If you have a brick-and-mortar retail space such as a grocery, a deli, a bakery, or another specialty store, you know the value of maintaining and increasing foot traffic. 

Holidays, storm warnings, and other occasions can give your store a large influx in customers, but how can you get people to spend more? Bulk gift baskets. 

With creative product displays and pricing strategies, baskets can increase customer retention and brand loyalty. Here are eight ways gift baskets can increase sales for your grocery store:

Baskets are convenient for customers looking for a quick gift

While options like a bouquet or cake may be more typical, gift baskets come in all shapes and forms and offer a variety of products or bundles for customers to choose from. Baskets are also easier to grab, like candy at the checkout line. 

Bulk baskets give your customers one less choice when shopping for gifts. 

As a grocer or gourmet store, you have the ability to curate high-quality gift baskets for special occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and more. 

Place such baskets near your other special occasion displays – greeting cards aisles or pre-made cakes – and you are giving customers a quick, easy way to select a thoughtful gift (and spend more than if they just bought a box of chocolates).

Baskets let customers discover new products easily

One of the best ways to increase your customer retention in a grocery store is to create an environment that is intriguing and invites your customer to wander even after their shopping list is all checked off.

Organizing your store’s selection in a way that sparks curiosity and allows customers to discover new products easily will not only keep them in your store for longer but also urge them to become repeat customers and come back for more.

Bulk gift baskets allow you to showcase new items and improve your customers’ shopping experience by bundling new and exciting products together. For example, you could create a DIY picnic basket complete with a charcuterie board, an assortment of cheeses and jams, and even a picnic blanket. 

These types of offers will instantly intrigue customers to try different products that you carry and potentially get them hooked on a new item that they'll continue to buy from you in the future.

Gift baskets are more of an experience than a product

Sometimes, a gift card or some candy is not the type of gift that you would want to give (or receive). Customers often look for gifts that are more personal and include an experience, rather than just a product.

Incorporating exciting event and display bulk baskets in your store is a great way to keep people in your store for longer and convince them to invest in an experience.

For instance, you might offer in-store samples of some gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar paired with some freshly baked bread from your store bakery. Then, you can provide all ingredients in a gift basket for sale nearby.

Shoppers will be drawn to the in-store experience as they check items off their list. Then, they’ll feel it’s quick and easy to buy a basket of items rather than navigating through the store to find each of the items individually. 

Whether it’s a gift for someone else or a little splurge for themselves, experiences sell – and bulk baskets are the way to do it.

Baskets allow your store to be different from your competitors

Bulk baskets are a great way to stand out from your competitors. For instance, if you are a gourmet store or a deli, chances are your competitors are not offering gift baskets to their customers.

Your store could find great success in grouping best-sellers, staff recommendations, seasonal items, and more – all for your customers’ convenience.

Baskets also equip your staff with a great, strategic item to use in-store. For example, you might display some fun novelty items in the midst of the bigger ticket item that you are trying to sell. 

By directing customers to browse baskets in the middle of their shopping experience, you are inviting them to slow down, and in doing so, you have the opportunity to delight your customers and create personal connections with them that will ultimately increase loyalty and your store sales.

Bulk baskets can be custom-made for holidays and events

The beauty of bulk gift baskets is that you can custom make them for anything you can dream of. 

Think about it: big events such as the Super Bowl pull in large crowds. From game-day essentials like chips and salsa to hosting must-haves like paper plates, napkins, and trash bags, you can create custom-made baskets that make life easier for your staff and your customers.

Baskets also give you the opportunity to connect with your customers on a more personal level, such as by incorporating local sports teams or creating baskets for local holidays.

Gift baskets make your store a welcoming environment with pop and color

According to the Economic Research Service of the USDA, Americans spend an average of about 46 minutes shopping for groceries. However, strategists indicate that a welcoming in-store environment can increase that time, and ultimately, increase the likelihood of more sales.

With gift baskets, your grocery store can design creative product displays to make spectacles in your store. Large, colorful displays with ready-to-go items can add that pop and color you are looking for.

Moreover, bulk gift baskets are full of all types of items that friends and family will want to dig into. Long story short: baskets may just be the thing you need to add some fun personality to your store and generate more sales.

Baskets give you the opportunity to promote your store brand

Overall, baskets give you an opportunity to create an experience in-store for your customers as well as to gift an experience to others. In either case, your basket speaks for itself.

Since gift baskets are often a special occasion or in-the-moment purchase decision, it is also an item that customers share with their friends and family. The word-of-mouth marketing of “Oh, I found this at this store.” is all you need to promote your brand effectively.

However, you can also include your products, flyers, and other branding materials in the basket so your customer can take your brand with them wherever they go. Not to mention, baskets photograph beautifully, and an Insta-worthy item is another great way to promote your brand.

Buy bulk gift baskets for your store from Wald Imports

As you can see, the creative opportunities and strategies around bulk gift baskets are endless for a grocery store or specialty store. Our mission at Wald Imports is to provide you with quality empty baskets that are a gift in and of themselves so you can be proud of what you offer to your customers.

Our teams have been designing and importing empty baskets and specialty containers for use as gifts for over 40 years. Shop our empty bulk baskets for gifts and storage today.