, it is time to get the baskets ready to roll out a welcome. Businesses pick up the pace, bringing in new staff members; schools welcome new faculty; neighborhoods welcome new families. All across America, the ‘welcome back’ rituals begin.

If you’re ready, your business could be rolling with extra orders. Look through your current inventory for containers and gift components just perfect for welcome gifts. A plain crate can become a wagon, just by adding wheels -- even cardboard ones glued to the sides.

Here are a few places to consider for new business:
- The Chamber of Commerce (roll out a welcome to new members)
- Country clubs (roll out the welcome to new members)
- Corporation Board of Directors (roll out the welcome to new board members)
- City Council (newly elected officials)
- Schools (new principals and/or teachers)

. . . and the list goes on!

Even if the old stand-by real estate market is a little slow on orders, build up other markets with fresh ideas -- to go!!