TRENDS AND TIPS GIFT BASKET MAGAZINE THE AUTHORITY FOR ALL THINGS GIFT BASKETS
What’s Your Story? p. 8 High End Designing, p. 18 Make Them a Client, p. 27
SPRING 2019
It’s Coming! The National Gift Basket Convention is this summer! p. 34
A large variety of containers, accessories & dĂŠcor perfect for your gifts!
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Features
Design and Inspiration
From the Desk of Debbie Q., 5
What’s the Story? 8
Meet Sarah Hoag, 6
The Healthier Side of Gifts, 10
My Current Obsessions, 6
Designing with Color, 11
Meet Paula Rosenthal, 15
Pink or Blue, 13
Mike & Niki’s Honey, 20
High End Designing, 18
Editor Picks, 23
CURATE, 22
Sales & Marketing
Be Your Business Best
Click to Buy Catalog, 24
Throwing Money Away, 29
Vendors as Clients, 27
Preparation = Less Stress, 30
Your Google Listing, 35
Google Listing, 32
Are you a part of the GiftedIn24 program? Join us! Download the new GiftedIn24 app!
T E N Y E A R S O F E X C I T E M E N T, GROWTH AND FRIENDSHIPS Ten years ago, this month, I was finishing the final details of creating The Gift Basket Association. Ten years ago, I was sitting at my living desk thinking about how we could pull the industry together and work smarter together. Fast forward and we are the only global organization for the gift basket industry and we have accomplished so much together that it far surpasses my original vision. Together, we have “uplifted the gift basket industry through support and collaboration,” (my original tagline for The Gift Basket Association). From the spirited discussions in GBA Talk! to the hallway conversations at the National Gift Basket Convention, together we have contributed to each others growth. I have learned a lot from all of you and I can’t wait to see what the next ten years looks like for all of us. Thank you for being a part of The Gift Basket Association. More important, thank you for your friendship and care to help me become a better woman entrepreneur.
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 5
My Current Obsessions
Sarah Hoag, Photography & Brand Expert
BERRA BITES Dark chocolate little fruit bites in a gorgeous bag that fits perfectly in our medium sized gift baskets. Available in two flavors and sell for around $3. Their story is beautiful.
Paula & Howard Rosenthal
Sarah has been a lifestyle photographer for over 12 years. She specializes in helping businesses get personal by showing who they are, what they do, and why they do it all with personal imagery. She offers photography branding packages & one min brand story videos to clients.
Sarah is the newest person to join the faculty of the National Gift Basket Convention. She’ll be doing headshots, teach a variety of classes and working to help us all give you the education you need to be even more successful than you already are.
LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY The concept of taking photos in a manner that truly gives your products and website a gorgeous personality is one of my current obsessions. I’m enjoying learning now to food style and flat lay spa products.
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 6
all things honey
Shown Above: Savannah Bee, Mike & Niki’s Honey and Bee Seasonal
What’s the Story?
Gift Basket Design Ideas
Are you designing with whatever you have in stock or are you creating a story around your designs? Sure, its easier to just throw some items into a container but as an industry we should be stepping up. We should be working harder to create gift baskets that have a story. Why? Because it makes for a more passionate sale. It creates more creative language. Designs that tell a story show off the curator in you – you’re a designer right? An artist. You choose items that tell their own story just by looking at the gift basket. As you detail the contents of your gift you so eloquently designed, it becomes more than a gift basket, it becomes a story. Stories sell.
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 8
Gift Basket Design Ideas
The Healthier Side of Gifts Clean eating, pure ingredients, non-gmo – it’s hard to keep track of the wonderful qualities of the products coming to market but one thing is for sure, our clients are loving it. As you create gifts and source products, make sure you are detailing the products you’re using in your description. Consumers who care about what they are eating will look at the description and pay very close attention to each product. Happy clean designing!
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 10
Gift Basket Design Ideas
Designing with Color Bold, fun and fresh, color coordinating can be an amazing way to design. There are a few tips to remember when designing with color. First, be consistent, if you’re going to use bright colors, leave dark colors out of the design. Second, make sure the items are functional together. If you’re going to use a warmer color palette such as browns, golds and burgundy, keep the product functionality proper. In other words, coffee, biscotti, tea cookies, coffee candy, etc. Don’t color match products that don’t make sense together. Last, use the right ribbon to pull your design together. Make use of different patterns, ribbon types and lengths to give your design that gorgeous finishing touch.
You’re my sweet thing Russell Stovers
Mimi Jo’s Sweet Tea
House of Dorchester
DD’s Desert Delights
Le Caramel
Gift Basket Design Ideas
Pink or Blue? Neither. Natural Trendy, gorgeous and easy to create, natural color baby gift baskets are easy to design, if you can find the right products. We love the new modern clothing available through Carter’s Baby and combining with gorgeous blankets and accessories gives baby gifting a modern twist. Nightlights, storage containers, artwork, plush, high quality baby spa products are a few of our customers favorites. We’re leaving the pink and blue out and moving into a new style of baby gift baskets!
Design by Debbie Quintana
Gift Basket Design Ideas
Design by Amy Doan Design Ideas: Baby Baskets don’t have to be pink or blue. Try designing with neutral colors that work for either a boy or a girl. Neutral, natural and organic is all the rage in baby gifting. This simple design is stunning! Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 14
MEET THE FABULOUS
Paula Rosenthal
SHE’S ON HER WAY AND WE’RE TRULY ENJOYING WATCHING HER GROW If you’ve been watching for as long as I have, you’ll see the path and continued growth of excellence both Paula and Howard Rosenthal have made. I met them years ago at The National Gift Basket Convention and their joint achievements are noteworthy.
What was your biggest challenge? My biggest challenge was teaching myself everything I needed to know about the gift basket industry. From sourcing products, to discovering gift and food trade shows, learning how to professionally gift wrap and mastering the fine art of making hand-tied bows, these were all challenges that were quite overwhelming during my first year of business. My background as an entrepreneur and my experience in the food industry as a baker and a dessert stylist were somewhat helpful but the art of designing and assembling gift baskets was all very new to me. Luckily, I found the Gift Basket Association early on and found an incredible community full of supportive people who regularly share information, offer ideas and cheer each other on. What was your best accomplishment? My best accomplishment was my ability to triple our sales revenue in the past year. By ramping up networking efforts - joining local chambers of commerce, exhibiting at trade shows and becoming active in a business networking group - I have met many more people than I had previously . All of this has resulted in higher visibility and new opportunities for Favorite Gift Baskets to showcase the quality of work and level of service that we offer. Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 15
How do you measure success? I measure success by the positive feedback we receive about our gifts from our clients and the many people who have become repeat customers. What advice do you have for individuals starting in this business? 1. Keep it Simple - Don't get too many containers or buy too much inventory in the beginning. It's important to work on obtaining clients and orders so that you can rotate your stock regularly. Less is more. Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 16
2. Join the Gift Basket Association's Facebook Group - The camaraderie among its members as well as everyone's willingness to share resources and helpful tips is a real goldmine. Don't be afraid to ask questions and be sure to share both your challenges as well as your successes. We all support one another in this extraordinary group! 3. Attend the National Gift Basket Convention - The cost to attend is very reasonable (even more so if you share a hotel room) and in return you will experience three days of intensive, hands on workshops, receive coaching from industry leaders and form professional and personal relationships with other gift basket owners that will prove to be an immeasurable source of support throughout your career. I can't say enough good things about it! 4. Find a Buddy - Many gift basket business owners are flying solo which can leave you feeling a bit isolated. Building friendships, whether online or in person, with colleagues is a great way to feel connected. It's not uncommon for us to get together for regular lunch dates or participate in weekly phone calls. Having a buddy keeps you motivated and focused which in turn can spur you to success! 5. Don't Worry About Everyone Else - Like people, businesses are unique. What works for one company may not work for another. Develop your own style and build your own brand. Be creative and analyze what works for your business. Then, keep fine-tuning and improving it. There's always new things to learn!
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 17
High End Gift Sourcing & Designing
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 19
So higher costing products drive your margins down right? Nope. It’s the other way around. Because you are using higher quality products and can speak to each one, you have a stronger story to tell your client. And the best part, high quality means better flavor and better flavor means the recipient is much happier. Seek out quality first, always. Be proud of what you are selling. Support companies like you who are looking to grow their business just like you.
Brands like Clif Family Winery, Oil & Vinegar, Iveta, Torres and Rothschild aren’t the cheapest on the market. As a matter of fact, the Iveta Scone Mix retails for $9.95 on some sites. The wood shavings are more expensive than crinkle cut shred and that tray, not on the cheap side of anything.
Vendor Highlight
An Interview with Mike & Niki’s Honey We are thrilled to welcome Mike & Niki’s Honey to The Gift Basket Association family. Just like all of us, they started their company from scratch and are working hard to develop the right processes, products and selling channels to share their honey with the world. Here’s our first interview with Niki. Tell us how you got started! Mike is a mortgage Broker and I am a Financial Planner. We couldn’t discuss clients and at the end of the day, having something different to discuss would be great. So naturally we picked beekeeping. What?!!? You say. Well, he had bees as a teen and so we thought it would be cool to try again. Thus his mother gave us all their old bee gear. It’s amazing what our parents hold onto for us, just in case. We got our first hive in 2013 and became “BeeHAVERS”. What was your biggest challenge when you started your business? Our biggest challenge is the jump from Cottage Industry to full blown business with multi-channel distribution. This of course is the go big or go home business plan. I chose to sell honey and raise money for local schools, charities
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 7
and beekeeper classes and bee research. I sold out our hives and he started setting up more boxes. We now have a direct consumer channel, “a shelf in many stores” and let us not forget the web site. The challenge of a small web site and a big plan wasn’t working. Thank goodness for Debbie Quintana. She thinks big and get bigger from there. Her skills, expertise and resources are going to make this next year easier. What is your top goal with your company? Simply: to be the next Burt’s Bees. But that’s really big. So a realistically stretched goal is a fully developed multi-channel distribution of honey and honey products. Bee sales too, as we are still farmers at the core.
It’s been 10 years since Gift Basket Association was invented. Over the years, we’ve launched a variety of tools, forums, websites and technology tools – even this magazine. We did it to help the industry and we’ll continue to do this for the next ten years. To that end, we are pleased to announce the launch of CURATE by GBA. CURATE is a new, modern marketplace designed to allow you to find new treasures for your gift baskets with the flexibility of no minimum and low and fast shipping. From candles to cookies, spices to honey, we know you’re going to love shopping at CURATE!
EDITOR PICKS Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 23
Gift Basket Sales & Marketing
CLICK TO BUY
Catalog
By Debbie Adame/Owner and CGD – My Daddy's House of Gifts
Technology…in today’s world it has taken over every aspect of our lives from banking and bill paying, to buying movie tickets, to setting our home thermostats with our smartphones, and everything in between. We even buy our groceries online and have them delivered to our home! According to an article by Hosting Facts*, 8 in 10 Americans shop online, with 51% purchasing directly from their smartphone. This same article states that 92% of shoppers say that visuals influence their buying the most. Shoppers of all ages have higher expectations than they used to, so as business owners, we need to give them the best experience possible and, in turn, we will reap the benefits and see the best ROI. I would like to focus, for a moment, on the previous statement, “shoppers say that visuals influence their buying.” In our industry, we know that statement holds much truth. We work hard to be sure our designs, and the photos we take of them, look their best to give a great visual to the client or potential client.
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 24
Gift Basket Sales & Marketing
We make sure our social media posts are “visual worthy” in hopes it will entice our audience to purchase, and we ensure our websites are up-to-date with the best photos to showcase our products. So what other tool can we use that will give the shopper a great visual of our products and tie in with technology and ease of purchase? How about a PDF catalog with clickable links?! “What are clickable links?” you may ask. They are hyperlinks that are connected to either a photo or text that, when clicked on, go directly to the website source the creator of the document desires. In a PDF catalog that contains clickable links, a potential buyer can click on the photo or text of choice and be directed to the product on a website to complete their purchase. How great is that?! By now you must be thinking, “That sounds fantastic! I’m in! Tell me how to I can do this!” OK, great, let’s do it! The following will show you how to create a PDF catalog with clickable links, in 4 easy steps, from a document in PowerPoint. Included are some screen shot examples to give a visual of the steps that are outlined below. My hope for you is that after reading this and applying it, you will have a fantastic marketing tool to send your clients/potential clients! Ready? Let’s get started! Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 25
Gift Basket Sales & Marketing
Using PowerPoint to create your catalog is the easiest way to do it. They have “design assistance” and ready made templates that will help you design your catalog. After you’ve created your catalog, its time to add the hyperlinks to it. Creating a hyperlink for text or images. Highlight either the text or click on the photo you want to hyperlink to your website. On the top menu, click on “insert”, then link and add the desired link on your website. When done, click ok. Tip: Highlight and copy the desired link, then paste it into the url address space in the box.
After you have completed the PowerPoint, save the file as a PDF. Once the PDF file is saved, open it and hover your mouse over the photo or text that you hyperlinked in PowerPoint. You will see the link that was added during the creation. Click on it to be sure it takes you to the right website/source. If not, you can go back into PowerPoint to correct it. Important: If you correct a hyperlink in PowerPoint, you must resave it again to a PDF, so it will contain the correct link. Ta-da! You did it! You now have a PDF catalog to help give your clients a better shopping experience! *Source: Hosting Facts: https://hostingfacts.com/online-shopping-statistics/
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 26
Gift Basket Sales & Marketing
DON’T JUST BUY FROM YOUR VENDORS
Make them a Client
By Debbie Quintana
I recently had the pleasure of working with an incredible company – Pasta Mama’s. Not only are they amazing people with an amazing product, I realized that they are the exact type of company I want to support. I began designing their pastas and sauces into our gift baskets. But then, something else happened. I offered to design a gift line for them to sell through their website. And why not? I have their product in stock, plenty of ancillary items to make this a well-rounded, functional gift and it’s my skillset. I charged a design fee that included full photography and it was done! Now, we even do their fulfillment for them when orders come in. What vendors are you using? Is there the same potential for you to design for them? Perhaps it’s time to ask. Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 27
www.oilvinegarwholesale.com
Be Your Business Best
Are you throwing money away? Three tips for saving money every.single.month.
1. How much are you really paying for your credit card service? While your credit card processor may tell you its 2.75%, older processors charge ancillary fees. Look at your statement from last month. Divide the fees you paid by the total sales you charged – that is your real percentage. Now, compare that actual rate to some of the newer companies available. You might be able to realize some seriously savings. 2. Make a list of the apps you’re paying for every month. First, are you using them? Second, is there a free version that will give you what you need? Ask your peers what they use for that same functionality. Maybe its time to switch. 3. Are you running all over town getting the supplies you need for your gifts? Time is money and if you’re spending time running around chances are you are already in the red. Use services like Amazon prime, Instacart and store pick up services. Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 29
Be Your Business Best
P r e p a r a t i o n It goes without saying that we all want to be as stress free as possible but often times the speed of which we are working, prevents us from even take a breath. Most of the time, being busy is great. It means you have business. But, being busy can put in bad positions too. We recommend being prepared so you can be busy and stay busy doing the right things. It sounds simple but so often we all struggle to focus on helping ourselves. Here are some tips to help you be more prepared, less stressed and busy doing the right things.
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#1 Keep your devices charged. I know it sounds simple but so many of us skip this step. There’s nothing worse then a low battery when that client you’ve been trying to get ahold of calls. Carry a power pack, make sure everything gets charged nightly and use a headset so you can multi-task when and if you need to. #2 Be prepared for the week. Spend time on Sunday evening getting ready. You’d be surprised how much easier your week will go if you’ve already prepared for your meetings, special occasions or just a little breathing room. #3 Automate, Eliminate and/or Delegate. You don’t have to do everything. Look at how your spending your time. Decide if one of these time management skills can help you be less busy or open up more time for you to do the things you really should be doing.
Trends and Tips Gift Basket Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 30
A W H O L E S A L E M A R K E T P L A C E B Y T H E G I F T B A S K E T A S S O C I A T I O N www.CURATEBYGBA.com
Be Your Business Best
Your new BFF, Technology What’s Your Google Listing Look Like? If you put in your company name into Google, on the right hand side is your listing. Does it have everything its supposed to have? Do you own it? Does it have current photos? What about reviews? Pay attention to the largest search engine.
For years businesses have used phone books to put themselves on the map so they’re visible when a consumer needs to look them up. With times changing and online becoming our go-to source for virtually all our modern needs from food and travel to health, fitness and even pet products, it’s not too often you use that big fat phone book of local business listings. With the nature of Google’s business being search and the fact that more than 90% of online journeys start with the use of a search engine, it should come as no surprise that the various search engines provide their own local business listings. 24
Trends and Tips Magazine, 2ndGift Quarter Trends and Tips Basket2016 Magazine, Spring 2019, Page 32
Google refers to its local business listing platform as Google My Business. The resulting Google My Business listings include a business’ name, address, phone number and website. This business listing information is available through a variety of Google properties — including Google Maps. In fact, Google My Business offers everything you need for a potential customer to find and use your services, buy your products or visit your business. Once you’ve registered or claimed your local business listing via the Google My Business dashboard, you can respond to customer reviews and add images to help your business stand out. Google’s local listings are intrinsically tied to local SEO. If you haven’t yet considered this as part of your SEO strategy, our piece about why local SEO is important should have you heading to Google to set up your Google My Business local listing right now. When users search for localized keywords/terms using Google, they will be presented with relevant local business listings, all tailored to the search term used. Let’s assume you have a car wash business on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NY. When someone searches for ‘car wash Lower East Side’ you’re going to want your website to appear in the results provided by Google. Seeing as this includes a Google Maps location system, it’ll be nice and easy for potential customers to see how far away you are and how to come find you. Google’s local business listings are shown in what is referred to as the local 3-pack. Google gives what it considers to be the top three most relevant results for any given user’s search term and displays them alongside a Google Maps preview for the searcher’s convenience. The Google 3-pack is a revised version of the original display, which contained seven results but felt far too cluttered. As such, there is an extra significance to enhancing your local SEO efforts to help push your Google My Business listing up the rankings and into the top three local listings for terms which are important to your business. These top three places receive considerably more traffic as a local listing than those lower down the pecking order. Visit www.brightlocal.com to learn more.
National Gift Basket Convention
August 9-12, 2019 Phoenix, Arizona
Start to Finish Designing for Beginners The Bow Workshop Public Speaking Workshop Creating a Plan for a Business Gifting Program Unique Designing Thinking Inside The Box Lifestyle Photography Upsells and Personalization's Client Presentations Money Matters Let's Get Personal Shipping, Unboxing & More Setting Up Your Business Properly The Client Experience The Newest Tools for Selling Advanced Social Networking Holiday Prep Storefronts, Pop-Ups & Merchandising Using Your Big Commerce Website to Its Fullest Potential Segmentation, Personalization and Automation Google My Business Sourcing & Pricing Your Gifts Tech Trends The Latest Sales & Marketing Trends
Gift Basket Supplies, Exceptional Service…and So Much More!
Northwoods Cheese www.northwoodscheese.com 888-878-3161