Jan 2010
Be Mine Design
17/01/10 18:30 Filed in: Success Scoop
James Hartier of TWISTEDBASKET.com lives up to his business slogan, “Where Imagination Becomes Reality”. Perfect line, shape, balance, and imaginative use of texture WOW the recipient with eye-popping pleasures. Mr. Hartier’s promises to share more designs in the future with guests and member subscribers of Gift Basket Review Online (www.festivities-pub.com; www.gbreview.com). One of Mr. Hartier’s designs is featured as the photo of the month.
Two Minute Gift Basket Tips
14/01/10 11:38 Filed in: Success Scoop
Two Minute Gift Baskets
By Debra Paulk, Gift Basket Review Online
Labor can be the most costly element of gift basket designers and manufacturers. But as seminar demonstrations have shown, gift baskets can be designed so that each unit can be packed and wrapped in two minutes. To cut more costs in this area, follow some simple guidelines and start streamlining the process.
1: Choose Labor-Light Containers
• Longer and narrow containers; hold less product but display them broadly for a fuller appearance. These shapes are also faster to pack.
• Containers with shorter side walls require less foundation prep time.
• Baskets with handles less than 12” in height can be packed fuller in less time.
2. Look for Labor-Light Gifts, Foods, and other Components
• Use pre-packed components to fill space quickly.
• Use larger gift components.
• Choose fewer smaller fillers to save packing time.
• Look for tall boxes, bulky, shorter components for fill one side or the complete back half of the basket.
• Use plush toys, books, larger but thin tins (filled with your choice of goodies).
• When possible choose gifts with some weight value. Light packets often require picks or other structural support.
3. Develop Easy Packing Methodology
• Tall box for back; large bulky theme-setting product for one side; one or two smaller bulky items for the opposite side; not more than 3 small fillers.
• Tall, wide box in the back (or two boxes set at diagonal angles); focal point pre-packed gift in the center; two matched size smaller items that can be placed left and right on each side of the focal point gift; some fillers for the front.
• Learn to select product for tiered rows in baskets. Height, bulk, filler.
4. Keep Designs Simple
• When florals are used, keep it simple. Use bouquets, potted permanent or fresh plants/flowers, or florals in a vase for faster packing. Use small amounts of florals on the outside of the basket for enhancement. A couple of sprigs or picks of florals offer an abundance of enhancement.
• Limit the amount of shred needed in the design. It takes more time to trim shred.
• Use pre-enhanced products when possible to give the basket a rich look.
• Place napkins in baskets for added value and quick fillers when appropriate..
• Avoid glass containers, or plan placement of soft products to separate glass.
• Use fewer components.
5. Develop Packing Process Sheets for Designs
• For all standard designs, develop photographed, laminated instructional sheets that give directions and show visuals for placing products.
• Be specific in recording amounts of materials used in standard designs. List them on the instructional sheets (i.e. 2 sheets of packing paper; 1 sheet of red tissue); 2 yard of #9 ribbon for 2 loop bow; etc.).
5. Wrap Baskets for Quality Arrival
• Shrinkwrap all baskets
• Add strip-wrap with plumes for local deliveries and retail displays.
• Use ribbon that will not smush for shipments.
• Use tube shrinkwrap for fast shrinkwrapping.
• Choose heavy-gauge cello and shrink for better results (less tearing).
• Use a template to have pre-made bags ready for standard size designs.
• Keep at least two different widths of shrinkwrap film in stock.
6. Simplify Enhancements for Outer Wrap
• Choose bows from pre-made standard selections of colors, styles, and widths.
• Pre-cut cello rolls into appropriate size widths.
• Pre-cut squares of cello for plumes.
• Use elastic cord, ties, and/or chenille stems for tying ribbons and cello/shrink necks.
• Use limited florals (with exceptions) for outer wrap.
• Tie on added gifts for extra drama on wrapped baskets,
7. Use Simplified Foundations for Basket Interiors
• Use heavy packing paper to fill the base of containers, using lighter-weight packing paper for the top layer.
• Whenever possible, use the boxes from mugs and other giftware in the basket to fill the majority of the container base. Layer lighter weight packing paper over boxes.
• Avoid using Styrofoam peanuts as a foundational material.
8. Standardize Sizes of Everything
• Select containers that conform to several basic sizes (3 or more),
• Choose components in basic heights and widths to fit all containers,
• Choose seasonal and annual colors – build all baskets within these perimeters,
• Select a standardized array of ribbon, florals and other enhancements,
• Limit shrinkwrap bag sizes; select sizes that fit the 3 to 5 standard basket sizes, or use tube film.
• Make bows in three to five standard dimensions (#9 ribbon – 6 loop bows – 6”span - for under $35 baskets, etc.),
9. Conduct Staff Training and Speed Drills
• Demonstrate new seasonal designs,
• Document sequence of component placement, etc. and train in this sequence,
• Consider pay-by-the-piece work for seasonal temporaries,
10. Simply Shipment Packing Procedures
• Eliminate as many steps and materials as possible
• Consider choosing heavier gauge shipping boxes, or double-box baskets for easier packing.
• Use lightweight foam sheeting or bubble-wrap to protect breakables INSIDE the basket. YES – wrap mugs inside the basket for shipping.
• Avoid large, fluffy bows on shipped baskets.
• Avoid tall plumes; short ones usually ship well.
By Debra Paulk, Gift Basket Review Online
Labor can be the most costly element of gift basket designers and manufacturers. But as seminar demonstrations have shown, gift baskets can be designed so that each unit can be packed and wrapped in two minutes. To cut more costs in this area, follow some simple guidelines and start streamlining the process.
1: Choose Labor-Light Containers
• Longer and narrow containers; hold less product but display them broadly for a fuller appearance. These shapes are also faster to pack.
• Containers with shorter side walls require less foundation prep time.
• Baskets with handles less than 12” in height can be packed fuller in less time.
2. Look for Labor-Light Gifts, Foods, and other Components
• Use pre-packed components to fill space quickly.
• Use larger gift components.
• Choose fewer smaller fillers to save packing time.
• Look for tall boxes, bulky, shorter components for fill one side or the complete back half of the basket.
• Use plush toys, books, larger but thin tins (filled with your choice of goodies).
• When possible choose gifts with some weight value. Light packets often require picks or other structural support.
3. Develop Easy Packing Methodology
• Tall box for back; large bulky theme-setting product for one side; one or two smaller bulky items for the opposite side; not more than 3 small fillers.
• Tall, wide box in the back (or two boxes set at diagonal angles); focal point pre-packed gift in the center; two matched size smaller items that can be placed left and right on each side of the focal point gift; some fillers for the front.
• Learn to select product for tiered rows in baskets. Height, bulk, filler.
4. Keep Designs Simple
• When florals are used, keep it simple. Use bouquets, potted permanent or fresh plants/flowers, or florals in a vase for faster packing. Use small amounts of florals on the outside of the basket for enhancement. A couple of sprigs or picks of florals offer an abundance of enhancement.
• Limit the amount of shred needed in the design. It takes more time to trim shred.
• Use pre-enhanced products when possible to give the basket a rich look.
• Place napkins in baskets for added value and quick fillers when appropriate..
• Avoid glass containers, or plan placement of soft products to separate glass.
• Use fewer components.
5. Develop Packing Process Sheets for Designs
• For all standard designs, develop photographed, laminated instructional sheets that give directions and show visuals for placing products.
• Be specific in recording amounts of materials used in standard designs. List them on the instructional sheets (i.e. 2 sheets of packing paper; 1 sheet of red tissue); 2 yard of #9 ribbon for 2 loop bow; etc.).
5. Wrap Baskets for Quality Arrival
• Shrinkwrap all baskets
• Add strip-wrap with plumes for local deliveries and retail displays.
• Use ribbon that will not smush for shipments.
• Use tube shrinkwrap for fast shrinkwrapping.
• Choose heavy-gauge cello and shrink for better results (less tearing).
• Use a template to have pre-made bags ready for standard size designs.
• Keep at least two different widths of shrinkwrap film in stock.
6. Simplify Enhancements for Outer Wrap
• Choose bows from pre-made standard selections of colors, styles, and widths.
• Pre-cut cello rolls into appropriate size widths.
• Pre-cut squares of cello for plumes.
• Use elastic cord, ties, and/or chenille stems for tying ribbons and cello/shrink necks.
• Use limited florals (with exceptions) for outer wrap.
• Tie on added gifts for extra drama on wrapped baskets,
7. Use Simplified Foundations for Basket Interiors
• Use heavy packing paper to fill the base of containers, using lighter-weight packing paper for the top layer.
• Whenever possible, use the boxes from mugs and other giftware in the basket to fill the majority of the container base. Layer lighter weight packing paper over boxes.
• Avoid using Styrofoam peanuts as a foundational material.
8. Standardize Sizes of Everything
• Select containers that conform to several basic sizes (3 or more),
• Choose components in basic heights and widths to fit all containers,
• Choose seasonal and annual colors – build all baskets within these perimeters,
• Select a standardized array of ribbon, florals and other enhancements,
• Limit shrinkwrap bag sizes; select sizes that fit the 3 to 5 standard basket sizes, or use tube film.
• Make bows in three to five standard dimensions (#9 ribbon – 6 loop bows – 6”span - for under $35 baskets, etc.),
9. Conduct Staff Training and Speed Drills
• Demonstrate new seasonal designs,
• Document sequence of component placement, etc. and train in this sequence,
• Consider pay-by-the-piece work for seasonal temporaries,
10. Simply Shipment Packing Procedures
• Eliminate as many steps and materials as possible
• Consider choosing heavier gauge shipping boxes, or double-box baskets for easier packing.
• Use lightweight foam sheeting or bubble-wrap to protect breakables INSIDE the basket. YES – wrap mugs inside the basket for shipping.
• Avoid large, fluffy bows on shipped baskets.
• Avoid tall plumes; short ones usually ship well.
Recommended Reading
09/01/10 06:27 Filed in: New from Gift Basket Review
Recommended Reading This Month:
Gift Basket Review subscribing members will find three great articles in the spotlight (shown below) for reading this month. Join today to get solid information to build sales and drive profits higher. Visit the website for membership information: www.festivities-pub.com or www.gbreview.com.
50 Ways To Build Valentine Gift Basket Sales
We’ve assembled 50 of your most tried-and-true tips on building business. Short of brewing potions or waving some kind of wish-we-had-one magical wand, you’ve provided us with some interesting and effective ideas for a successful Valentine season.
The 17 Best Lines In Marketing
If your marketing isn’t pulling the punch you need, consider adding your two cents worth . . . of better copy. Just a couple of new lines can make a substantial difference in response.
Disaster Recovery
The unthinkable happens: your business suffers a devastating loss from a disaster. Are you prepared to weather the storm? Simple, yet effective planning can keep your business afloat.
Gift Basket Review subscribing members will find three great articles in the spotlight (shown below) for reading this month. Join today to get solid information to build sales and drive profits higher. Visit the website for membership information: www.festivities-pub.com or www.gbreview.com.
50 Ways To Build Valentine Gift Basket Sales
We’ve assembled 50 of your most tried-and-true tips on building business. Short of brewing potions or waving some kind of wish-we-had-one magical wand, you’ve provided us with some interesting and effective ideas for a successful Valentine season.
The 17 Best Lines In Marketing
If your marketing isn’t pulling the punch you need, consider adding your two cents worth . . . of better copy. Just a couple of new lines can make a substantial difference in response.
Disaster Recovery
The unthinkable happens: your business suffers a devastating loss from a disaster. Are you prepared to weather the storm? Simple, yet effective planning can keep your business afloat.
Gift Baskets Are Still Popular
09/01/10 06:15 Filed in: Success Scoop
Don’t Believe The Nay-Sayers . . .
Gift Baskets Are Still Popular (But you’ll have to work harder for the sale)
By Debra Paulk, Editor, Gift Basket Review Online
The woman in the booth was energetic, positive, and prepared for tighter margin gift basket sales. She called out to Christmas shoppers strolling down the street of the local gift fair, and invited them to her booth. When she had their attention, she pointed out the bargains, and talked up the value of the quality gift line, designed for and targeted to the local community. Unlike most of the other vendors in the fair, when the day was over, she had little to pack up because her merchandise was virtually gone. Only a spare basket or two remained. The day at the fair had been good with an 95 percent sell-through on every gift basket theme and style.
That was a picture of me, field-testing gift basket sales this year. After so much bad news about the state of the market, I had to see for myself if everyone left in the industry should be crying that the sky was falling. So, I took a few cases of odds and ends, designed the items into nifty, thrifty gifts, and took them to the Christmas fair in our home town. What an uplifting eye opener!
Don’t give me the downer, negative talk about gift basket sales. From my own holiday selling experience, I KNOW that people were buying this year. But I will concede that these were possibly the hardest sales I have ever made. Shoppers did not want to part with their dollars -- and wouldn’t -- until they were thoroughly convinced that these were the cutest teacher gifts, the best Sunday School secret Santa treat, and the most welcome co-worker gift anyone would find this holiday season. Better still, this quality merchandise was a super deal -- the best gift they would find anywhere for the money.
My voice was gone by the end of the day, but my enthusiasm for our industry soared. As an experiment, I priced items individually -- the same merchandise that was arranged in the wrapped baskets -- and set it out next to the baskets. Here’s the good news: virtually no one bought the items outside the baskets. Shoppers wanted “the look” of the items arranged together and wrapped with festive cellophane and ribbon. That, and the fact that other vendors were packing up almost everything they brought, convinced me that the gift basket still had a future. The trick was understanding the market -- getting the merchandise and price right -- and working in a high state of energy to make the pitch and elevate the gift basket to its rightful place of value.
With Valentine’s Day just a few weeks around the corner, get yourself in a positive frame of mind about sales. People will buy if you give them what they want at a price they can afford. In other words, do what Gift Basket Review has always told you: customize your line for your market.
Oh yeah . . . and buy yourself a few packets of throat lozenges. You may have to do a bit of sweet-talking to pump up the volume of sales. YOU CAN DO IT! Believe and receive! The rewards are yours for the talking.
Gift Baskets Are Still Popular (But you’ll have to work harder for the sale)
By Debra Paulk, Editor, Gift Basket Review Online
The woman in the booth was energetic, positive, and prepared for tighter margin gift basket sales. She called out to Christmas shoppers strolling down the street of the local gift fair, and invited them to her booth. When she had their attention, she pointed out the bargains, and talked up the value of the quality gift line, designed for and targeted to the local community. Unlike most of the other vendors in the fair, when the day was over, she had little to pack up because her merchandise was virtually gone. Only a spare basket or two remained. The day at the fair had been good with an 95 percent sell-through on every gift basket theme and style.
That was a picture of me, field-testing gift basket sales this year. After so much bad news about the state of the market, I had to see for myself if everyone left in the industry should be crying that the sky was falling. So, I took a few cases of odds and ends, designed the items into nifty, thrifty gifts, and took them to the Christmas fair in our home town. What an uplifting eye opener!
Don’t give me the downer, negative talk about gift basket sales. From my own holiday selling experience, I KNOW that people were buying this year. But I will concede that these were possibly the hardest sales I have ever made. Shoppers did not want to part with their dollars -- and wouldn’t -- until they were thoroughly convinced that these were the cutest teacher gifts, the best Sunday School secret Santa treat, and the most welcome co-worker gift anyone would find this holiday season. Better still, this quality merchandise was a super deal -- the best gift they would find anywhere for the money.
My voice was gone by the end of the day, but my enthusiasm for our industry soared. As an experiment, I priced items individually -- the same merchandise that was arranged in the wrapped baskets -- and set it out next to the baskets. Here’s the good news: virtually no one bought the items outside the baskets. Shoppers wanted “the look” of the items arranged together and wrapped with festive cellophane and ribbon. That, and the fact that other vendors were packing up almost everything they brought, convinced me that the gift basket still had a future. The trick was understanding the market -- getting the merchandise and price right -- and working in a high state of energy to make the pitch and elevate the gift basket to its rightful place of value.
With Valentine’s Day just a few weeks around the corner, get yourself in a positive frame of mind about sales. People will buy if you give them what they want at a price they can afford. In other words, do what Gift Basket Review has always told you: customize your line for your market.
Oh yeah . . . and buy yourself a few packets of throat lozenges. You may have to do a bit of sweet-talking to pump up the volume of sales. YOU CAN DO IT! Believe and receive! The rewards are yours for the talking.
GBR Online Now Live
09/01/10 06:08 Filed in: New from Gift Basket Review
Hello Friends and Readers!
Gift Basket Review greets 2010 with an online Valentine issue just for you! The goals of the issue are set to help you maximize every penny of inventory -- even moving leftover odds and ends from Christmas. You’ll find a cover story featuring crossover designs -- from holidays to Valentine, plus marketing tips to get your Valentine sales moving. Enjoy!
Debra Paulk, editor
Gift Basket Review Online