November 2009 Archives
Tarts, cheesecakes, and even upside down cakes can be firm enough to tuck into a gift basket. Most of these gourmet dessert gift baskets are best delivered by hand... so you can see the ecstasy as your beloved friend discovers the treasure of your hand made dessert, of course!
Enjoy these favorite selections that can be added to your gift baskets -- whether you make them, have them made, or buy gourmet delicacies and tuck them into your gift basket.
You can use fondant or almond paste to make this bow and apply it to your cheesecake along with some fresh fruit for an elegant gift box / gift basket.
Food baskets can be local, cultural, creative and audacious... herbs that you grow, seasonal food baskets from a farmers market, native local foods, or frugal foods that don't have to be cooked.
Food Baskets for Family, Friends and Colleagues
Everyone likes to eat...and food themes are endless and fun for creative gift basket sharing!
Food Basket Ideas
Consider favorite brands, local varieties, local specialty foods, and seasonal favorite foods
- Local candies
- Nuts
- Dried berries
- Lush or dried fruits
- Coffees and Teas
- Ethnic favorites such as Salsa or Sausages
- Cookies
- Cupcakes with hard frostings
Gourmet food is always a special treat and can vary from candies to spicy peppers. Some favorite gourmet basket ingredients include:
- Ethnic favorites such as Salsa, Smoked Sausages, Pickles, Cheeses and Breads.
- Local favorites such as local Candies, local Fruits or Berries, local Flavors, local Fish or Crabs
- Childhood memories with gourmet quality bring back great memories with Cookies, Candies, Crackers or Soda Pop selections.
Gourmet doesn't have to be expensive...just high quality. Some local favorites are a family tradition and can be added to a standard gift basket to make it special and personalized. Pick up a couple items you KNOW the person will enjoy, and add them to a gift basket to give it that gourmet touch!
Pamper Baskets are a Delight for Women in particular!
Use your imagination to create giftbaskets that spark the imagination, bring aromas and tastes to the experience.
Remember that the majority of TASTE comes from SMELL! Be sure to include potpourri or fresh herbs or touches of vanilla or cinnamon or other favorite aromas to your gift basket to make it a memorable and emotionally charged adventure!
You can find Gift Basket Service start-up guides, such as the one available from Entrepreneur's SmallBizBooks.com.
One of the best ways to create your own business plan is to buy a few gift baskets from companies you admire and learn from them. Watch how they describe their baskets. Look at their website, their order form, their top selling products. Notice who they write their copy to attact.
And take note of the favorite name brands of food and gift items included in their gift basket line of products. Don't copy them... learn from them. What you need to understand is WHO you will serve, and the baseline of expectations your customers will have because your best customers will have already bought gift baskets from someone else -- so they know your competition better than you do!
Be sure that you know YOUR CUSTOMERS. They are the heart of your business -- so listen to what they want and find a creative (and profitable) way of giving them the gift baskets they want, in the size and price they want, and for the kinds of people they want to buy for. That is the heart of your gift basket market. And with the Internet's online gift basket markets such as eBay and local websites and specialized websites that use Google advertising, you can identify the people who will make your best customers.
Online marketing of gift baskets makes it fast easy and convenient for your customers. With a few clicks, from the comfort of their office chair or living room couch, they can be your customers. If you serve them well...and deliver exceptional value, beauty, and WOW! designs, they'll come back!
Creating your own standard basket line will help you limit the variety of materials you need to produce baskets with design flair, but at a reasonable cost. Little touches can completely change the look and feel of each of your products.
A food basket can include a majority of the same basic items, with with just one or two "showboat" items, and a change in color of the basket liner, you can take that creative gift basket from one that appeals to grannies to corporate executives to fathers on their special day!
Your creativity all starts with an empty gift basket. Custom gift baskets usually sell better when customers see your standard baskets...and make changes. Standard baskets--including gourmet food, toiletry and bath, and wedding and baby shower baskets--can serve as idea starters you can show to prospective customers -- online of in your shop.
Here are some of the markets for empty gift baskets for the small gift basket businessowner.
- Local craft stores that have seasonal or heavily discounted sales on baskets. Learn how to nest baskets in your limited storage facility
- Local or regional import stores that specialize in home furnishings.
- Fair trade nonprofits that help people in struggling economies find outlets for their handcrafted goods
- Online supply companies such as Tradekey
- Specialized online suppliers such as Beau Coup
Creative gift baskets start with your customers' desires. What are they using this gift basket for? Who for? For what results? All those questions put you into your customers' heads! You have to become psychic to understand how gifting works. If you don't do much gifting yourself, you might want to try it... you might like it! :-) And you'll better understand what questions your prospects ask about making their purchase. What matters most? What shiny object attracts them? How do they rationalize the value of one basket over another? What's the baseline quality level they expect?
Creativity isn't all about beauty...it's also about practical issues such as light weight and sturdiness to handle shipping. Creativity is also about price points, and how to get the most appeal out of simple, inexpensive materials arranged in a truly memorable way!
Creative gift baskets can be small, modular, fluffy, tightly packed, or localized. Your creativity keeps you in this business, so use your creative urges to keep your product line fresh, and your customers coming back for more!
Celebrate Shared Times with Anniversary Gift Baskets!
- Anniversary Gift Basket
- Wedding Anniversary Gift Basket
- Employee Anniversary Gift Basket
- Special Anniversary Gift Basket
- Volunteer Anniversary Gift Basket
Is it the FIFTIETH? Look back into history and find themes from the era that started it all!
Is it ONE YEAR of special, intensity? Celebrate the high points...and the years to come!
Anniversary memories braid together the past with the present and the future. Your gift basket can become the table-top container that holds the special mementos of the day. So choose the basket with as much care as the items that you put into the basket!
Easter Baskets for Girls
Make Easter a festive hunt for treasures and a time of discovery. Add skill-building toys like tops and puzzles to take some of the emphasis off candy and sweets! Toys last so much longer than candy and are often the focus of delight in a kids gift basket!
Shrink Wrap a Basket Quickly...for a Custom Fit
But if you need to ship your basket, here's a way to create a custom bag that holds you gift basket ingredients in place during shipping.
If you're making your own custom business gift basket, here is a tip on how to add loose candies to the basket.
Adult foods, chocolates, nuts, foods...and a bottle of wine or cider...these are the treats that business gift baskets are known for. Chocolate creates delight in business gift baskets...but it's important to choose the right kinds of candies for your business friends and colleagues.
Consider the recipient's interests, needs and desires when making your own themed gift basket. Favorite colors? Pets? Home decor? Wedding? All these themes affect what you select for your themed gift basket ingredients... but also the basket itself, and how you craft the design of the theme.
The colors,
the flavors
and a sassy bow to boot!