Good Morning,
It is 1.15am GMT on Tuesday 20th December and we are preparing to ship all orders received so far later on today in order to give the gift baskets the best possible chance of arriving before Christmas.
We use all the major couriers and will be upgrading to the express 24 hour delivery service from now on for all orders.
Basketsgalore is still taking orders and is up to date with all processing.
Our logistics operation this year has been running smoothly due in no small part to the more favourable weather conditions than last years white out, which afflicted the British Isles.
All couriers are delivering up until Friday 23rd December. However we prefer to ship Tuesday and Wednesday so that we can intervene if problems may be encountered or people are not in. Also some businesses close for Christmas on Friday, so we don't like to take that chance.
The Basketsgalore group will all be working on Friday 23rd December to help our customers with any issues. Please assist us by emailing any problems you may be experiencing. Otherwise call us, give the details of your problem and a member of our team will work with you to assist in resolving any delivery issues. We will close for Christmas at 15:00 GMT on Friday, but will re-open on Wednesday 28th December and Thursday 29th December.
Gift Baskets dispatched on Wednesday 28th December and Thursday 29th December will be upgraded to express service. No Gift Baskets will be dispatched on Friday 23rd December unless they are non perishable.
We hope that everybody enjoys their Christmas hampers this year and we look forward to being of service to you all throughout the coming year.
Regards,
All at Basketsgalore
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Christmas Hamper Delivery Update 2011
Merry Christmas to all our customers.
Christmas Hamper Service
Thankfully no snow this year. It was at exactly this time of the year last year when we heard that hampers and gift baskets dispatched immediately were not guaranteed delivery before Christmas.
So through the night we worked to give the hampers the best possible chance of arriving before Christmas.
This year there are no such problems.
We have processed, checked and booked in all orders received up to 11.30am. Orders after this time are currently being processed.
Orders received tomorrow Wednesday up until 16.00 GMT will be dispatched on Thursday assuming the hamper is non perishable. We may upgrade perishable hampers to the express service, but this is at our discretion and should not be relied on. Otherwise hampers containing fresh meats and salmon will be dispatched on Monday.
Customers are advised that all hampers can be expedited for just £14.99. The range of Christmas hampers can be dispatched more quickly than say "a create your own hamper", so if time is a leading factor, then we recommend selecting from the range of Christmas Hampers on our web-site.
Gift Basket Service
All orders processed as of 22:04 GMT for non Christmas hampers are scheduled for dispatch within 24 hours unless otherwise specified for a later date.
Can we guarantee delivery before Christmas?
Whilst nothing is ever guaranteed, we are very confident we can process, assemble and dispatch your Christmas Hamper so that it arrives before Christmas. Based on our experience over the past 10 years, we find that the couriers will endeavour to clear their warehouses before Christmas. Therefore orders placed now with Basketsgalore will have a minimum of 5 days to be delivered. This does not include Saturday, when nearly all the courrier companies are working.
We will stop taking orders for delivery to Europe on Monday 19th December. We expect to still be dispatching last minute orders to UK & IRL on 22nd December, which will still likely arrive before Christmas. However, this cannot be guaranteed.
Weather is good, warehouse reports no delays and there are staff in the office to handle any questions or queries you may have.
Next delivery status update on Friday 16th December, 2011.
Thank you for your support throughout the year.
Basketsgalore
Christmas Hamper Service
Thankfully no snow this year. It was at exactly this time of the year last year when we heard that hampers and gift baskets dispatched immediately were not guaranteed delivery before Christmas.
So through the night we worked to give the hampers the best possible chance of arriving before Christmas.
This year there are no such problems.
We have processed, checked and booked in all orders received up to 11.30am. Orders after this time are currently being processed.
Orders received tomorrow Wednesday up until 16.00 GMT will be dispatched on Thursday assuming the hamper is non perishable. We may upgrade perishable hampers to the express service, but this is at our discretion and should not be relied on. Otherwise hampers containing fresh meats and salmon will be dispatched on Monday.
Customers are advised that all hampers can be expedited for just £14.99. The range of Christmas hampers can be dispatched more quickly than say "a create your own hamper", so if time is a leading factor, then we recommend selecting from the range of Christmas Hampers on our web-site.
Gift Basket Service
All orders processed as of 22:04 GMT for non Christmas hampers are scheduled for dispatch within 24 hours unless otherwise specified for a later date.
Can we guarantee delivery before Christmas?
Whilst nothing is ever guaranteed, we are very confident we can process, assemble and dispatch your Christmas Hamper so that it arrives before Christmas. Based on our experience over the past 10 years, we find that the couriers will endeavour to clear their warehouses before Christmas. Therefore orders placed now with Basketsgalore will have a minimum of 5 days to be delivered. This does not include Saturday, when nearly all the courrier companies are working.
We will stop taking orders for delivery to Europe on Monday 19th December. We expect to still be dispatching last minute orders to UK & IRL on 22nd December, which will still likely arrive before Christmas. However, this cannot be guaranteed.
Weather is good, warehouse reports no delays and there are staff in the office to handle any questions or queries you may have.
Next delivery status update on Friday 16th December, 2011.
Thank you for your support throughout the year.
Basketsgalore
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Preparation Time
Apologies Bloggers,
It has been a while since we have written to you, with so many projects on the go at once during the summer period. So there must be lots to tell you about by now! There are 3 major projects that immediately spring to mind.
One of the main projects we've been working on is the introduction of a new management system, which works as a stock control & order dispatch system as well as an accountancy & reporting package. After researching all the available packages on the market we decided to go with one called Linnworks, as it integrates seamlessly with our Magento E-commerce store.
With any new system it takes a while to set up implement, learn & test before everything is as it should be. There was a lot of data entry to do, but now all that initial information has been inputted it will simply be a matter of keeping it up to date. Easier said than done I'm sure!
We also had the Corporate Restructuring, as detailed in an earlier blog. This has also been a time consuming & ongoing process, but we feel it was important to prepare for the changes that will soon be introduced, rather than re-acting to changes when they are made required. The restructure also involved a lot of physical & administrative changes, but we are almost there!
Finally, we have also been gearing up for our busiest time of year - Christmas! (Ho ho ho!) Both the warehouse and office staff have to start preparing months in advance. All the products are decided upon, ordered and Christmas hampers designed & photographed throughout the summer. We also have to bring in extra staff and prepare the order processing systems. We try not to play any Christmas music until at least November, although I think I might have heard "Oh I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" coming from the warehouse last week though!
The BG Team
It has been a while since we have written to you, with so many projects on the go at once during the summer period. So there must be lots to tell you about by now! There are 3 major projects that immediately spring to mind.
One of the main projects we've been working on is the introduction of a new management system, which works as a stock control & order dispatch system as well as an accountancy & reporting package. After researching all the available packages on the market we decided to go with one called Linnworks, as it integrates seamlessly with our Magento E-commerce store.
With any new system it takes a while to set up implement, learn & test before everything is as it should be. There was a lot of data entry to do, but now all that initial information has been inputted it will simply be a matter of keeping it up to date. Easier said than done I'm sure!
We also had the Corporate Restructuring, as detailed in an earlier blog. This has also been a time consuming & ongoing process, but we feel it was important to prepare for the changes that will soon be introduced, rather than re-acting to changes when they are made required. The restructure also involved a lot of physical & administrative changes, but we are almost there!
Finally, we have also been gearing up for our busiest time of year - Christmas! (Ho ho ho!) Both the warehouse and office staff have to start preparing months in advance. All the products are decided upon, ordered and Christmas hampers designed & photographed throughout the summer. We also have to bring in extra staff and prepare the order processing systems. We try not to play any Christmas music until at least November, although I think I might have heard "Oh I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" coming from the warehouse last week though!
The BG Team
Non Alcoholic and Hampers without alcohol.
Christmas Hampers in 2011
2011 will be our 9th season of preparing and dispatching Christmas Hampers and every year we think we offer a better and larger selection from last year.
Most importantly we refresh the contents of our hampers as packaging and tastes change, whilst retaining the key products, which make our hampers so popular.
This year we have clarified our non alcoholic range of hampers and hampers without alcohol. Basketsgalore grew originally from a desire to change perceptions and move away from the traditional format of a duo of wines with low cost food products.
Our differentiation was to include food products, which were too expensive to be included in the hampers of competitors. Thus the hamper without alcohol was born. We advertised the concept as being a no alcohol hamper although we included things such as brandy butter, brandy laced mince pies, etc.
In those days we were just a small provincial hamper company and we were thinking locally. However, because we were the first to do something different from the norm, our Christmas Traditional Feast Hamper was selected for review by the Sunday Times. They loved the hamper, but commented on the inclusion of Brandy Butter and Rich Fruity Chutney with Stout in a non alcoholic hamper.
Basketsgalore is now recognised as the online market leaders in hampers without alcohol in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Our range is based upon the minimisation of wine and alcohol within our hampers to offer something different from the competition.
This year we have our largest ever selection of hampers without alcohol available to buy on basketsgalore.co.uk. Our non alcoholic section is the strictest definition of the hamper without alcohol in the sense that there are no products whatsoever which contain any alcohol.
We are also offering a selection of our best selling hampers with wine and these can be purchased directly at basketsgalore.com.
Unfortunately Basketsgalore does not offer a hamper collection service for legal and insurance reasons. We have no insurance cover for retail customers visiting our premises, so please do not call around as we are unable to serve you. The exception to this is corporate entities organising their own collection for onward distribution using their own transportation networks.
Our brochures are now available for download at
basketsgalore.co.uk(Hampers without alcohol)
basketsgalore.ie(Hampers to Ireland)
basketsgalore.combasketsgalore.com (Hampers with Wine)
2011 will be our 9th season of preparing and dispatching Christmas Hampers and every year we think we offer a better and larger selection from last year.
Most importantly we refresh the contents of our hampers as packaging and tastes change, whilst retaining the key products, which make our hampers so popular.
This year we have clarified our non alcoholic range of hampers and hampers without alcohol. Basketsgalore grew originally from a desire to change perceptions and move away from the traditional format of a duo of wines with low cost food products.
Our differentiation was to include food products, which were too expensive to be included in the hampers of competitors. Thus the hamper without alcohol was born. We advertised the concept as being a no alcohol hamper although we included things such as brandy butter, brandy laced mince pies, etc.
In those days we were just a small provincial hamper company and we were thinking locally. However, because we were the first to do something different from the norm, our Christmas Traditional Feast Hamper was selected for review by the Sunday Times. They loved the hamper, but commented on the inclusion of Brandy Butter and Rich Fruity Chutney with Stout in a non alcoholic hamper.
Basketsgalore is now recognised as the online market leaders in hampers without alcohol in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Our range is based upon the minimisation of wine and alcohol within our hampers to offer something different from the competition.
This year we have our largest ever selection of hampers without alcohol available to buy on basketsgalore.co.uk. Our non alcoholic section is the strictest definition of the hamper without alcohol in the sense that there are no products whatsoever which contain any alcohol.
We are also offering a selection of our best selling hampers with wine and these can be purchased directly at basketsgalore.com.
Unfortunately Basketsgalore does not offer a hamper collection service for legal and insurance reasons. We have no insurance cover for retail customers visiting our premises, so please do not call around as we are unable to serve you. The exception to this is corporate entities organising their own collection for onward distribution using their own transportation networks.
Our brochures are now available for download at
basketsgalore.co.uk(Hampers without alcohol)
basketsgalore.ie(Hampers to Ireland)
basketsgalore.combasketsgalore.com (Hampers with Wine)
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Corporate Restructure at Basketsgalore Ltd
BASKETSGALORE OPENS NEW PREMISES IN IRELAND & GREAT BRITAIN
Important News for all Customers
Over the next 3-4 months, Basketsgalore Ltd corporate structure will change.
The reasons for this are due to local legislative requirements and to comply with the new EU 2013 regulations governing sales taxes payable on goods between EU member states exceeding £35000 per annum.
We are taking this opportunity to structure our operations in order to comply with these regulations. By 2013 all sales taxes and duties to another EU member state must be paid to that state for goods and services delivered within its borders. Currently Basketsgalore Ltd pays all duties, corporation taxes and sales tax to HMRC UK on the basis that goods are dispatched from the UK regardless of destination.
In order to comply with these changes within the prescribed timeframe, Basketsgalore will be restructuring its divisions over the coming 15 months.
We would appreciate our customers understanding & assistance as we aim to make this transition as easy as possible. Please understand that these changes are as a result of changes in the law of the land.
All Sales regardless of origin, but going to the Republic of Ireland will be processed by Ciseáin Go Leor Ltd (Irish for Basketsgalore Ltd). A dedicated website basketsgalore.ie has been established for Irish deliveries. Customers are requested to use basketsgalore.ie for all non alcoholic gift baskets and hampers going to Ireland.
For sales going to Northern Ireland, customers can chose to purchase from either basketsgalore.co.uk or basketsgalore.ie as long as the gift basket does not contain alcohol. The reason for this is that the Northern Ireland delivery market is very small and it is not possible for us to exceed the £35,000 sales limit.
Any gift basket or hamper sales containing wine will be dispatched by basketsgalore.com, which is being operated by Ciseáin Go Leor Ltd for the remainder of this year. This is the only website where you can buy a hamper containing wine for delivery in Ireland.
All sales originating from anywhere in the world and going to the UK will be processed by the original basketsgalore.co.uk company. This excludes any baskets which contain wine.
Next year Basketsgalore.com will be owned and operated by Basketsgalore GB Ltd (a registered company in England & Wales, whereupon wine will be available for sale within Great Britain).
The premises in Ireland will be opening next month with England & Wales scheduled to open early next year.
We appreciate how confusing all of this may seem. We would far rather just get on with the business of creating and dispatching great value gift baskets and hampers on behalf of our customers around the world. However, by 1st January 2013 all these changes will have been phased in to the extent that the following occurs.
Basketsgalore.ie only accepts orders for delivery to Northern & Southern Ireland.
(Ciseáin Go Leor Ltd)
Basketsgalore.co.uk only accepts non alcoholic orders for the United Kingdom
(Basketsgalore Ltd)
Basketsgalore.com accepts all orders including wine and champagne for delivery only in Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland)
(Basketsgalore (GB) Ltd)
As a result all 3 legal jurisdictions will have a Basketsgalore with its own premises in each region and comply with the regulations and laws relating to that borough.
We are still able to create economies of scale through Basketsgalore Ltd with that company acting as a general food and drink wholesaler for the Group purchasing requirements. Goods will be held in bonded warehouses where necessary and duties paid to the EU member state where the goods are delivered.
If in any doubt please contact or phone us. Our mission, as it has always been is to unite friends and family from around the world by providing the greatest gift baskets in the world.
Our objective is that by the end of 2012 we will have a wide range of even better websites, which can handle our customers orders wherever in the world they live or wish to send a Basketsgalore Gift Basket.
Sincerely,
Basketsgalore
Important News for all Customers
Over the next 3-4 months, Basketsgalore Ltd corporate structure will change.
The reasons for this are due to local legislative requirements and to comply with the new EU 2013 regulations governing sales taxes payable on goods between EU member states exceeding £35000 per annum.
We are taking this opportunity to structure our operations in order to comply with these regulations. By 2013 all sales taxes and duties to another EU member state must be paid to that state for goods and services delivered within its borders. Currently Basketsgalore Ltd pays all duties, corporation taxes and sales tax to HMRC UK on the basis that goods are dispatched from the UK regardless of destination.
In order to comply with these changes within the prescribed timeframe, Basketsgalore will be restructuring its divisions over the coming 15 months.
We would appreciate our customers understanding & assistance as we aim to make this transition as easy as possible. Please understand that these changes are as a result of changes in the law of the land.
All Sales regardless of origin, but going to the Republic of Ireland will be processed by Ciseáin Go Leor Ltd (Irish for Basketsgalore Ltd). A dedicated website basketsgalore.ie has been established for Irish deliveries. Customers are requested to use basketsgalore.ie for all non alcoholic gift baskets and hampers going to Ireland.
For sales going to Northern Ireland, customers can chose to purchase from either basketsgalore.co.uk or basketsgalore.ie as long as the gift basket does not contain alcohol. The reason for this is that the Northern Ireland delivery market is very small and it is not possible for us to exceed the £35,000 sales limit.
Any gift basket or hamper sales containing wine will be dispatched by basketsgalore.com, which is being operated by Ciseáin Go Leor Ltd for the remainder of this year. This is the only website where you can buy a hamper containing wine for delivery in Ireland.
All sales originating from anywhere in the world and going to the UK will be processed by the original basketsgalore.co.uk company. This excludes any baskets which contain wine.
Next year Basketsgalore.com will be owned and operated by Basketsgalore GB Ltd (a registered company in England & Wales, whereupon wine will be available for sale within Great Britain).
The premises in Ireland will be opening next month with England & Wales scheduled to open early next year.
We appreciate how confusing all of this may seem. We would far rather just get on with the business of creating and dispatching great value gift baskets and hampers on behalf of our customers around the world. However, by 1st January 2013 all these changes will have been phased in to the extent that the following occurs.
Basketsgalore.ie only accepts orders for delivery to Northern & Southern Ireland.
(Ciseáin Go Leor Ltd)
Basketsgalore.co.uk only accepts non alcoholic orders for the United Kingdom
(Basketsgalore Ltd)
Basketsgalore.com accepts all orders including wine and champagne for delivery only in Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland)
(Basketsgalore (GB) Ltd)
As a result all 3 legal jurisdictions will have a Basketsgalore with its own premises in each region and comply with the regulations and laws relating to that borough.
We are still able to create economies of scale through Basketsgalore Ltd with that company acting as a general food and drink wholesaler for the Group purchasing requirements. Goods will be held in bonded warehouses where necessary and duties paid to the EU member state where the goods are delivered.
If in any doubt please contact or phone us. Our mission, as it has always been is to unite friends and family from around the world by providing the greatest gift baskets in the world.
Our objective is that by the end of 2012 we will have a wide range of even better websites, which can handle our customers orders wherever in the world they live or wish to send a Basketsgalore Gift Basket.
Sincerely,
Basketsgalore
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Top 10 Questions Asked Of A Gift Basket Company
Top 10 Questions We Get Asked By Our Customers
Can I include a message with my gift basket?
Certainly, when you order online there is a place where you can enter your gift card message. You can enter up to 300 characters. We print this out & include it in a gift card that accompanies the basket. You can of course leave this field empty if you are getting the basket delivered to yourself. We will then include a blank card for you to write yourself. If you have a particularly large message or wish to include a company letter etc, then you can email it to us separately.
How does the gift basket arrive? (The Look & Delivery)
We often get asked how the gift basket arrives & this can means how the gift basket is delivered or how it actually looks on arrival i.e. the packaging.
Delivery wise, our gift baskets are delivered on our behalf by the world’s leading courier companies, such as DHL, Parcel Force, TNT & Nightline. This is because our gift baskets come from central depots (so what you see is what you get), rather than being outsourced to local companies (i.e. like florists) Deliveries tend to take place Monday-Friday between 9am and 5.30 pm.
Presentation wise if you choose an open gift basket it is wrapped in cellophane & ribbons. Lidded hampers are decorated in ribbons & bows. The baskets are then placed into a delivery carton box, which is branded with the BasketsGalore name. Protective packaging is placed around the basket to stop it moving around. The outer box is cardboard & so you cannot see through it.
Why do I need to provide a phone number for the recipient when I want it to be a surprise?
The phone number generally won’t be needed, but sometimes the courier might need directions or will be unable to gain access to certain properties (flats, gated properties). In these cases the driver may phone the recipient. This avoids delays, as the recipient may be able to help immediately.
The phone number is not used to phone ahead & arrange delivery times. It is also helpful if we notice a parcel hasn’t been delivered in a couple of days, as we can phone the recipient to check they received a calling card & help them arrange another delivery day.
The driver will not spoil the surprise, as they do not know what is inside the delivery carton/box. Our gift baskets are packaged in cardboard boxes that the driver cannot see into & the driver is also from a 3rd party delivery company, rather than BasketsGalore. This means he or she will not know what is in the box & so won’t tell the recipient.
Can you deliver it today?
In the UK & Ireland same day delivery is unfortunately not an option, as most couriers do not offer this service. This will be the same across all hamper & gift basket companies, not just BasketsGalore. As mentioned before our gifts come from central depots & so go on an overnight delivery service. BasketsGalore offer one of the quickest delivery services, next day if you place your order before 3pm GMT or in 48 hours if you pick our standard option. Many other companies simply offer a vague “standard delivery” which can be up to 3-5 working days. We also have a calendar at the checkout so you can specify your preferred delivery date.
Unless of course the address is within our local hand delivery area, then we may be able to arrange a delivery that day for an extra delivery fee.
Can I pick a delivery time?
Some customers ask us if they can specify a delivery time, but unfortunately this isn’t always possible. Our gifts are delivered via 3rd party couriers who deliver between the hours of 9am to 5.30 pm and the delivery time just depends on the drivers route. We will certainly put any requests on the paperwork, but these are not guaranteed.
If the recipient is likely to be out at work all day, then we recommend delivery to a work address where possible.
We have introduced new specialist delivery options now called 9am Express, 10am Express and Saturday delivery. These options are a bit more expensive as they are not a standard option, a driver has to deliver is especially at a designated time/day so this is more costly.
The 9am Express & 10am Express options mean that the parcel will be delivered before that time in the morning. Saturday option obviously means delivery will take place on the Saturday of your choice.
What happens if the recipient isn’t at home?
Our gift baskets are delivered on our behalf by the world’s leading courier companies, such as DHL, Parcel Force & Nightline. If the recipient is not at home the driver will post a calling card through their door. This lets the recipient know a delivery attempt had been made & has the courier company’s telephone number on it. The recipient can then ring up & ask for delivery to be re-attempted on a day that suits. If the recipient contacts the courier before 4pm, delivery can be attempted the next day.
Parcel Force’s calling card is slightly different. Their details the contact details for the recipients local post office. The driver then drops the parcel off at this post office, so the recipient can collect it at a convenient time. If there is no post office within a 1-mile radius the driver will return the Parcel to a local depot instead. The recipient can then ring up or book a re-delivery date online.
What are your best selling gift baskets?
All the gift baskets available on our website are popular sellers, otherwise they are discontinued. However, there are a few which seem to be particular favourites. Under each menu section across the top of our website, we have included a “Best Sellers” category. Click to see our best-selling gift hampers for example.
Other categories you can browse by include by occasion, by recipient and by price.
We are happy to offer advice on selecting a suitable gift basket if you are in anyway unsure about what the recipient may like. We can let you know what other customers send to people in that age bracket etc. In our children’s gift basket section we normally note if the basket was designed for a girl or boy and for what age range.
What if I like a gift basket, but it isn’t quite right. Can I make changes?
Certainly this is no problem at all. If it is just a small change, such as changing milk chocolates to dark then simply include this in the comments box when you order. Or give us a quick call or email to request a change & we will confirm this has been done.
If you would like to add items to a basket then please get in touch & we will let you know the price.
Alternatively most of our products are listed on an individual basis on www.createyourowngiftbasket.co.uk so you can create your own basket if this is easier.
Can you take my international credit card?
Certainly, we have customers all over the world and can accept all international debit & credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard & American Express. We can also accept Irish Laser cards on http://basketsgalore.ie or if your card is assigned to a Paypal account, you can also pay that way.
Is the price included with the gift basket?
When you place an order the confirmation/receipt is emailed to the email address you provided at the checkout. The majority of our gift baskets purchased are gifts & are delivered to the end receiver so we do not include any billing information with the basket. The price advertised on the website also includes VAT. You can email us at accounts@basketsgalore.co.uk to request a VAT receipt.
If there are any other questions you have before placing an order then check our out FAQ's, drop us an email or live chat with us.
The BG Team
Can I include a message with my gift basket?
Certainly, when you order online there is a place where you can enter your gift card message. You can enter up to 300 characters. We print this out & include it in a gift card that accompanies the basket. You can of course leave this field empty if you are getting the basket delivered to yourself. We will then include a blank card for you to write yourself. If you have a particularly large message or wish to include a company letter etc, then you can email it to us separately.
How does the gift basket arrive? (The Look & Delivery)
We often get asked how the gift basket arrives & this can means how the gift basket is delivered or how it actually looks on arrival i.e. the packaging.
Delivery wise, our gift baskets are delivered on our behalf by the world’s leading courier companies, such as DHL, Parcel Force, TNT & Nightline. This is because our gift baskets come from central depots (so what you see is what you get), rather than being outsourced to local companies (i.e. like florists) Deliveries tend to take place Monday-Friday between 9am and 5.30 pm.
Presentation wise if you choose an open gift basket it is wrapped in cellophane & ribbons. Lidded hampers are decorated in ribbons & bows. The baskets are then placed into a delivery carton box, which is branded with the BasketsGalore name. Protective packaging is placed around the basket to stop it moving around. The outer box is cardboard & so you cannot see through it.
Why do I need to provide a phone number for the recipient when I want it to be a surprise?
The phone number generally won’t be needed, but sometimes the courier might need directions or will be unable to gain access to certain properties (flats, gated properties). In these cases the driver may phone the recipient. This avoids delays, as the recipient may be able to help immediately.
The phone number is not used to phone ahead & arrange delivery times. It is also helpful if we notice a parcel hasn’t been delivered in a couple of days, as we can phone the recipient to check they received a calling card & help them arrange another delivery day.
The driver will not spoil the surprise, as they do not know what is inside the delivery carton/box. Our gift baskets are packaged in cardboard boxes that the driver cannot see into & the driver is also from a 3rd party delivery company, rather than BasketsGalore. This means he or she will not know what is in the box & so won’t tell the recipient.
Can you deliver it today?
In the UK & Ireland same day delivery is unfortunately not an option, as most couriers do not offer this service. This will be the same across all hamper & gift basket companies, not just BasketsGalore. As mentioned before our gifts come from central depots & so go on an overnight delivery service. BasketsGalore offer one of the quickest delivery services, next day if you place your order before 3pm GMT or in 48 hours if you pick our standard option. Many other companies simply offer a vague “standard delivery” which can be up to 3-5 working days. We also have a calendar at the checkout so you can specify your preferred delivery date.
Unless of course the address is within our local hand delivery area, then we may be able to arrange a delivery that day for an extra delivery fee.
Can I pick a delivery time?
Some customers ask us if they can specify a delivery time, but unfortunately this isn’t always possible. Our gifts are delivered via 3rd party couriers who deliver between the hours of 9am to 5.30 pm and the delivery time just depends on the drivers route. We will certainly put any requests on the paperwork, but these are not guaranteed.
If the recipient is likely to be out at work all day, then we recommend delivery to a work address where possible.
We have introduced new specialist delivery options now called 9am Express, 10am Express and Saturday delivery. These options are a bit more expensive as they are not a standard option, a driver has to deliver is especially at a designated time/day so this is more costly.
The 9am Express & 10am Express options mean that the parcel will be delivered before that time in the morning. Saturday option obviously means delivery will take place on the Saturday of your choice.
What happens if the recipient isn’t at home?
Our gift baskets are delivered on our behalf by the world’s leading courier companies, such as DHL, Parcel Force & Nightline. If the recipient is not at home the driver will post a calling card through their door. This lets the recipient know a delivery attempt had been made & has the courier company’s telephone number on it. The recipient can then ring up & ask for delivery to be re-attempted on a day that suits. If the recipient contacts the courier before 4pm, delivery can be attempted the next day.
Parcel Force’s calling card is slightly different. Their details the contact details for the recipients local post office. The driver then drops the parcel off at this post office, so the recipient can collect it at a convenient time. If there is no post office within a 1-mile radius the driver will return the Parcel to a local depot instead. The recipient can then ring up or book a re-delivery date online.
What are your best selling gift baskets?
All the gift baskets available on our website are popular sellers, otherwise they are discontinued. However, there are a few which seem to be particular favourites. Under each menu section across the top of our website, we have included a “Best Sellers” category. Click to see our best-selling gift hampers for example.
Other categories you can browse by include by occasion, by recipient and by price.
We are happy to offer advice on selecting a suitable gift basket if you are in anyway unsure about what the recipient may like. We can let you know what other customers send to people in that age bracket etc. In our children’s gift basket section we normally note if the basket was designed for a girl or boy and for what age range.
What if I like a gift basket, but it isn’t quite right. Can I make changes?
Certainly this is no problem at all. If it is just a small change, such as changing milk chocolates to dark then simply include this in the comments box when you order. Or give us a quick call or email to request a change & we will confirm this has been done.
If you would like to add items to a basket then please get in touch & we will let you know the price.
Alternatively most of our products are listed on an individual basis on www.createyourowngiftbasket.co.uk so you can create your own basket if this is easier.
Can you take my international credit card?
Certainly, we have customers all over the world and can accept all international debit & credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard & American Express. We can also accept Irish Laser cards on http://basketsgalore.ie or if your card is assigned to a Paypal account, you can also pay that way.
Is the price included with the gift basket?
When you place an order the confirmation/receipt is emailed to the email address you provided at the checkout. The majority of our gift baskets purchased are gifts & are delivered to the end receiver so we do not include any billing information with the basket. The price advertised on the website also includes VAT. You can email us at accounts@basketsgalore.co.uk to request a VAT receipt.
If there are any other questions you have before placing an order then check our out FAQ's, drop us an email or live chat with us.
The BG Team
Friday, 24 June 2011
Online Gift Basket Business Top Mistakes
Our Top 10 Mistakes: (Part 1 of 2)
As Basketsgalore approaches its 10th Birthday we’re looking back at some of the highs and lows of setting up an online gift basket business.
As you can imagine a lot has changed since the first Basketsgalore website went live in 2001. Over the years the primary website has seen five rewrites with numerous amendments in between. Here is a selection of our most memorable mistakes.
And on the basis that more is learnt from our mistakes than our successes, we begin with the aforementioned.
1) Maya the talking Mannequin.
This was a great idea in theory. It involved purchasing a software licence to enable a 3D character to talk to the customer and deal with their most frequently asked questions. The character had to be programmed to blink and make facial changes.
We got to the point of beginning voice recordings for the character and programming changes in facial expressions. Maya was uploaded to the website, but was met with a hail of opposition. “What’s that dummy doing in the corner?” was the most frequent question. Maya was quietly dropped from version IV of the website.
2) Animation Website
The animation was brilliant, we got the detail perfectly and it was drawn by an excellent company from Canada. We wanted something which set us apart from the competition and the animation captured it brilliantly. Unfortunately it slowed the website. With Google’s emphasis placed on fast loading times, it became a casualty of progress.
You can see it confined to the annals of e-history at:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuOiwRG_8Dw
3) Babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk. In the olden days of the early 2000s, sub-domains were highly effective. Over the years we simply didn’t have enough resources to tackle this domain effectively. It is now in its 3rd incarnation and has been transferred to a new domain; babybasketsgalore.co.uk. However, the 2nd version was a horror and is a testimony to what happens when you keep patching and repairing a website. Navigation was confusing, imagery, shapes and fonts were mish-mashed. When design and technology do not coordinate this web-site is the result.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rLnyZwUxS4cJ:babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk/clothes.html+babygifts.basketsgalore&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&source=www.google.co.uk
4) Valentines Gift Boxes. Perhaps our favourite mistake of all as it was an elementary and idealistic novice’s mistake. When the company started off we targeted Valentines Day as a great potential market for our gift baskets. We wanted red boxes and we would wrap them for delivery around our local area. The supplier needed a minimum order quantity and we agreed. We had no idea what 1000 boxes looked like, but its quite a lot when you’re working from 2 downstairs rooms and a garage.
Looking back on it now, we sold quite well as we were running around drumming up sales days in advance with flyers and calls to local businesses. However, the legacy of the red boxes is that 80% of them are still floating around. They are still wrapped in their original brown paper and at least provide some amount of insulation in our roofspace.
5) Brochure No 1. Our first brochure was a horror from a financial and marketing perspective It was designed in 2002 and bears testimony to naïve and irrational youthful exuberance. We chuckle about it now as it was 10 years ago and we have moved on eons since then. It was full A4 sized 16 page colour glossy brochure. It was expensive, cumbersome and completely ineffective. In our defence it must be remembered that the internet was not like the way it is today. E-Commerce sales were still very much in their infancy. Our beautiful brochure was obsolete as soon as it was printed. Thankfully we could not afford to print many. Nevertheless it is remarkable how certain elements of that brochure can still be seen today, so on that basis perhaps it was worth it. There was category segmentation, imagination, and clear competitive differentiation from anything else in the market place. It was a Gift Basket brochure designed for a small region of the UK which was theoretically sound, but practically incorrect.
Click to view original brochure.
Hopefully if you are thinking of starting up a gift basket or hamper business, you will recognise some of these issues and consider our experiences. Maybe it will help to prevent you from making the same mistakes.
Second part of our Top 10 mistakes of the past 10 years next week.
As Basketsgalore approaches its 10th Birthday we’re looking back at some of the highs and lows of setting up an online gift basket business.
As you can imagine a lot has changed since the first Basketsgalore website went live in 2001. Over the years the primary website has seen five rewrites with numerous amendments in between. Here is a selection of our most memorable mistakes.
And on the basis that more is learnt from our mistakes than our successes, we begin with the aforementioned.
1) Maya the talking Mannequin.
This was a great idea in theory. It involved purchasing a software licence to enable a 3D character to talk to the customer and deal with their most frequently asked questions. The character had to be programmed to blink and make facial changes.
We got to the point of beginning voice recordings for the character and programming changes in facial expressions. Maya was uploaded to the website, but was met with a hail of opposition. “What’s that dummy doing in the corner?” was the most frequent question. Maya was quietly dropped from version IV of the website.
2) Animation Website
The animation was brilliant, we got the detail perfectly and it was drawn by an excellent company from Canada. We wanted something which set us apart from the competition and the animation captured it brilliantly. Unfortunately it slowed the website. With Google’s emphasis placed on fast loading times, it became a casualty of progress.
You can see it confined to the annals of e-history at:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuOiwRG_8Dw
3) Babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk. In the olden days of the early 2000s, sub-domains were highly effective. Over the years we simply didn’t have enough resources to tackle this domain effectively. It is now in its 3rd incarnation and has been transferred to a new domain; babybasketsgalore.co.uk. However, the 2nd version was a horror and is a testimony to what happens when you keep patching and repairing a website. Navigation was confusing, imagery, shapes and fonts were mish-mashed. When design and technology do not coordinate this web-site is the result.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rLnyZwUxS4cJ:babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk/clothes.html+babygifts.basketsgalore&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&source=www.google.co.uk
4) Valentines Gift Boxes. Perhaps our favourite mistake of all as it was an elementary and idealistic novice’s mistake. When the company started off we targeted Valentines Day as a great potential market for our gift baskets. We wanted red boxes and we would wrap them for delivery around our local area. The supplier needed a minimum order quantity and we agreed. We had no idea what 1000 boxes looked like, but its quite a lot when you’re working from 2 downstairs rooms and a garage.
Looking back on it now, we sold quite well as we were running around drumming up sales days in advance with flyers and calls to local businesses. However, the legacy of the red boxes is that 80% of them are still floating around. They are still wrapped in their original brown paper and at least provide some amount of insulation in our roofspace.
5) Brochure No 1. Our first brochure was a horror from a financial and marketing perspective It was designed in 2002 and bears testimony to naïve and irrational youthful exuberance. We chuckle about it now as it was 10 years ago and we have moved on eons since then. It was full A4 sized 16 page colour glossy brochure. It was expensive, cumbersome and completely ineffective. In our defence it must be remembered that the internet was not like the way it is today. E-Commerce sales were still very much in their infancy. Our beautiful brochure was obsolete as soon as it was printed. Thankfully we could not afford to print many. Nevertheless it is remarkable how certain elements of that brochure can still be seen today, so on that basis perhaps it was worth it. There was category segmentation, imagination, and clear competitive differentiation from anything else in the market place. It was a Gift Basket brochure designed for a small region of the UK which was theoretically sound, but practically incorrect.
Click to view original brochure.
Hopefully if you are thinking of starting up a gift basket or hamper business, you will recognise some of these issues and consider our experiences. Maybe it will help to prevent you from making the same mistakes.
Second part of our Top 10 mistakes of the past 10 years next week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)