Lots of us love sending gifts to our nearest and dearest. With so many special occasions throughout the year, we can send a little love through the post or turn up on their doorstep with a box of goodies. With more people turning to online shopping, if you are searching for a new venture to start up, a hamper business could be perfect. Offer something unique and interesting, affordable and appealable and you will have customers shopping with you over and over again to send baskets of high quality things to their loved ones. Let's have a look at how to set up a hamper business and what you could be doing with this new business idea.
Business Brand Name
One of the first things you need to do is brand your business. A name of your business speaks louder than you might think. This is something that a customer buys into. Branding attracts them in to begin with and your business name needs to be memorable for word of mouth promotion. Take a look at competitors and ensure there is no other company using the name you want.
You don't want to pay for logos, websites and business cards to discover someone else has a trademark on that specific name. Take time over this side of the process because it is important. However you don't want to drag your feet with these decision for too long otherwise it will hold you back.
Source Your Products
When you know the brand of your business you need to start sourcing the products for your hamper business. The baskets or boxes that will contain your products as well as the products themselves. You need to find these products at good prices to ensure that your hamper business is offering gifts at a price that works.
The price point in extremely important to ensure you get both customers and profit. You need to be happy with these products, just as happy as your customers will be. You're buying things in to bundle together and send out in wonderful packages. Your hamper business will thrive if the products available are good.
Somewhere To Sell
Thirdly, you need somewhere to sell. You might want to open your business up to customers all over the country with an online store and you might even consider setting up on a platform where there is an active user base, such as Etsy. Yes there will be fees involved however you can quickly immerse yourself in a pool of potential customers, rather than struggling to get customers to find you. Your own website is a must though, as you can detail every part of your business and it is somewhere to direct people to on social media.
As well as online stores where orders can be sent out by post, consider selling on Facebook Marketplace where customers can collect. Also look into markets, craft fairs and artisan events. When people can see the quality of your products in front of them, they are more likely to purchase from your hamper business.
Different Types Of Hamper Business
The type of hamper business you settle on will help you figure out the plan of promotion going forward. You may look into a food hamper market or perhaps specialising in hampers for new babies. It could be a hamper business for newly married couples, or families moving house, or for general gifting purposes. Some of these hampers might need to be put together on an order by order basis. Especially if they contain products which could spoil or go off.
You could work into a specific niche area such as the baby market or cover more bases with a wider range of products. You could even consider approaching your hamper business from an environmentally friendly angle to show your company ethos.
Plan For Special Occasions
There are lots of special occasions that your potential customers will be looking to buy for. From birthdays to anniversaries. Making it as easy as possible for customers to buy with you, include a handwritten card or message and have the product sent to the recipient. Even better if you can work with a courier company to have it delivered on a specific date. If you can allow customers to plan in advance and even place recurring orders for specific occasions you can guarantee return business.
Seasonal Differences
Whilst it's great to have fan favourites on your list of products available, your hamper business needs to stay fresh. There are dates throughout the year we can plan for and work towards. These seasonal differences include Easter, Christmas and even summer time.
Imagine having a summer picnic hamper which can be ordered and enjoyed on the beach. Maybe even delivered to a camp site or holiday rental property. A Christmas hamper full of festive biscuits, mince pies and mulled wine would be lovely during the run up to Christmas Day. Consider having specific Fathers Day and Mothers Day products available from your hamper business too.
Stand Out In The Crowd
There is a huge market for hampers being sent by courier. However there are also plenty of businesses providing this, including some huge names on the high street. Making yourself stand out in the crowd is so important. This could be by going down an eco friendly route or perhaps being a plastic free hamper business.
Maybe you only source local products from within a small radius of where you operate from. This can be brilliant as you can build up relationships with local suppliers and even collect the products yourself. There are lots of ways to stand out in the crowd and it can be a huge plus point to your hamper business.
If you are considering starting a hamper business, there is much to consider. You must get to know the market and figure out where you will sit within it. How much profit will you make from each hamper? Especially when you take into account the cost of all the products and the courier price? Starting a new venture is so exciting and a hamper business can be a great way to build your career.