Not Just Christmas! Year-Round Gifting Opportunities
Traditionally Christmas is seen as the perfect time for hamper sales, with online searches for 'hampers' and similar terms peaking in November and December. There are however plenty of other gifting opportunities throughout the year to take advantage of.
In this article we'll take a look at some of the top revenue generating opportunites and provide you with some inspiration to keep your hamper offering fresh and relevant.
1. Food Hampers
We all appreciate good food which is why 'Food Hampers' is typed into Google on average 8,100 times a month by shoppers...and that's just the online stats! From catering for groups and events to specialist food hampers for foodies and cheese connoisseurs, there are copious amounts of food themes for year-round hamper gifts. Here's a list of some of the best-selling hamper themes to inspire you.
- Cheese hampers - Great for small dinner parties and a great gift for cheese lovers. Our cardboard gift trays
are perfect for perishable foods as they can be temporarily popped in
the fridge and the flat clear lid makes them easy to stack.
- Fruit baskets - For Farm Shop or Grocers this is an easy hamper idea, simply fill a wooden crate or wicker tray with a generous selection of seasonal fresh fruit (or veg). Rotate the fruit selection to encourage repeat purchases.
- Wine gifts - Provide a selection of wine gift boxes and bottle carriers gift packaging options near to your wine selection in addition to a few pre-packaged wine hampers. Offering a variety of cardboard bottle boxes and wooden bottle boxes gives customers the choice to pick one that suits their budget.
- Luxury food hampers - Gather together the very best foods for customers who enjoy gourmet foods & wines. Our empty wicker hampers exemplify luxury without the hefty price tag.
- Picnic hampers - The picnic basket evokes all kinds of summer nostalgia which can be a powerful selling tool. Offer customers a ready-to-go food filled picnic hamper for impulsive picnics and outdoor celebrations.
2. Chocolate hampers and sweet hampers
Many of our retailers in the confectionary market are tasting the success of retro sweet hampers and gifts, a trend which continues to grow in popularity. For many, retro favourites such as Pear Drops, Flying Saucers and Parma Violets evoke nostalgia and sweet memories.
Our small gift boxes and small empty wicker baskets are most suited to sweet hampers as they offer a cost-effective gift packaging option for low-mid range price points. The capacity of our 10-inch wicker hamper basket is more than enough for a generous selection of classics.
With our wicker print card hampers we've managed to recreate the tradition of the wicker hamper in a contemporary hamper box that's great value. This unique cardboard hamper is a great economy alternative to our 10-inch real wicker hamper.
There are heaps of holiday dates throughout the year such as Easter, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day to sell lots of chocolate hampers. We're not even sure there even needs to be an excuse to buy yourself or a friend a chocolate hamper!
It's advantageous to have fun and get creative with your hampers and think outside the box, as this will make your selection stand out. A wicker trug is a lovely option for luxury Easter hampers. The traditional wicker basket would look irresistible filled with brightly coloured individually wrapped chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies, finished off with clear wrap tied with a yellow ribbon.
3. Gift wrap & wrapping services
Whether packed in a wicker hamper basket, bamboo gift tray or card gift box an attractively packaged gift gives a powerful first impression. This is a great way of providing customers with memorable customer service, once customers learn of your gift packaging service you'll boost sales and create customer loyalty as well.
There is excellent opportunity for Wine Merchants to cross-sell bottle baskets and wine boxes whilst providing customers with the extras they need to turn a bottle into a thoughtful gift. There are many ways to gift a bottle of wine with a wide choice of wooden wine boxes, single and double wine boxes and wicker bottle basket carriers. Our single bottle & gift wooden wine box is a popular choice for Wine Retailers as it has the internal shelf ideal for many wine and gift combinations.
If you already offer a gift packaging service or offer ready-made gift baskets, but think your selection could do with a lift and refresh then you may want to take a look at our wholesale hamper and gift packaging collection. Our full range features a wide array of presentation items, from small gift boxes to large wicker hamper baskets, gift trays to wooden crates. Our red gift boxes, red gift trays, empty wicker hampers and wicker print gift boxes are particular popular for Christmas Hampers and Valentine's Day Hampers.
Many shoppers choose to 'shop small' not only because of the diverse section of products they offer, but for the personal experience they provide. It's really important to remember that by presenting items as potential gifts you're helping the customer save time and showing how you're adding value to the product. When customers shop at their local Farm Shop, Deli, Bakery, Boutique they want to find unique items, and custom gift packaging and wrapping can be the perfect fit.
4. Corporate Hampers
Offering corporate hampers can be a huge revenue booster. They're a great way of engaging your clients and business partners and help you to make a lasting impression. Corporate gifting is nothing new, and has been around for many years but those that benefit the most from it are finding alternative ways to reach out.
With corporate gifts you can also show appreciation to your employees. Letting them know you value them can go a long way in boosting motivation and productivity. This could be as simple as a bottle of wine presented in a bottle box when they complete a big project or a food hamper for securing a sales lead. If you're a retailer, be sure to create a range of gift hampers that can cater to this market. It's important to think about trends and adaptability, don't get too specific with your product choices because they'll need to appeal to a range of recipients.
If you've read the previous articles in our Hampers E-Learning Hub then you'll have already learnt about the benefits of branded hampers as a powerful tool for improving brand awareness and loyalty. Adding your logo or business name to the lid of a wicker hamper basket helps you to remain in the forefront of your client's mind. There is just a one-off stencil fee to pay and a small application cost for this highly effective marketing tactic.
5. Gift Bundles
Curated product bundles are a great way to grab the attention and imagination of browsing shoppers. We've given you a few ideas to get started but these are just a handful of the types of hamper gifts you could promote all year-round. Remember to think carefully about your customer base and upcoming events that you could focus on. We've mainly used food hampers as an example, however you can create hampers from just about anything!
To set yourself apart from competitors, think about your unique selling points, and what you can offer that customers can only buy from your store in the local area, what makes you different?
Gift hampers are great for upselling and cross-selling products. They also help sell-through slow selling lines which can be strategically added to your gift baskets in combination with more popular selling items.
To give your hampers the best chance of selling, use quality gift packaging to create beautiful gifts that are appealing to the eye. As a wholesaler of hampers and gift packaging, we've a huge range of affordable gift packaging options to suit your requirements and budget. For top tips on how to create a winning hamper, read our article How To Build A Great Hamper. Our sales team are also on hand to lend any advice and answer any queries, just pop us an email or give us a call!
