Weaving a Web of Sales
© Shirley Frazier
Sales from untapped markets and alliances with non-competing companies through this worldwide phenomenon are two objectives when launching a Web site, but what's missing? A random sampling of gift basket professionals who share information about Web sales reveal that a very small percentage of their sales are made on the net.
Like any other business, if you do not promote your site in print, media and through networking events, no one will know you exist. But there is a bright spot, albeit a shining light from other gift basket providers.
One indication that gift baskets sales are rising is the increase in offerings through flower-oriented sites such as 1-800-Flowers.com, Calyx and Corolla.com and Florist.com. Their promotional budget is enormous compared to the average home-based business.
Gift baskets are featured alongside flowers on the sites' main pages. 1-800-Flowers.com is now traded on the stock exchange (FLWS), which means that their annual sales are open to the public, and their sales may give us more insight into gift basket revenues generated by this titan.
How can a gift basket Webmaster grab a piece of the growing Internet market? Gift basket businesses should begin promoting themselves to three Internet buying groups:
1. Hotels, bed and breakfast owners and meeting planners.
These groups purchase gift baskets for out-of-town guests (convention attendees, tourists, politicians and entertainers). They search for gift basket providers through local Internet listings.
2. Out-of-state individuals ordering for residents near you.
If Aunt Helen in Nebraska wants to send her niece, who lives in your business region, a first semester college basket, she's more likely to buy from you, the local source. How does she find you? By searching the Web.
3. Busy corporate executives.
You can steer the executive to your Web site to see your baskets and find the answers to questions he or she may have before, during or after the meeting. This tactic will, hopefully, bring the sale to a successful closure.
These ideas are just the beginning to your Web promotion, and it's wise to start your publicity in ways that reach the people who are most likely to buy your baskets.
By determining your objectives before setting up a Web site and implementing a few basic strategies to promote the cyber end of your business, you can gain attention for your site and raise Web sales steadily through 2000 and beyond.
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