Starting A Retail Gift Wrapping Service Business

Starting A Retail Gift Wrapping Service Business

‘Gift wrapping is a gift in itself’

How do you turn a hug into a kiss, make someone feel special, show dad he is the best dad in the world, show mum she is the most nurturing being on the planet? You guessed it – through the art of gift wrapping and I’m going to share some top tips on great gift wrapping and how you can start a professional gift wrapping service from your retail outlet.

Gift wrapping has come a long way from Victorian times when it was used as a way of showcasing ones wealth and status. For some it was more about hiding the amount of money they’d spent on the gift, the perfect way of concealing the cost of the gift! The Victorians showcased their gift giving through the art of gift wrapping, wallpaper being their main source of wrapping material.

From plain boring papers to exquisitely designed wrapping papers, gift wrapping has evolved into a multi million dollar industry. The choice of wrapping materials, wrapping papers, cellophane films, tissue papers are forever changing and being designed to reflect the latest trends, fashions and seasons with companies and service professionals offering niche gift wrapping materials.

 

Here are my top tips on starting a cost effective gift wrapping service

Benefits of starting a gift wrapping service.

The benefits of offering a gift wrapping service, enables you to stand out from your competition.   Create a gift wrapping service as a service of necessity rather than luxury only.  Meeting the needs of stressed shoppers especially during festive times can substantially increase your bottom line and expertise.

Simplicity

Keeping it simple during busy times is key to offering a successful gift wrapping service. Giving the customer too much choice during busy periods can eat into your precious time and create frustration.

Offer plain wrapping papers and customize with a choice of coloured ribbons and bows.  Bows can be made in advance and simply tied in during busy periods.  One of the easiest techniques to tie a bow is to create a simple bow, this saves on the nerves and time of tying a professional looking bow in front of your customer.

During the festive season finish off wrapped gifts with embellishments like baubles, holly & berries and tartan ribbons. This can increase sales of the embellishments that you have for sale in your store too.

Gold, red, silver and black plain wrapping papers or your own corporate brand colour wrapping papers are best.  Branded ribbons and branded tissue paper can be part of your gift wrapping service to promote your brand.

For awkward shapes and bottle wrapping, tissue paper and cellophane films are the most durable and easiest wrapping materials to use.  Cellophanes come in an array of colours and prints.  These can be purchased in large counter rolls of 100m or in smaller consumable roll.  Cellophanes come in festive prints as well as general prints which can be utilised throughout the year.

Metallised film is a great way to wrap an awkward shape with one piece of wrapping material; it’s durable and easy to use.  Our one day professional gift wrapping workshops are the perfect courses to prepare for the festive season, a hands-on training day for your staff learning secret gift wrapping techniques with stunning professional results.

Tapes

Double sided tape saves time and creates a professional finish to any gift wrap.  A good quality double sided tape that doesn’t need to be cut with scissors with an easy peal back is best. Always have clear tape and a dispenser to hand

Displays

 

Create a display of completed gift wrapped items; a few strategic displays dotted around the store will entice your customer to take note of the gift wrapping service on offer whilst shopping.  By the time they arrive at the tills they will have made a decision about which items to get wrapped and which colours or styles they prefer.

Pricing

It has been known in the past for retail outlets to offer a complimentary gift wrapping service, however more and more shops are now offering a paid for service.

Consumers are looking for quick and easy solutions to save time during busy and stressful shopping experiences especially during the festive season. If they can buy their gifts and have them wrapped in one place, not only does it become a service of luxury but also of convenience. All your customers would have to do, is go home, place the gifts under the Christmas tree and relax with a glass of wine rather than sit in a mound of ripped paper and tape on Christmas Eve!

Pricing a gift wrapping service has to reflect the quality of the service offered. It’s of the utmost importance to ensure your staff have a high level of gift wrapping skill before you embark on offering a gift wrapping service from your retail outlet, after all ‘The gift wrapping is a gift in itself’.

Keep your pricing structure simple.  The cost of your service is kept low by the proficiency of the skill and speed of your staff.

Small – £3

Medium – £3.50 to £4

Awkward shapes – £4, bottles and similar size items, customers are paying for your expertise and professional finish

Larger items – £5-£8 children’s game,

Gift baskets – not including the basket or products – start from £5 for assembly and wrapping in cellophane with a simple bow.

Staff training.

 

 

It’s important to have your staff ready and trained with confidence before your festive season hits.  Our retail professional gift wrapping workshops are specifically created for retailers and department stores.  Ensure all staff have basic knowledge of gift wrapping and presentation.  Handling and cutting wrapping materials correctly, not only saves time but reduces waste of wrapping materials and ribbons.

If you are a large department store, have at least ten members of staff (rota must be taken into consideration) professionally trained and for smaller retailers training staff means you can be on hand to offer an outstanding gift wrapping service.

Gift wrapping is a investment of choice, however understanding the customer’s needs and creating a service of beauty and convenience will keep you customers coming back to you again and again for a fabulous gift wrapping service. Give yourself at least four months advance training before the season hits.

Happy Wrapping

For professional gift wrapping tips and workshops please visit us online at

Website www.giftwrappingcourses.co.uk
Email info@gift-wrappingservices.com
Mbl 07931 805 198