Gift Basket Company Business Plan, Marketing Plan, How To Guide, and Funding Directory
The Gift Basket Company Business Plan and Business Development toolkit features 18 different documents that you can use for capital raising or general business planning purposes. Our product line also features comprehensive information regarding to how to start a Gift Basket Company business. All business planning packages come with easy-to-use instructions so that you can reduce the time needed to create a professional business plan and presentation.
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Gift basket companies are typically businesses that are always in demand even during times of economic recession. This is especially true among corporate buyers that frequently want to send gift baskets to important clients were people that they do business with. As such, these businesses are able to readily control their inventory expenditures and remain profitable at all times. Most gift basket companies operate a substantial retail presence as well. However, with the power of the Internet – there are now in a number of companies operate specifically in an online capacity as it relates to producing beautiful gift baskets that can be distributed to the general public. It is imperative for these types of businesses to maintain a website that features e-commerce functionality so that orders can quickly be placed on the Internet and distributed to customers throughout the world. Most basket companies typically have a startup cost ranging anywhere from $25,000 all the way to $100,000 depending on the types of inventories carried that are put into gift baskets as per customer orders. The gross margins generated from sales range anywhere from 40% to 60% depending on the items sold. Gift baskets that have perishable items typically carry a higher pricing point as well as higher gross margins.
Given the highly predictable streams of revenue generated by these businesses, most financial institutions are willing to extend a small business loan or line of credit in order to launch the operations. As always, a gift basket company business plan is going to be required. This document should have a three-year profit and loss statement, cash flow analysis, balance sheet, breakeven analysis, and business ratios page. Pertaining to industry research, there are approximately 30,000 individual businesses that produce gift baskets either as part of an overall retail operation or as a direct e-commerce retailer. Each year, these businesses generate approximately $3.5 billion revenue and provide jobs to about 50,000 people. As it relates to the target market information, can be somewhat broad given the fact that many gift basket companies will frequently maintain an online presence. As such, any person that is looking to provide a gets to a third party is a potential customer for this business. However, when developing the marketing plan a specific focus on the types of customers should be examined including annual household income, how much it will spend a gift basket, geographical location, and how many times a year it will make an order through the companies online platform or retail operations. An expansive competitive analysis should also be included within the documentation in order to ensure that major competitors will be examined and how the business will maintain a differentiating factor.
A gift basket company SWOT analysis is typically produced as well. As it relates to strengths, the barriers to entry for new gift basket company are considered to be moderately low and the startup costs are considered to be moderately low as well. One of the key strengths regarding these businesses is that they are able to effectively control their input cost at any given time. During times of economic recession, most basket companies are able to substantially reduce their inventory acquisitions which allows them to remain profitable. The gross margins generated from sales are reasonably high, and e-commerce functionality allows these businesses to accept orders from anywhere in the world.
For weaknesses, these businesses do face of sustained substantial amount of competition not only from smaller retailers but also major companies that operate specifically in a gift basket capacity. As such, these businesses are required to have a substantial marketing campaign that allows them to effectively target individuals within their market and on a worldwide basis.
As relates opportunities, gift basket companies can easily expand by increasing the amount of inventory that they carry, expanding marketing campaigns, as well as acquiring businesses there already in operation. Maintaining expansive pay per click marketing campaign coupled with search engine optimization is also another way that these businesses can readily grow.
For threats, outside of any major competitive issue were a downturn in the economy – there’s really nothing that is can impact the way that a gift basket company operates moving forward.
A gift basket company marketing plan also needs to be developed and this is one of the key aspects of the overall business planning process for this type of business. Given the large amount of competition, gift basket companies must constantly find ways to differentiate themselves from area competitors. One of the ways that many of these companies were able to market their services to the general public is by immediately developing relationships with area chambers of commerce concurrently cementing ongoing purchase order relationships with local and regional rations. As people receive gifts baskets, branded with the company’s logos, the visibility of the business will continually increase. As has been discussed here, it is imperative that the gift basket company maintain an expansive online presence so that people from all over the world can place orders with the gift basket company. This website to showcase the entire inventory of the business, how quickly gift baskets can be delivered, bulk discount deals, and other information regarding the purchase of these products. This website listed among all major search engines. A search engine optimization firm and pay per click marketing firm can be hired in order to assist the gift basket company with expanding its online presence.
Many gift basket companies operate a dual marketing campaign that includes both the use of print media – especially within the company’s local market – as well as the expansive online campaign. Usually, the amount of money allocated towards each of these types of marketing campaigns is roughly equal.
A presence on social media including platforms like FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and LinkedIn are frequently used as well in order to ensure maximum visibility for the gift basket business. Although it is somewhat tedious to maintain the social media pages, specialized deals and discounts can be very quickly showcased to thousands of people once an expansive following is developed. Over time, the strong reviews provided to the business will assist in boosting the visibility of the company’s website as well as social media platform pages. Many gift basket companies, especially once they become profitable, will typically hire on staff online marketing expert in order to maintain the website as well as social media pages.
Gift basket companies can be highly lucrative small businesses especially among those that are able to quickly reach a worldwide audience. While this is a very competitive type of business, the number of ways at a gift basket company can differentiate itself from other competitors insignificant. Even during times of economic recession, people and corporations are going to want to provide gift baskets to their loved ones, clients, colleagues, and other people during holiday seasons. As such, these businesses are poised in a market that allows them to operate with a great deal of economic stability.