Silver Wine Gift Basket Wonderful wine and gourmet items to please the eye.

Cheese and Wine gift basket Everything you need to make a great impression - a great gift basket

Spread gift basket sales throughout the year with business clients.

The secret is out -- corporate gift baskets are in! So says a study commissioned by Festivities Publications Inc. and carried out by Ulrich Research Services in Orange Park, Florida. According to the 112 gift basket retailers surveyed, 37 percent of 2002 gift basket sales involved corporate customers. The study also revealed that while corporate baskets are given year-round, fourth-quarter sales generally lead. However, savvy gift basket designers are steering their corporate customers away from traditional Christmas gift giving: Some 9 percent of fourth-quarter corporate sales were made at Thanksgiving, according to the survey. This reflects the increasing number of gift basket designers who are working to influence their clients' buying habits.

Who Are Corporate Customers?

In gift basket circles, a corporate customer can be anyone in business from a small company to a large corporation. It is important to remember that all companies, regardless of size and type, have three things in common: customers, employees, and suppliers. Since all three groups are potential gift recipients, there are plenty of opportunities for the retailer.

Corporate baskets are perfect for saying thank you for a referral, sending speedy recovery wishes to a sick employee, congratulating a vendor on a major achievement, rewarding an employee for exceptional service, and so on. They are given to express a wide range of sentiments, including appreciation, encouragement, remembrance, support, comfort, and gratitude.

Business Clientele Preferences

While a well designed corporate gift basket is always a pleasure to receive, it is even more enjoyable when it is personalized to reflect the interests (or taste buds) of the recipient. Knowing that a customer is a golf fanatic or a lover of Italian food, for example, will make a customized gift all the more welcome, and will reflect the giver's thoughtfulness. On the other hand, corporate baskets are often shared by more than one person in an office, and a gourmet basket can satisfy multiple tastes.

The majority of corporate baskets contain gourmet food items. Gift basket staples like crackers, nuts, cookies, specialty teas and coffees, candy, chocolates, shelf-stable cheeses and meats are widely used. In general, women prefer to receive candy and chocolate, while men enjoy more savory snacks like nuts, pretzels, and trail mixes.

There are no boundaries when it comes to including gift items, provided the gifts blend with the overall theme of the basket. Popular choices for business gifts include unusual desk accessories, sports- and hobby-related items, small books that reflect the recipient's interests, business books, and picture frames.

Often a designer will incorporate a client's corporate colors in a basket arrangement or imprint ribbons with the client's name. For volume baskets, more and more clients are requesting private labeling on some of the basket filler items, particularly on gourmet food items. These personal touches strengthen the image of the giver and make a lasting impression on the recipient.

Many business-to-business baskets include a client's promotional gifts, such as mugs, key chains, and plush. This is acceptable, provided they are unobtrusive and complement the overall design. Since you will not benefit financially from including your client's merchandise, it is recommended that you charge a design fee in order to cover labor costs.