Savings to be had, by you!

Over the last 24 hours or so I have gone through the website and reduced the prices of many of our fabulous hampers. Not because I think they're over priced, far from it I barely break even, but because things are oh so quiet and I'm hoping that a good old sale might fire things up again.

Not all gifts have been reduced but I may add more to the special page during the day, depending on my mood :-)

I've have always prided myself on having well priced and great value gifts so find it quite a challenge to have a 'sale' and not cost myself money. There's no point selling something for less than it actually costs to make right?? Not great business sense.

Little Sweetie Gift Hamper - $45 (normally $50)

I've marked down a lot of the most popular gifts, so these included the cheaper range, but I've also marked down some of the more expensive hampers as well as ones that aren't so popular (which I can't figure out why) in the hopes that people will notice them and think 'wow, that would be perfect for....'

If you don't need to send a gift to anyone right at this moment you are more than welcome to order now for a future event. Just make a note when you're placing your order, we would be more than happy to mark it on our diary and send when needed. Also, if you think someone you know might like one (or more) or our hampers to send to their loved ones please let them know about us, cheers!

Just Lollies - $26 (normally $29)

The lolly and chocolate boxes have always been our most popular gifts so I've even reduced them. Our $29 gifts are currently $26 and our $48 lolly and chocolate boxes are currently $43 - I might only make a few cents on them but if it means someone gets to enjoy a box of lollies who may not have, then I'm one happy lady!

Chocoholics Hamper - $65 (normally $75)

Chocoholics Hamper is currently $65 (normally $75) and the divine Vivani Hamper is only $69 (normally $80). I'm sure you know someone who would love a chocolate delivery!

These specials are set to end on Sunday, 14 May (Mother's Day) but depending on how they go and how I'm feeling and if I haven't gone broke, I may just extend the sale. Maybe......

O is for...On Special

It's always hard to know whether to have specials or not? Should I mark my gift prices down? Will this bring in more orders and will I still make money? Will I attract new customers or will it be my regulars who order, who would have ordered any way?

I've never been good at the whole 'add value' and 'don't discount'. I already believe my gifts are value for money plus I also have to take into account delivery charges. If I add something, for nothing, will this bump up the cost of delivery thus making the gift unprofitable. Also, what do I add as a bonus that will entice people into buying the gift more so than when it is just the standard product?

I generally go with a discount if I'm running a special but it can generally only be up to 15% otherwise I'm not making any money at all, in some cases I would be losing money. My margins aren't very high as I want my prices to be as low as I can make them, all the time not just a few times a year.

People still like to complain about prices but they just don't understand how expensive delivery is. My delivery charges vary from $13 to $21 depending on the satchel I use. Sometimes gift ideas I have just won't work as the gift, while in itself doesn't cost very much, ends up being too large for my small or medium satchels and ends up needing to use the large satchel - this is $20 just for postage!

This bear gift ended up being not value for money as it had to go in the $21 satchel!

Confectionery has also just gone up, for the 2nd time in the last 5 months as have all of my packing and gift boxes. I also went from using large noodle boxes to tins which is a huge difference in price but I didn't increase my sell price. Some of it was saved in the delivery charges as I could you use a smaller satchel but not all, it just means my margins are a bit smaller. This all means I just need to work that little bit harder! All fun and games.

Chocolate helps!

When I am discontinuing something I might mark them down to just cover postage as I just want to get rid of the stock I have and sometimes I'll have something on special to try and get a bit more interest and coverage for Rainbow Designs but I can't sustain these specials for too long. I actually prefer to keep my prices the same and have a 'repeat customer' discount so then people who are loyal to me or who have ordered from me before are rewarded for coming back! I think people appreciate this sort of discount too, it makes them feel like their business is worth something to us and not just taken for granted. I 'never' take orders for granted, I know how hard it is to get orders and keep them coming in regularly - it is never a 'given' that you will get orders every day, even after 11 years!

On special or just special - either way I think a business needs to believe in their products and pricing and not devalue themselves!