Author: webdeveloperswj

“What package do you want”? Huh? I had my eyes closed relaxing as the massage chair pummeled my back. “Which package, for your nails?” asked the nail technician. “Oh, yes…let me look at the pamphlet…definitely one with the sea salt scrub and extra massage… I’ll take the Green Tea package please.” I thought about it for a minute…how easy was it for my nail technician to “bundle” their services together? And what a missed opportunity if they had not made the ask. I went in for a pedicure. If I had just sat down and let them perform the service, they would be out the extra $40 I paid for the bells and whistles. And from my perspective, I would have been disappointed too… I wanted the bells and whistles! The ladies at the nail salon are so good at asking us for the upsell. Them: “Getting a manicure? You should try the bio gel, it’s great.” Me: “Ok sure!” So this got us thinking –  what kind of bundles can you add to your business?  Bundles increase your revenue and improve customer satisfaction. We just need to let them know what the offer is! With the holidays approaching, now is a great time to think about creating bundles and packages for your products and services. If you aren’t sure what to bundle, look for inspiration in what you see every day. Booking a flight? How about adding a car rental. Getting a facial? May as well book a 3 visit pack and save a couple of dollars.  Here are some more best practices for bundles we found in this article from ecommerce experts, Glew.io: Types of Bundles The right kind of bundles involve products that fit well together and make sense to the buyer. Product bundles are typically sold at a discount in order to raise the perceived value of buying multiple products at one time.   Good bundles often add a complimentary high margin item (think the product you sell at a high cost and make the most money on) to a low margin purchase (think the product that’s lower cost that you may or may not make a lot of money on) that will give the buyer greater value and add to your bottom line.  There are two types of packaged bundles:   ‍Mixed Bundle â€“ Products also available as individual units.   ‍Pure Bundle â€“ Products not available for purchase separately.   Research shows that mixed bundles have a higher rate of success. A study by Harvard Business School found when video game units and games were offered as a mixed bundle, sales soared. But when offered as a pure bundle, available only as a package deal, revenue dropped by 20%. Tips for Packaged Bundles 1. The most common types of bundles involve grouping main products with accessories or similar products. Running shoes could be paired with socks and a water bottle. In this example, a camera is bundled with accessories like an SD card, light and a camera case.   2. You can use bundling as an opportunity to get creative in developing new products from overstocked inventory or dated items. For example, you could take a golf shirt that’s not selling well on its own and pair it with with golf tees, a visor and water tumbler to make a Father’s Day gift basket.   3, Consider throwing a freebie into your bundle to encourage the purchase of a higher priced item. For example, add a free pound of a coffee with the purchase of an espresso machine. Related Products Recommending products related to a buyer’s initial purchase is another bundling strategy that can increase conversions and bottom-line results.  According to , product recommendations can: Increase revenue up to 300% Increase conversions by up to 150% Increase average order value by as much as 50% Bundle ideas for Festively vendors Sometimes it’s hard to come up with bundle ideas, so we brainstormed a few ideas for some of you fabulous business owners. And we’re excited to share that that when Festively rolls out our latest update, you’ll be able to create listings for your bundles and offer additional extras at checkout! Balloons Buy 2 balloon garlands and add 5 balloon centerpieces for $500 Birthday fun package – 1 balloon garland, 2 columns, 5 balloon centerpieces $600 Photographer   First-year bundle – Choose any 3 sessions for $1500 (Maternity, Newborn, Family session, Cake Smash, etc.) Florist  Bundle of blooms – Seasonal designer choice of monthly bouquet $50 bouquet each month for 3 months ($30 savings) Thanksgiving brunch bundle – 3 mini centerpieces for a lovely brunch at home plus a large bouquet for host $200 Charcuterie Deluxe charcuterie platter for 10 people plus a a mini dessert charcuterie board for $125 Treats Customer’s favorite cookies mega platter – includes 2 dozen decorated holiday cookies, a DIY cookie kit, and a dozen mini cookies – $150 Holiday bundle – 4 cookies, 4 pretzel sticks, 2 caramel apples, 6 chocolate covered strawberries in a decorative platter for $125 Rentals Party Starter Kit – Tent, Chairs, Bundle Rental for 40 guests includes  – 20×20 Tent, 5 Round Tables and 40 Chairs – $375 Event Planner Holiday party planning package – schedule phone and email consultations, develop floor plan, confirm details with vendors, day of coordination (up to 12 hours), set up decor, manage timeline, ensure vendor payments – $1000 Gifts Your product beautifully wrapped in a personalized gift box – $45 Fall candle collection – 3 candles in assorted scents – $50 What will you bundle? Did this inspire you to create some bundles for your business? We hope so! The holidays are a great time to experiment and try something new. You don’t want to miss out on those customers ready to buy this holiday season! Do you plan to offer bundles this holiday season? What kind of bundles do you think will work for your business?  Let us know in the comments!

We are huge fans of podcasts. We live in a time where we can get a quality education while driving, at the gym, or out shopping. One person who provides so much wisdom each week is Natalie Eckdahl of the Biz Chix podcast. She recently shared eight of her best strategic tips for small businesses, here’s a summary: #1 Business is a marathon, not a sprint We can stay connected so much faster than ever before, there’s a lot coming at us at a very fast pace. It can make us feel anxious. We don’t have to fast track our businesses. Imagine creating a 5-year, 10-year plan, or even a 25-year plan. Where will it be and what do you want it to look like? Think more long term, because building a business is a marathon, not a sprint. It must be sustainable, and we don’t want you to burn out. What we’re trying: Taking every other weekend for family time. In our industry, this is especially hard, and doesn’t mean we don’t sneak some work in. But we prioritize family time those weekends so we can fill up on love and feel good about the long hours we pour into the business. This can mean watching a movie together, going to breakfast together, doing a fun activity together, etc. #2 Know your profit goal This is the amount of money you’re going to take from your business account and move to your personal account. If you don’t have two separate accounts for business expenses and personal salary, do this first. If you don’t know how to do this, go to a bank and they’ll tell you what you need to bring (our tip: check out a credit union, they offer free accounts, great rates with very good terms). Think about how much income you want to earn and the business to profit. We look at what your expenses are, add those up and that’s what our revenue goal is. Think about how much you’d need to impact your personal life in a positive way.  Take the time and review these numbers monthly. If you need to make $5,000 to take home monthly, set a revenue goal to earn that amount. It may be that you need to ramp up to that number, so, you may want to create a monthly ‘good, better, and best’ goal (i.e. $2,000, $3,500, and $5,000) What we’re trying: We started with an annual revenue goal, then worked backward to determine what our monthly sales goals are. This also helps understand if we are spending too much on business expenses as well. #3 Do more of what’s working It sounds so simple! But it’s important to reflect back on the outreach, talks, networking events, etc that you’ve done, and think about how they generated leads. Or think about your dream clients. Where are they coming from? Referrals from specific people? Look at your numbers. Understand where your clients are coming from and try to do more of what brings in the most leads. What we’re trying: Monthly leadership day to review our numbers. We have a dashboard that shows how many followers we have on social, how many email addresses, how many new leads. This helps us reflect back on the month and determine what to do more or less of in the following month. #4 Trading your time for money is lucrative & profitable Natalie recommends focusing on growing your current business and working with lots of people. If you are known for a product or service you provide, work as hard as you can to be the best in that space, and focusing on one thing can make it easier for people to recommend you to new clients. When you add new offerings, sometimes it can slow down the momentum you’ve built from the original offering. What we’re trying: Focusing on completing our site and making it better and better. We have a million ideas to do a lot of add ons, but our core business is creating Festively.com, the go-to marketplace to find and book party essentials, and we will work to make it the best among any competitors. #5 Embrace experimentation You may have a great idea for a new product or service. Before you go full force with the new idea, offer it to a few clients first. Get feedback and a testimonial before you launch it to a broader group. Circle back to your goals and make sure it’s adding to your profit goal. Talk to someone to find out the actual amount of time and money it will take to implement it. Is it worth it? Or will it be a distraction. Give your idea a try, start small, do an experiment. What we’re going to try: Our One Festively community! We’ve been debating about starting one because we want to make sure we can dedicate the time to do it right, and not pull us away from the maintenance and ongoing work needed on Festivley.com. But we’re working on it and can only get better with time. #6 Look for best practices outside of your industry Observe how others sell to you. Sign up for email lists just to see their headlines, images, and copy. Follow people on social media that are outside of your industry so you can get different ideas. If not you will look and sound the same as everyone else. Listen to different music. Tour a factory. Shop different stores. Watch different shows. You just never know where you will get inspiration from. What we’re trying: Reading articles about mindfulness and listening to new podcasts about psychology. We are loving “Hidden Brain.” #7 Don’t take advice from people who don’t understand your ideal client People often ask for advice from Facebook groups or friends or family. The best person to give you advice is your ideal client. Dig deep to learn what motivates them, and understand how they think. What we’re going to try: A survey! We’re sending out a… Continue reading 8 STRATEGIC BUSINESS TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES