How to Pack the Inside of a Gift Basket

From The Gift Basket Design Book, by Shirley George FrazierPaula asks:

“Can I use Styrofoam peanuts to elevate products in my gift baskets, or is newspaper better?”

Unprinted newspaper, the type that resembles brown grocery bags, is a popular item that’s placed inside of baskets or containers. Newspaper is also acceptable. Many designers shun newspaper because of the ink transference from the paper to hands.

Some designers add peanuts inside of baskets, but this technique seems to be reserved for those who know how to stabilize them properly.

Peanuts have a habit of shifting inside of a basket or container, and if products are not set on top firmly, snacks and gifts can shift, causing the design to become unattractive when it finally reaches its destination.

Try adding peanuts as part of your exploration into gift basket designing. You’ll know if that material is best or if newspaper will make gift basket creation more manageable.

Must All Gift Baskets be Wrapped?

Tanya asks:

My customers want to see what’s inside of the gift basket before they buy it, and this costs me money because I have to take the cellophane wrapping off the gift, which wastes money since I have to re-wrap it.

Now I’m wondering if my gift baskets have to be wrapped in the first place. Is there a rule that says it has to be wrapped?

You’ve not explained the environment where you are selling gift baskets.

If you are in a retail shop, it’s best not to cellophane or shrink wrap gift baskets placed on store shelves.

An unwrapped example allows customers to see exactly what they’re receiving and the styling that complements it. This is the way most retailers display everyday and custom designs.

You’ll see a quick-and-easy cellophane wrapping technique in this video:

Additional help is found on the CellophaneWrapTips.com site.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule that states gift baskets must be wrapped. However, each design is enclosed in cellophane, a basket bag or shrink wrap before delivery whether by courier or worldwide shipper. That rule stands in terms of security and overall presentation when delivered to the recipient.

How Many Items in Each Basket?

Ann Marie asks:

“Is there some kind of formula to figure out how many items goes into a small, medium, or large basket?”

Someone, somewhere may have created a formula, but in my experience, none exists because the size of each basket or container and product determines what fits and how much to include.

Look at your inventory. There are slim boxes, wide jars, and flexible packages. Each one fits differently into every design, so there’s no way to match number of items to every basket.

Like veteran designers, you’ll develop an eye for configuration so there is less guesswork in deciding what and how much to add.

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