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If you sell giftable products, have you ever thought about the difference between your usual customer and your gift buyer?

The person who normally buys your product for themselves may be very different from the person who could buy that same product as a gift for somebody else. And recognising that difference could help you uncover new sales opportunities without creating a single new product.

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang, Eve Cale from Giftwrapped by Eve explores how product makers, handmade businesses and product sellers can start looking at their existing products through the eyes of a gift buyer.

This is an idea that came up during Eve's Unwrap the Potential Challenge, where product businesses were challenged to look at the gifting potential already sitting within their businesses and identify more occasions when their existing products could be bought as gifts.

Who is your gift buyer?

When you normally sell a product to someone who is buying it for themselves, your marketing is likely to focus on the benefits and features that matter to that customer.

But what happens when somebody is buying that same product for someone else?

Their motivation is different.

They might be looking for a birthday present, a thank-you gift, a Christmas present, something for a milestone or simply a thoughtful gift for someone they care about.

The product hasn't changed, but the reason for buying it has.

In this episode, Eve explains why thinking about the gift buyer can give you new ways to market the products you already sell and help you reach potential customers who may not currently be buying from you.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why your usual customer and your gift buyer might be two very different people
• How the reason someone buys your product can change when they're buying it as a gift
• Why you don't necessarily need to create new products to find new sales opportunities
• How to identify different people who could buy your existing products as gifts
• Why thinking about gifting occasions can give you new marketing angles
• How to look at your existing products from the perspective of someone searching for a gift
• The simple question you can ask about every product you sell to uncover its gifting potential
• How this approach can help you create more opportunities for repeat orders

Want help finding the gifting opportunities in your business?

Spotting potential gift opportunities is one thing. Working out how to turn those opportunities into a practical marketing and sales strategy is another.

That's where The Gift Academy comes in.

The Gift Academy is Eve's personalised programme for physical product businesses that want to make more of the gifting potential already within their business. Together, you'll look at your products, your business and your opportunities and work out how gifting can become part of your marketing and sales strategy.

If you're thinking, "I know there's more potential here, but I'm not sure how to turn it into actual sales opportunities," you can book a call with Eve to explore whether The Gift Academy is right for your business.

Find out more about The Gift Academy

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift
• Follow Giftwrapped by Eve on Instagram
• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community

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Books make wonderful gifts, but how do you choose the right book for someone? And how can authors and book businesses make the most of the gifting opportunities their products already offer?

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang podcast, Eve chats with author Zozo Thomas about why books make such thoughtful and versatile gifts and how to choose a book for someone when there are so many possibilities.

We explore lots of different occasions for giving books, including those where a book isn't necessarily intended to be read from cover to cover. Some books are perfect for dipping in and out of, browsing for inspiration, learning something new or returning to.

We also talk about the importance of supporting local authors and how choosing books from independent and local writers can be a way to make your gift buying more personal while supporting small businesses.

If you sell books yourself, there are some useful ideas for your business too. We discuss why adding a gift wrapping service can be a simple way for a book business to create an easy upsell, making it more convenient for customers while increasing the value of each purchase.

We talk about sustainable gift wrapping, recycling and repurposing, and how looking at the materials you have in your home already can be the solution to last minute wrapping.

It’s a jam-packed conversation with ideas for readers, gift buyers, authors and book businesses.

About Zoe (Zozo) Thomas

Zozo Thomas is an author and illustrator who lives in Swindon, the southwest of England, where she shares her large garden with her cats, chickens and a variety of wildlife.

Fun for all the family, her Tales from the Mullbery Garden series of books are suitable for children and adults alike. Read the stories and colour the words and images as you go. The range of images to colour has been designed to appeal to all abilities. Colouring tips help to boost confidence and improve skill levels. There are also puzzles and activities designed to keep everyone entertained. Teaching suggestions have been given to help adult readers guide their younger friends through the messages in the story.

Shop for Zozo's books at Waterstones https://www.waterstones.com/author/zozo-thomas/5568021

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ZozoThomasAuthor

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zozothomas_author/

Zozo's website: https://thomzodesigns.co.uk/tales-from-mulberry-garden

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift
• Follow Giftwrapped by Eve on Instagram
• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community

Enjoyed this episode or want to ask a question? Send us a message

What if you could find more sales opportunities without creating a new product, finding a whole new audience or running another promotion?

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang, Eve from Giftwrapped by Eve explores how looking at your existing products as gifts can help product makers, handmade businesses and product sellers discover new ways to market and sell what they already have.

Your product doesn't have to change. The reason someone buys it can change.

A candle might be bought as a birthday gift, a thank-you present or a housewarming gift. Jewellery could be marketed for a milestone, anniversary or friendship. A book could become a thoughtful retirement, teacher or new-home gift.

The product stays the same, but suddenly there are more occasions, more reasons to buy and more opportunities to put it in front of potential customers.

In this episode, Eve explores:

• Why product businesses can overlook the gifting potential of products they already sell
• How to identify who might buy your product as a gift
• How different gifting occasions can create new sales opportunities
• Why you don't necessarily need a new product to create another reason for someone to buy
• How selling products as gifts can encourage repeat purchases and recommendations
• Three simple questions you can ask about any product in your range
• How to start finding gifting opportunities throughout the year, rather than only at Christmas

If this episode has you looking at your products differently, join Eve for the free Unwrap the Potential Challenge: Your Product as a Gift.

This three-day challenge is for product makers and sellers who want to find more opportunities to sell the products they already have as gifts.

Over the three days you'll:

• Identify which of your existing products people could buy as gifts
• Find gifting occasions that fit your products
• Choose one opportunity and work out how you could package and promote it

This isn't a challenge about learning how to wrap presents (although Eve will show you how to make a gift box look good). It's about using gifting as a marketing strategy for your product business.

If you want the opportunity to be considered for inclusion in Eve's Autumn Gift Guide, you need to register for the challenge by email and complete all three challenge tasks.

Register for the challenge at
https://www.giftwrappedbyeve.com/challenge

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift
• Follow Giftwrapped by Eve on Instagram
• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community