How to Secure Gift Basket Items

A snug fit ensures that gift basket products stay anchored and uprightPatti asks:

“What do you use to secure the items in the gift basket?”

Designers attempt to match the number of products with the basket’s size.

This matching assures that the products fit snugly into each design so everything is secure and does not shift during delivery.

When necessary, tape-based products are placed on and between products for added stability. This includes:

  • Tape from a dispenser
  • Dots of glue
  • Hot glue emitted from a glue gun

    • There was a time when we added lots of tape to a gift basket design. Now we eliminate as much tape as possible in exchange for the snug fit I mentioned above.

    How Do I Get Customers for My Home-Based Business?

    marketing your gift baskets takes time and patienceHelen asks:

    I have a home based gift basket business and it has been a struggle to get customers despite trying all the techniques suggested by experts (at least most of them).

    Could you please advise? i am actually considering opening a store so as to be in the public eye maybe that might help.

    Thanks

    Lack of customers is not a symptom of being based at home. If that were true, home-based businesses would not exist.

    In addition, opening a retail store in itself will not guarantee success.

    Both spaces require marketing, and without it, you’ll sell to no one.

    I don’t know everything about your situation – how you’ve marketed, who your target market is, what types of online and direct mail promotion you’ve completed – all of this is important.

    Simply telling someone that you have a gift basket business will not bring sales.

    Are you talking to people about the time you save them from traveling to buy gifts, other buying benefits, perks/incentives you provide, how people feel when they receive your gifts and baskets, etc.?

    Marketing and follow up is the key to sales success. Take a good look at your marketing plan, get advice from other business owners while networking at meetings and events, and watch how successful retailers make money.

    The ebook, 101 Ways to Market Gift Baskets, also provides sound ideas for increasing sales.

    All of this will guide you to make sound decisions that start the cash register ringing.

    Buying Gift Cards for Gift Baskets

    are gift cards a good match for your gift baskets
    Heidi asks:

    “I’m staring my business and I’m currently developing a reasonable number of fun gift baskets to offer. I’m looking to add gift cards from major, national companies.

    Is there anything I need to be aware of when looking to purchase? Or is it as simple as purchasing the card myself and reselling it at the same price?

    Thanks for ALL your help!”

    I believe you’re referring to gift cards that include a prepaid amount redeemable at stores that issue or accept such cards, the ones that have become very popular to buy at holiday times when the giver doesn’t know what to purchase for the receiver.

    Buying gift cards are a straight-forward process. They are only discounted when you buy hundreds at a time, and the discount only amounts to about five percent, if that.

    So, the buying process is as you state – as simple as purchasing the card yourself and reselling it at the same price – or perhaps the card’s price is a bit more than face value for a customer due to the entire gift basket cost.

    This is one reason why most designers do not include gift cards in gift baskets, but that is not said to deter you if gift cards are or will become a popular item within your baskets.

    We tend to spend our inventory money on items with higher profit potential. Since gift cards don’t offer that, we select tried-and-true food and gift items with better margins.

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