An innovative way to lift sales is by making hampers—these present excellent marketing opportunities for retail businesses. Attractively bundled products help showcase your offerings while providing customers with ready-made gifts and highly personalised shopping experiences.
Clear Out Old Stock with Hampers
This is the primary use of hampers as they provide clever opportunities to sell unsellable stock that is too old.
For example, say your shop has a few stray photography magazines that can no longer be returned to publishers. On their own, you’d likely have to discount to move. However, bundling them in a photography-themed hamper with two of the latest photographic magazine issues creates newfound value in the bundle. Pairing these with sought-after new editions lets you build a hamper whose price exceeds the three current magazines’ worth. This allows you to sell unsellable items subtly.
The hamper assortment disguises old stock as a bonus while emphasizing the valued contemporary items shoppers are keen on. This makes hampers a strategic means of stock clearance. With creative pairings, you can craftily liquidate old inventory.
Hampers drive bulk sales for more Revenue.
Fundamentally, each hamper represents a bulk purchase, with bundled products averaging higher transaction totals than individual purchases. This presents a significant revenue upside, especially given the perceived extra value from creatively presented assortments. Taking time to make hampers together allows you to get more sales. This works particularly well as you are letting shoppers quickly grab premade hampers. Look at these items,
People will look at the basket and probably pick and choose a few.
Now, what if this basket was wrapped in plastic? Many people will buy all the items. This is what you want.
Of course if they want individual items, you can always sell them separately.
Types of hampers
Here is a listing I put together showing the most popular types of hampers used in retail today. I think it's worth running through the list with the names.
| Types | Definition | Occasion targeted | Typical contents | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamper | A gift basket filled with items. | Gifts, special occasions | Food, drinks, gifts | Food hamper |
| Kit | A group of products that are needed to complete a specific task. | Specific task | Tools, components | Tool kit, model kit, first aid kit |
| Bundle | A group of related or complementary products sold at a discounted price. | Everyday purchases | Related or complementary products | Shampoo and conditioner bundle, stationery bundle, computer bundle |
| Assortment | A collection of products that are chosen to appeal to a specific customer segment. | Specific customer segment | Products appealing to a specific customer segment | Gift assortment for new parents, pet supplies assortment |
| Collection | A group of products around a particular theme. | Specific theme or aesthetic | Products with a particular theme or aesthetic | Magazine collection, range of dog food |
| Set | A group of products that are sold together as a single unit. | Single unit | Multiple products sold as a single unit | Dinnerware set |
| Combos | Typically, it is a meal or beverage and other products. | Fast food restaurants | Burger, fries, and a drink | Combo meal at a fast food restaurant |
| Value packs | A larger quantity of a single product is sold at a discounted price. | Almost all shops | Bulk sales, box of pens | 3 for the price of 2 |
| Seasonal assortments | Collections of products that are themed for a specific season | Retail stores, grocery stores | Christmas, summer collection for the beach | Holiday Assortment |
| Gift sets | Typically, it is a collection but more curated and expensive. | High-end retailing | Gourmet chocolates | Gift set for chocolate |
| Specialty offerings | Unique or niche products that may not fit into any of the other categories. | Specialty coffee shops, artisan shops | Limited-edition single-origin coffee, locally produced honey | An assortment of locally produced items works very well in regional areas. |
Craft Irresistible In-Store Hamper Displays
Well-styled hamper displays at checkout areas, store entrances, and high-traffic aisles will capture attention. Consider these display ideas:
- Colourful signage calling out seasonal themes, prices, savings
- Decorations and props matching the hamper theme
- Frequent rotation of hamper varieties
- Do not have too many at any time. You just confuse people
Spotlight Hamper
There is no point in making these hampers if your customers do not know about them. They need to be displayed where people can see them.
Offer Customization for Personalized Appeal
Today’s consumers prioritize personalization and customisability. These hamper add-ons can boost perceived value:
- Gift card inserts with custom messages
- Consider a few with different price ranges
- Consider offering an upgrade from a cheaper hamper to a dearer hamper. You will find some and decide they want to upgrade.
- Festive gift wrapping in diverse themes
Analyse Performance Metrics
By tracking hamper sales in your POS platform, you gain insight to calibrate your offerings. Assess demand by:
- Reviewing best-selling themes and price points
- Monitoring purchases around key gifting dates
- Identifying highest-margin hamper variants
Data fuels intelligent decisions to meet customer needs, fine-tune inventory, and maximize profits!
Standing out in an increasingly competitive retail landscape means getting creative with value-added products. With the right marketing strategies, hampers can become a signature part of your brand experience and revenue arsenal.
