This article was originally written for nurseries and garden centres, hence you will see mention of plants... just so you know

No matter the season,  consumers are always shopping for gifts, especially unique ones that they can give to their bosses, loved ones and friends. Whether people are looking for table accessories that can bring beauty and charm to the dining room or whether they are looking for that little something that says “I’m thinking of you”, selling giftware products will always be in season.

Birthdays, gift-giving holidays, congratulatory gifts, farewell gifts, friendship presents and fundraisers, you can position your business to cater for all the gift needs of your customers.

All people need gifts to give from all walks of life, young or old and male or female. Giftware items are totally in demand. Giftware is even purchased by many consumers for their pets!

Since gift-giving is an everyday occasion, your store should constantly feature tabletop giftware in a cross-merchandising pattern throughout every department.

Display
Review every department in your store to discover items that can be cross-promoted with tabletop giftware. Bring your tabletop products into different departments to build vignettes that tell a story around the items you want to highlight.

And remember to treat some of your plants as giftware as well.  We regularly give plants to our loved ones.  Have them wrapped and ready to go with clear signage: “Tell them you’re thinking of them... with a (name of plant), beautifully wrapped and ready to go.  One of the best gift ideas I saw, some time ago, was at Linton’s where a large tub of parsley was wrapped in a teatowel (instead of paper) with a large bow around it.  A fabulous gift for that friend who adores cooking and loves their herbs.

 If you have cheeseplates, for example, build in specialty tabletop items that lend themselves to cheese tastings. Small dessert plates, cheese knives and other accoutrements can be gathered together to tell a story.

Chocolate of all kinds continues to be big with consumers. Build chocolate displays with everything from chocolate fondues to hot chocolate tools. Accent these areas with silverware, napkins, mugs and dessert plates that lend themselves to the story. Tabletop giftware is a perfect accent to this story. To expand your chocolate fondue story, incorporate cookbooks and dessert plates with chocolate or dessert motifs. Complement your tabletop giftware and chocolate fountain with dessert forks, napkins and party accents. Or set the table for a hot chocolate dream with fun chocolate mug sets accented with crème whippers, chocolate pots and high-quality hot chocolate blends.

Breakfast is the one meal your customers should not skip. At least that's what the experts tell us. Set up a fun giftable display in the springtime with everything breakfast, from egg cups to devilled egg plates and beyond.

Include breakfast cereal sets and funky, fresh dessert plates that would match perfectly with toast and jam. Complement the display with cookbooks on breakfast, eggs or smoothies. Include egg cookers and juice glasses as accessories.

Promotion
Hold an Icecream Sundae Party every Sunday throughout the summer. Set up a retro-styled "Soda Fountain" area in your store with a few tables and all the accoutrements of a 50's-styled ice cream shop. This area can serve as a static display throughout the week and as a demonstration area on the weekends.

Gather a few tables together to make it into a real Soda Fountain theme with a retro-inspired setting. During the week, fully stock the demonstration area with displays that showcase your tabletop giftware and other accoutrements, enticing your customers to recreate the same Soda Fountain theme at home. Create signage that reads "Soda Fountain Open Every Sunday: Stop by for an ice cream!" You might even use a menuboard to list the items you can serve up each weekend as part of your display.

Your Sundaes on Sunday event will showcase items that lend themselves to making ice cream treats. You can feature ice cream makers, creating your own blends to educate customers about your small electrics lines. Set out sprinkles and other toppings in storage boxes to illustrate the depth of your inventory. Finally, keep on hand a great array of tabletop giftware for your customers to make their ice cream treats in — from ice cream cone-shaped dishes to tabletop pieces designed to house a banana split. You might even create ice cream floats using glassware, tabletop and flatware (long spoons). This promotion also gives you the chance to showcase crème whippers, soda-making machines and other inventory you may have.

Every Sunday, offer promotional pricing on gift sets purchased during your events. You might package together ice cream scoops, old-fashioned ice cream dishes and a crème whipper for a special inclusive price.

During the holiday entertaining season, create tabletop giftware promotions that encourage customers to reset their tables for the season. Offer promotional pricing for sets of 8 or 12 dessert/salad plates to create a new holiday table for the season. Call your promotion "Deck the Halls" and for every four-piece collection purchased, provide a coupon for a 10-percent discount off another set of the same or higher value.

So, get busy and start planning out what you’re going to sell and how you’re going to sell it. Watch your POS go kerching, kerching, kerching... * aaah, happy days*.