At each of our events, we take attendees on
behind-the-scenes visit of area candy stores and suppliers. It’s one of the
most anticipated parts of the event week as it’s a great time for attendees to
find ideas to take back to their own stores.
During our Canadian Chocolate Tour in September 2012 and
recent Annual Convention & Industry Expo in June we visited confectionery
retail stores that had designated gift designers. Attendees were consistently
“wowed” by the beautiful displays and merchandising in these stores so this
week’s tip is for you to hire a gift designer for your own retail candy store.
Gift designers are focused solely on the presentation of the
products and displays in your store. Their job is to take your delicious candy
products and turn them into beautiful gifts that your customers can’t resist
buying. It’s about more than just wrapping paper – it is creating a theme,
designing a shopping experience for your customers.
If hiring someone solely for the purpose of designing gifts
isn’t something you can do, then consider making it a seasonal position or
incorporating it into an existing position. You’ll be surprised at the
difference having an individual focused on designing your items will make when
it comes to the presentation of your products.
