Holiday Gift Bundles: Expert Tips from Dalton Farms and West Forty Market

Learn the Secrets of Successful Holiday Sales

As the holiday season approaches, the hunt for the perfect gift intensifies. For entrepreneurs Rebecca from Dalton Farms and Teresa from West Forty Market, this time of year brings both excitement and challenges. During a recent ChopLocal webinar, they shared valuable insights and strategies for handling holiday gift bundles, marketing, and customer satisfaction. Here’s a comprehensive look at their expert tips.

Watch the recording below or scroll down for a summary and full transcript.

Building Strong Business Relationships

Rebecca from Dalton Farms emphasizes the importance of cultivating strong relationships with business partners. These connections ensure that payments are timely and trust is built. "Personal connections make all the difference in securing consistent business," she explains. Business relations go beyond mere transactions; they form the backbone of a supportive local business community.

Last Minute Orders and Inventory Management

Handling last-minute orders can be a logistical challenge. Teresa from West Forty Market has developed a seamless strategy to manage these demands. By closely monitoring inventory and using social media to update customers about stock levels, Teresa maintains control over her supplies without having to set items aside. "The key is to hustle through the busy season and stay flexible," she mentions. This tip aligns with the ability to make substitutions within bundles, allowing them to accommodate inventory shifts.

Packaging Perfection for Holiday Bundles

The visual appeal of holiday gift bundles cannot be understated. Rebecca and Teresa agree on the use of high-quality, durable boxes suitable for freezing. Adding decorative touches such as ribbons or custom-made charcuterie boards enhances the appeal of the packaged products. Teresa emphasizes the use of personalized boxes and crinkle paper for in-store and online orders. Meanwhile, Rebecca prefers reusable cooler bags, branded with Dalton Farms' logo for that extra touch of exclusivity.

Crafting the Perfect Marketing Plan

Marketing effectively is crucial for holiday success. Both Teresa and Rebecca leverage social media and email newsletters to keep their customers informed and engaged. Starting promotions early, as early as September, they ensure their products are top-of-mind for consumers planning their holiday purchases.

Teresa finds success by including handwritten notes in packages, which call attention to the support for local farmers. Rebecca’s use of holiday cards and thank-you messages offers a personalized touch that customers appreciate. These personalized elements create an emotional connection between the customer and the gift they purchase.

Offering Flexibility and Customization

Flexibility is key, as both guests offer a range of customizable meat bundles at popular price points like $50, $100, and up to $150. Clear listings of items included in the bundles help showcase value and reduce inquiries, ensuring customer satisfaction. Teresa encourages customers to tailor their bundles based on budget and preferences, offering custom packaging and cards for special occasions. Rebecca provides themed bundles such as the "beef bouquet," and includes gift cards for customers to purchase local products.

Prime Rib and Turkey Challenges

Balancing supply and demand for popular items like prime ribs and turkeys can be a headache. Teresa secures prime rib sales in advance and sets limits to create urgency and manage expectations. Rebecca, on the other hand, educates customers about the limited supply of steaks and offers alternative sources if sold out. For turkey preorders, Teresa opts not to require deposits but expects full payment on pickup, while Rebecca requires a small deposit to ensure customer commitment.

Encouraging Repeat Customers and Local Support

Working closely with local vendors not only supports community businesses but also adds variety to holiday baskets. Both Rebecca and Teresa engage with local businesses to incorporate their products. This effort is often met with positive local support, showcasing a solid community movement.

Promotions through word-of-mouth marketing and reaching out to previous buyers are pivotal strategies Rebecca utilizes. Utilizing email marketing, they provide special access for loyal customers. Including non-perishable items like honey or hot sauce in gift bundles grants customers the flexibility of adding unique touches to their gifts.

Conclusion: Creating Hype and Encouraging Urgency

Both Rebecca and Teresa underscore the importance of creating excitement around their products, using methods like limited-time offers and strategic social media hype. They avoid early bird pricing but emphasize urgency and limited availability to drive sales.

For meat bundle enthusiasts or anyone looking to craft the perfect holiday gift, the insights shared by Dalton Farms and West Forty Market are invaluable. By focusing on strong relationships, effective marketing, packaging appeal, and strategic inventory management, businesses can effectively navigate the bustling holiday season.

Transcript

Introduction: Sydney Hadacek: Thank you guys for joining us tonight. We're really excited to do another panel style, webinar, and talk a little bit about holiday sales. It's kind of crazy that it's already that time. So we hope that tonight is able to spark some creativity for the attendees and maybe get you guys thinking about what you wanna do for your holiday sales?

As always, we have a few more webinars coming up throughout the fall; one in November and one in December, so we hope we'll see you there as well, if you would like to register for those. Those are all on sell.choplocal.com and if you're on our email list we'll always send you the registration links as well.

A little bit about ChopLocal: If you're interested in creating an online store, we are really excited to get people on right now. Quarter 4 is always our highest sales volume. And so if you're interested in starting up an online store before the holidays really ramp up, we'd be interested to talk to you about that and what it's like to be a vendor on ChopLocal.

Both of our panelists tonight are ChopLocal vendors so they can share maybe a little bit throughout their answers about what that looks like for them as well. If you're interested, you can always reach out to my co-worker, Katie and I, as well. Katie is on tonight, so if you hear her, as well she might be able to talk a little bit about what it looks like from our admin side.

But with that we're excited to introduce you to 2 of our great vendors on ChopLocal: Teresa Davis with West 40 Market and Rebecca Dalton with Dalton Farms. They both have storefronts, and so I will let them share a little bit about themselves and about what their operation looks like. So Teresa, if you wanna start first?

About Teresa Davis, West Forty Market

Teresa Davis: Sure, absolutely.

I'm Teresa Davis. I own West 40 Market here in uptown Ankeny and I have been open as far as this brick and mortar is concerned, for about 2 and a half years almost.

This kind of all started about 5 or 6 years ago. I was doing farmers markets, and I just felt like there was a really big need for having an actual brick and mortar store in the Des Moines area in Iowa, and a place for people to kind of come in and shop year round; all local Iowa meets and other products. I also thought it'd be really cool to have an outlet for other farmers to be able to sell their meat and their items year round instead of just in the farmers market. Obviously, here in Iowa we only have about 6 months out of the year that's decent weather that we can be outside for farmers, markets, and so I wanted to do something like that. 

So I guess, a little bit about me: I was laid off from my corporate job during the pandemic, and just thought it'd be a great opportunity to start up my own business. It was apparently a great time to do so when everything was shut down. So I kinda just jumped right into it, and I found a space and started it with just my family's beef and chicken and then I had a local farmer that raised the pork and the lamb for me, and then I've grown to having 3 chicken farmers. I've got turkey in here now and a couple of different pork farmers that I support as well as 2 other bison farmers here in Iowa.And then I've got quite a bit of other local Iowa only products here. 

I have a brick and mortar store that you can shop at, and then I found ChopLocal shortly after I opened. Well, maybe they found me, I guess and it admittedly took Katie about a year of talking to me and convincing me that ChopLocal was a really good idea.

But I mean, honestly, I had to get my feet on the ground and kind of figure my figure my store out first before I understood kind of how an online store could help to kind of even be an extension of that store and help to grow my business. And I have absolutely loved being a part of ChopLocal for the last year. It's taken my business just to a level that I never knew I could go and obviously shipping all across the United States has been huge for both myself and all the farmers and the businesses that I support here at West Forty Market. So I'm excited to be a part of ChopLocal and being part of these webinars and just connecting with this community has been really beneficial as well, too.

So yeah, that's a little bit about me.

About Rebecca Dalton, Dalton Farms LLC

Sydney Hadacek: Awesome. Thank you. And Rebecca, if you want to share a little bit as well.

Rebecca Dalton: ** **Sure. So, thanks for having me on. I'm by no means any expert. But I'm gonna share what has worked for me. And hopefully, it'll help you guys. And I'm hoping to learn from Teresa myself tonight. So because we're always learning.

I married into the farm. So I grew up in an agriculture setting in a rural area, but we had more of like a hobby farm. it wasn't our livelihood. So I married into the farm 15 years ago, and my husband had his job on the farm, and I was a nurse, and we kind of kept those separated for a long time. But I decided I wanted more of a role on the farm, once I started having kids about 10 years ago.

And he said, “You know, if you want to do something. The aspect of our business to grow is selling our beef.” So he had raised cattle his whole life. Probably raised about 200 head a year, and most of those would go and pot load style to, you know, an auction house. We would sell at that point, probably 15, maybe 20%, of those to consumers and family and friends.

But I started a Facebook page. I started some social, media started sharing the farms, sharing our life, and that's kind of how it grew and snowballed into what it is today. It was a slow burn. It didn't take off initially but Covid and all that did help tremendously, but it was starting to really grow and take off before then. Actually so I actually ended up being able to quit my job 2 years ago as a nurse, and I am full time on the farm now, so he even gets me in the tractor sometimes when he's desperate. 

I’m not his A team, but I do get called in to do that sometimes, but we now raise 400 head of cattle. All of those go direct to consumers. Sold off of our store, that is on the farm. We call it the Meat Barn. And we work with, like Teresa as well, work with local farms that raise chicken and pork, and we have honey, maple syrup all that with what is very local within a county of ourselves. Most of our stuff is in our store.

I recently signed up with ChopLocal and really just started getting going with it once I had some time to devote to it. And it's already helps. I've used some other platforms in the past. I've used some e-commerce ways of selling, and the big hurdle that I always ran into was that it's not farmers running those sites, and it's really hard because they don't understand what we're trying to do when we're saying we want to sell half of beef, or we're trying to sell a porterhouse steak that weighs X amount of, you know, ounces. So ChopLocal, I can tell, is already going to be a huge asset, just because everybody understands the lingo, and what I'm trying to say when when I need help. 

So that's a little bit about me.

Holiday Gift Boxes

Sydney Hadacek: Thank you guys. So you kind of answered this question, right now, that I have up on the screen about your background and selling meat. So I'm gonna hop into the next question. Tell us a little bit about what you've done for selling holiday gift boxes in the past. Ideas for boxes, what products worked well, and that kind of thing.

Teresa, We'll start with you on these, and then maybe go to Rebecca.

Teresa Davis: Okay, perfect. Yeah. So I do a variety of different bundles actually year round. And then I also do some holiday bundles specifically. 

So I would say, like, from that standpoint, really having a variety works.

So I typically, around the holidays especially, will give people, you know, like 3 to 5 different bundle options; anything from, like, a cold weather bundle. We're here in Iowa, so you know, like roast and stew meat, and things like that. 

I'll do an all steak and pork chop bundle, a little bit higher priced bundle; I'll do like a ground beef bundle. Things like that.

So I try to have a nice variety of options. 

And especially price points, too. So typically in the past like I'll tell you that range really flies off the shelf year round especially. But even during the holidays that just seems like a really good number, for when you're spending money for somebody else and buying a gift, $50 seems to be good. $100 seems to work. There's definitely those that go for the over $100. But it's not - it's not as much as like between about that $50 to $125 range. So I like to have a nice variety. 

I also really encourage my customers, and I promote a lot on social media about the fact that we can make any sort of custom bundle for you. We can take what your budget is. We can take an idea or give you an idea of what you want for, or what you might want in that bundle, and then we can kind of tweak it to make it your own. 

So I not only put stuff out there for customers to kind of just take the thinking out of it. A lot of times those go last minute when people are just like I just need a $50 gift for somebody, and yep, that sounds great, and here you go.

But if they're putting time and effort and thought into it, I really push and promote the fact that I can customize anything for you, and I can fit it to whatever your budget is. 

So the bundles that I put out there are just kind of a starting point sometimes for customers. And they'll say, Okay, I really like this one. But can we swap out X,Y, and Z for something else, and so we'll make it specific to them. I would also say, especially when it comes to shipping with ChopLocal, we certainly bundle it up and put it pretty for them. We’ll put in a custom note or a custom card whether it be for the holidays or just for any occasion year round, you know, a birthday or, “I’m thinking of you” or “congratulations on your new house.” We do a lot of those, and we'll put in a custom card or allow them to even drop a card off at our store, and we can put it in the bundle that's being shipped out. That they include in that, too.

So those are some things. I guess that works well for me.

I think that that price point is important of just kind of having a variety, a range, for everybody, but also just kind of being pretty transparent and open about the fact that you can adjust those. So if somebody wants something to kind of be adjusted. To be open to that as well, if at all possible.

Rebecca Dalton: Yeah, so similar to Teresa. We have standard bundles that we offer year round. We do a variety package that includes a little bit of pork, beef, and chicken. We have an all chicken, and all beef, and it all pork. (I don't think I said that one.) They're at that $100 price point and most sell well, throughout the whole year, but they also do really well over the holidays, because it is a perfect gift, and especially doesn't take up a lot of freezer space. So if somebody doesn't have a big, you know freezer, they can hold that.  

The other thing that we really push over the holidays is some of these pictures on here. One of those is what I call The Beef Bouquet, and that's something that we do just on special occasions. We've done it for Father's Day. We've done it for Christmas. And it includes, like the beef bacon and the smokies, and the jerky, and all these hot dogs and and things like that, and just bundle it together. Make it easy. It's wrapped. It's pretty. All they have to do is pick it up and give it to that person. And that is like I try to keep that at $50 to $60 price point cause I agree with Theresa that $50 sells great, $100 sells great, even up to $150, you know, depending. But yes, once you get any higher than that, it kind of limits the amount of sales you see. 

We've also done an all local basket for the last several years, and then that's in one of those pictures, and that will include a gift card to our market. So that it's something that is shelf stable. And it's not something that they have to have cooled or chilled, and in that I’ll put like a honey and a maple syrup and a garlic from the local garlic farm, and maybe even a Christmas ornament. A Bloody Mary mix that, you know, is local. That's all food based and it's all from vendors that are on our shelves, and they're all local. It'll have seasonings, and you know, barbecue sauce and and all of that and then just that, like I said, the Gift card to our store, so that then it's drawing them in to purchase whatever they want for those for the meat options, and that has gone over really well. 

And I know we're gonna talk a little bit about working with other businesses, and I will say that that one has probably done the best with other businesses instead of maybe individuals. But local businesses tend to like that one a lot.

And obviously gift certificates and gift cards are huge around the holidays. I don't have to push them at all. They fly off the shelf. You know. Those are definite things that everybody's always looking for around holidays.

Describing your Gift Bundles

Sydney Hadacek: Yeah, I know a lot of the things that both of you guys mentioned, we will expand upon a little bit more as we get going here. So one of the things that we've kind of discussed. What do your customers want -  Do they need to know  exactly what's in the box like 2 steaks, one package of ground beef… you know an exact description, or if you say there's going to be 10 pounds of x, or whatever you know. What do people prefer there?

Teresa Davis: Yeah, I think with that,  I have found that when I’m maybe not as descriptive in there, I certainly get customers or potential customers who message me and ask questions. I have in my description exactly what's included. I try to always have, like the actual count or and then also, like the pounds or ounces and approximate I will say I'm always really careful of saying approximately x amount of pounds of steaks, right or approximately x amount of pounds of ground. Because it can fluctuate just a little bit. So you want to be clear on that. And yeah, I think that it's important of having the description in there. 

Now I do have some bundles that I'll be open about it. So I'll say, Hey, this bundle will be, you know. It's… it'll be 20 pounds worth of steaks in a variety of these different cuts. So then that way it allows me to also be flexible with what I have in stock. and so they know that as long as they’re good with all those different cuts they’re going to get a variety of that. So I would say that’s important, too. So I would say you don’t have to be exact but approximate. People want to know approximately how much meat they’re going to get in this, what kind of cuts am I gonna get; I think that's definitely important, and it certainly cuts down on customers asking you questions. Otherwise, if you're if you're very vague, they start messaging you or wanna have just a lot of questions. So if you can cut that down as much as possible. I think that's helpful.

Rebecca Dalton: Yeah, I agree. If you don't list the description and what's in it, you're gonna get asked. People are gonna want to know and you're gonna then spend your whole time telling people what's in it. And I also think that when you list the items they can see the value in it a little more than just saying, “Hey, this is a $100 bundle of meat.” Well, what am I getting for that $100? So listing it, they kind of see the value they feel like they're getting, you know, a deal. They're getting an amount for that money.

Yeah, you definitely have to list the items because it's just something that they want to know. And I would, too, to be honest, you know, if I was going to buy something, I want to know what's included in it.

Price Points

Sydney Hadacek: Perfect. So we already kind of touched on this. We might not expand on it much more. But the price points that people are looking for. I know you guys mentioned 50, 75, a hundred. Is there anything else you want to add on price points? I think those are pretty common, but if there's anything else I'll let you share here.

Teresa Davis: No, I don't think there's much. You know I'll second the whole gift card thing. I didn't mention that either, but that's, I think, if you can be flexible on your gift cards, too, and have multiple increments, which we certainly do on ChopLocal, and I do in my store as well, too, so I mean they can literally come in and do 10 bucks if they wanted to; it's a little stocking stuffers or something like that. So, I would say, be as flexible as you can with that kind of thing, because those also lead to bigger sales, right? So if somebody's… if they're given even just a $10 gift card. That person's probably going to come in and spend a lot more than $10 in your store and potentially be a customer going forward. So whatever gets somebody, whatever that, sounds terrible, whatever that bait is, it gets them in the door. I think that it's good to be flexible on that as much as you can.

**Rebecca Dalton: **Yeah, I agree. And the only thing different. We're gonna try this year. So I'll let you know how it goes, but - really promoting bulk orders even for loved ones; where they can get like a gift certificate for a quarter of beef, and they can spend it throughout the year. And we haven't really pushed that much in the years prior. But we're gonna try to go with that, or even our 1/th8 beef, which is a little lower price point.

So we'll see how that goes. You know, historically, we've done more of like the $100 bundles and and more in that price point. But there's been a bigger push and interest in that.

So if… a parent wants to buy their kid, you know, a quarter of beef we're looking at, you know, really kind of promoting that and sharing that. We will help them specify their cutting instructions throughout the year, and they can get it, you know, anytime throughout that year. So we'll see how that goes.

Teresa Davis: That's a great idea.

Katie Olthoff: We did have a question related to the price points. For a $50 price point, are you shipping those boxes? Are you charging shipping on top of that? How does that work?

Rebecca Dalton: So so, my 50, I have not… I'm new into the shipping world. So historically, my $50 options did not include my shipping prices. When I was just laying everything, kind of listing everything and getting it ready for Sydney to help me upload at all, it’ll probably be more like $65 online to help with that shipping.

Teresa Davis: Yeah, I would agree with that. I definitely… I do pad a little bit, especially with the bundles on the online around the holidays, because a lot more of those do get actually shipped out. I will say with my situation it is a little bit unique, because I do have a brick and mortar, and I have a lot of local customers that love just shopping online so that it's convenient for them to pick up in store. They usually grab a couple of other things while they're in here, but they love just the convenience of the online shopping. And so yes, I do ship. But I would say, the majority of a good, probably 75%, of my business online is actually people that it just drives them into the store and it brings them in that way. So bundles around the holidays…I certainly do pad them a little bit, knowing that a lot of those I do start shipping out quite a bit more. But during the year I kind of bring it a little bit more level set to what I actually have the price of in store, because a lot of those are just people that want to snag that bundle before it's gone every week, or whatever the cases and then they just come in store to pick it up, too. So I think it kind of depends on your layout and how you're doing your business. But certainly, if you're just all shipping I would absolutely adjust that price accordingly, so you're kind of padding that all that into it.

Early Bird Specials & Marketing Tips

Sydney Hadacek: What are your guys thoughts on early bird pricing, or any other sort of early bird special?

**Teresa Davis: **You know I don't. I advertise “Just get it done before I run out.” I don't offer any early bird pricing. I offer the fact that it's going to not be around if you've got last minute shopping to do in December. So I do a lot of bundles for some pretty big employers here in Central Iowa that typically exhaust all of my steaks by Christmas time, and and a lot of other things. And so and you know, over the course of the last couple of years, that's just kind of become a thing. And so I like, I've already started advertising and saying, if you want to start getting bundles locked in, you know, for employees or family, or whatever the case is….buy it now, and I'll store it for you, and I won't ship it out until you know when you want me to ship it out, or it won't be ready to go until you actually come in to pick it up in the store when you want it, so you don't have to worry about it until Christmas, or whenever you want to pick it up or have it shipped out. But lock it in now and get it purchased now. So I think that's really what I push. I don't. I don't do a pricing special. I just do a “it's gonna be gone. So if that's what you want to do, you gotta get in on it.” Otherwise it’s going to be gift cards for everybody.

**Rebecca Dalton: **Agree, I don't do any early bird or sales necessarily. I just really share with that urgency that you're saying, you know. Make sure that put it out there like these are limited quantities of these available, and they sell out every year, and you better hurry up. Get your order in today. Even though people won't listen, you know, but they’ll get there eventually. Because you know, just kind of creating the hype for your own product, and you don't need to do early birds, or, in my opinion, I haven't had to, because, like you, said Theresa, like you sell out and it will, and you know it will. So I think it creates its own hype and that urgency to make sure they get their order in.

Teresa Davis: And quite honestly, even if you like, if you're new to ChopLocal or considering doing this, and this is like your first Christmas doing this like… it doesn't matter if you haven't sold out before. Like she said, hype your stuff up, you know, really create a sense of urgency. Create a lot of excitement around it. You know, hey, these bundles are gonna go fast, you guys, you know, here's kind of what we have and throw it out there. People like people love that. And that's really what they kinda go after is, if you’re touting it a little bit like, “This is the bundle of the season” or something like that and hey there’s only limited numbers available.” People love that, and it helps them to kind of be like, oh, shoot! I better get in line and get this. Get this taken care of. Otherwise it's gonna be gone.

Rebecca Dalton: And you could always go back and say, “Oh, guess what I was able to make 10 more. There's 10 more now available.” And then it's like, Oh, you know, it creates even more excitement around it. Because now you know that increases that demand and that, yeah, the hype!

Sydney Hadacek: I think those are really good marketing strategies, and we'll get a little more into those in a few questions. Here. I think.

Sydney Hadacek: We kinda talked about Price Point that works best. Is there a size of box that you think works best? …maybe pound-wise or dimension. What have you found works best?

Teresa Davis: Yeah, I typically, I think my, when I measured it last, my average size box is like a 12 by 14, maybe. I think that sounds about right. I have. I try to keep a variety of different sizes. And I actually, I source a lot of my styrofoam- well, all of my styrofoam coolers from community and from vet clinics in the area. I have yet to buy a styrofoam box.

If you put it out on social media that you're looking to save the planet, and you want to bring in some Styrofoam coolers, people will drop them off at your doorstep. I promise you. A lot of people get them with medication in it, and it's, you know, it piles up in a landfill, so they'd love to get rid of it in a good way. 

And then I just get… If you measure the Styrofoam coolers, you just have to go online to Amazon, or you line and just buy empty boxes that fit that. And that's all you gotta do. So it's super super easy. So I think. Yeah, the 12 by 14 is usually about the average size that I send out. I try to stay in that 20 to 25 pound max. I found that if I get any bigger than that either UPS has something to say about it. Or it certainly costs a lot. But you, I mean, they're tossing those boxes around. So you gotta think if the heavier it is, the more it's gonna possibly split open if it's getting thrown around in the back of a truck or a plane. So I think… Just kind of making sure that your bundles, you know, what you're able to package them in with the ice packs and everything else to be safely transported across the United States if it needs to go that way.

Rebecca Dalton: …I have a variety of sizes, too, I mean, because it really just depends on what somebody's ordering So the shipping box that I've been using probably most frequently is like a 17 by 10 by 8, and that's with the Styrofoam. I'm definitely gonna take your advice and ask for donations, Styrofoam, because it's expensive to order it. But I've also done some reusable cooler bags at the holidays, too. That, then, are branded with our logo, and that is easy, too. 

So not necessarily for shipping, because, like I said, I'm new to the shipping world. But for businesses that have picked up, you know, meats in that reusable cooler bag, and then it has my logo right on it, too. It looks nice. It's easy for them to carry and then hopefully, they're reusing it, and looking at it all the time, and remembering where to come for their meat. Much like Teresa, though I also have a stamp and I use that to put the brands, you know, my logo on all of the boxes as well to make sure they know where it came from. And put in that, you know, that card and all of that. But yeah, you just have to figure out what you want to build for your bundle, I think, and then make it work.  You know, I've ordered multiple sizes of boxes, guessing that one would work for what I was thinking. And then I'm like fighting with it for too long. And then I decided, moving on and finding a different size. Pack what you're gonna put together and play with it.

Planning for your box sizes

Sydney Hadacek: Do you guys ever like pre -  when you're thinking about these are the boxes or the bundles I'm gonna do during the year. Do you pre package, those or how do you basically account for what the sizing is gonna be and how that's all gonna fit. And this is probably more for shipping. But talk a little bit about that.

Teresa Davis: Yeah, when I'm on my A game, I definitely do. But there's admittedly some weeks where I just I just wing it. But yeah, so holidays the ones that I put online for holidays, knowing that quite a few of those are gonna get shipped out. I do fit them into the boxes, because then I can make sure I've got plenty of coolers.

Styrofoam coolers ready to go, and I've got boxes purchased that those coolers can fit into, and I know exactly how we're gonna execute that cause. You've got quite a few orders coming in. You've got quite a few orders going out at one time, and so for the team to be able to really execute and fill them, you've got to know ahead of time. This is exactly the size that we're gonna need to send this bundle out and have it kind of ready to go. So for sure.

**Rebecca Dalton: **Yeah, I try to lay it out. Because then I know what I need so that I can order everything and have it here. But I also try to take my photos at that time, too. I just kind of multi-task it.

I have found that, for example, I used a vase one time when I was marketing my beef bouquet, and I had it all pretty in the vase, you know. It's a bouquet of meat, and I had somebody actually like call me out on the fact that it didn't come in that glass vase because it was then packaged like butcher paper and wrapped in that. I think it is kind of important for people to see how those items might arrive to them and come so that it's not, you know. I didn't think I was marketing it. You know, falsely. But I got called out on it.

Sydney Hadacek: That's a good point.

Working with Other Local Businesses

Sydney Hadacek: So we kind of you guys both a little bit touched on working with local businesses. So I wanna take this question kind of 2 ways. And I think you'll both answer it differently. So, Teresa, for you, you talked a little bit about working with local businesses to do gifts for employees for different companies. So if you wanna touch a little bit on that, and then, Rebecca, if you wanna talk about how…

Sydney Hadacek: …how you work with local businesses to incorporate their products. Into your holiday gift boxes. I think that'll provide us with a good array of information on working with businesses in your guys' communities.

Teresa Davis: Yeah, absolutely. So. I like, as I mentioned earlier, I do have a couple of businesses that for now a couple of 2, 3 years have ordered bundles. I also just honestly, by having my business and having people shop here. I when I put it on social media that I know it's a great employee gift.

Those individual customers who work for these companies, or maybe own these companies, are like, “Oh, my gosh! That's a really great idea.”A random side note, I actually have a couple of local companies that use our bundles for bereavement gifts for their employees, which I thought was actually really cool. Really cool idea. But so for holidays, I really push that it's great for any occasion. It's great for family and friends, but the employers like what a really cool, practical local gift that you're giving your employers something you know, that they can use up something they're gonna enjoy. And then I'm also looking at it like, how can I make sure I market correctly in that bundle, so that that person buys for me in the future when they really love what they're getting. So I just, I really do a lot with my marketing side of things on social media. And I push employers for that like I really if I'm bundling them up for employers like right now, I'm getting some stuff ready to go for a couple of local companies here, and I'm really touting that on social media.

I'm like, Hey, we've got a local employer that just ordered 25 $250 meat bundles, you know, for their employers. So we're starting to set stuff aside. You better get in, you know, if you want this for your employees as well. It's kind of the FOMO thing, right? Like you're missing out. You put that on social media. And I think that just gives people ideas of how they can really use that. And some of them might work for an employer, and they take that back as an idea and say, Hey, what about buying all of us a meat bundle, you know, local meat bundles or something like that for Christmas. So I just really push the social media piece and really, showcase what I've done in the past for people. You know. And then even getting some actual examples from some of those that have received those bundles and kind of some real life. Here's how much we loved it. And here's why we loved that kind of thing, and put that out there, too. So

Rebecca Dalton: So what am I supposed to talk about?

Sydney Hadacek: Yeah. Talk a little bit sorry I should have done this separately about how you work with local businesses to incorporate their products into your holiday offerings.

Rebecca Dalton: Okay, so when we do, the all local or all Ohio basket is kind of what you're talking about. Then I think so. With that, basically, the vendors that are in our store. I reach out to them and ask them if they want to be part of our holiday basket, and I have not had anybody tell me no because it's just getting their name out to people that may have never bought their product or heard of them.

So just including like I said earlier, you know, like a maple syrup from a local producer, a honey, kettle corn, you know all of those food based products into one holiday all local basket. and that has gone well with other local businesses, because there has, you know, there is this big support local movement. So that has been a big thing. And it's something different, you know. It's not all one thing. So you know, not everybody maybe likes a lot of beef or pork or something. So it has a variety so that they can use. That’s worked well.

I have not really personally reached out to any businesses, it's the same. I've used the same approach when you know, selling them just market it. It's word of mouth. It's customers of mine going to their employers and saying, Hey, have you looked at this? Getting it out there and just sharing, I think you know, like you said the FOMO and the in the social media and the ones that have bought for me in the past. I will reach out to them because I do need to know what I'm putting together, and how many I need to build.

even though I try. And I'll still not know exactly, so I will reach out to companies that have purchased in November, if I haven't heard from them in the beginning of the month, and just say, Hey, no pressure. Just want to check in with. You see, if you're thinking about doing a similar thing that you've been doing the last couple of years. And hey, I'm not offended if you're gonna do something different. But I just wanna make sure I set aside a product for you.

Teresa Davis: That's a great point of actually being proactive, and making sure you reach out to those first that have done it in the past, and kind of giving them first dibs if they want it. So that's a good point.

Marketing

Sydney Hadacek: Yeah, I think there's a lot of great ways to do business locally. So I think you guys gave a lot of great ideas there.

You guys both kind of talked about your marketing strategy. Maybe the FOMO idea. How do you share about, you know, your holiday offerings and maybe when you start doing that? I know we have a question here about when is the best time to start advertising. So yeah, talk a little about marketing.

Teresa Davis: Yeah. So for me, I use social media a ton. I have newsletters that go out. Obviously ChopLocal has newsletters that go out as well, which is really helpful to help drive business for the online piece. But I really do a lot of social media.

I think I start advertising for holidays like 4 hours after Labor Day is over, because people are knocking on my door, asking when they can pre-order their turkey. Usually, I'm like, okay, that means we're headed into the holidays. Here we go. But I really do. I mean already, in September I started advertising holiday bundles, and you know just people getting Thanksgiving lined up because we do Thanksgiving turkeys at West 40 and you know, and that comes within thinking about holidays, and some people celebrate their holiday earlier than actual Christmas Day. You know all that. 

So I just do a ton of social media. I'm already doing it. I will say that for me, at least in my experience, you cannot - You can never share too much. I mean, you're gonna hit, depending on the times that you post it, you're always gonna hit somebody different, a different audience. Even if you reshare literally the same thing every 2 days in your stories. I'm just always hitting the exact same stuff over and over and again, because I promise you the person that saw it today won't see it tomorrow, and vice versa. So I don't think that you can really overshare the whole holiday thing and as much as you can get in front of people and really start touting. "Here's what we have to offer. What a great gift idea!" **Show them all the different options you might have, how they can access it, and the fact that they can ship it to somebody across the country to, you know, friends and family. **That's pretty cool, too. So yeah. Social media. Obviously, newsletters, too, are really great. But social media has been huge for my business.

Rebecca Dalton: So social media is a big one for me, obviously that's how I've built this entire business to be honest. But emailing customers is another thing that I've been doing to promote it, you know, making sure it is kind of like that newsletter. I believe it's kind of what you're saying. Just making sure like, "Hey, we're gonna have Christmas hams and prime ribs available again this year. **Here's the link. Click on it. Make sure you get your order in." **People sometimes just need that reminder. When to do it.

Usually when I start getting questioned about it is when I'm like, man, I better get this done. You know. So I just had somebody the other day like, Hey, you doing Christmas again. I need to get an order. And I'm like, Man, I gotta get that up on the site. So that's usually like my, you know, when people start asking me, I'm like, I gotta get this done. But I also try to send out when I do like email, the customers. My previous customers so kind of like a reminder like, Hey, I just emailed my Turkey people from last year and said, Hey, don't know if you're interested in purchasing a farm fresh turkey again this year, but orders are live. Better do it if you're ordering. You know we have limited supplies and kind of just remind them I got a ton, you know a bunch of orders that day because I posted it once, but they probably said didn't see it.

The other thing I kind of like to do to create a little bit of that hype like we've been talking about is, you know, just saying, Hey, before I open this up to the public since you're a previous purchaser, I wanna let you know that you know the ordering is up, and you could get, you know, secure yours first and kind of just, you know, make them feel special because they are previous customer.

Promotional Materials in Your Gift Boxes

Sydney Hadacek: I think Teresa touched on this a little bit. But do you include anything in the boxes as far as promotional? Items, coupons, maybe. Thank you. Talk a little about what you include in the box to hype up your own business.

**Teresa Davis: **Yeah, I do. I do a handwritten card in all of them. You know. One thing I will say, that has been kind of cool that a few customers have commented on is that especially when they buy multiple different kinds of meat that support multiple farmers, I'll make sure that that's on the note that they know that you know you just directly supported 3 farmers with your purchase. So thank you so much from all of us for doing that. It makes them feel really good about what they do. And I think that's important to call that out so handwritten notes, certainly. And then, you know, admittedly, I don't do this a lot, and I probably should do more of it, and it's my plan for the holidays this year. 2023. Goal is to actually include, then, like future purchase, discount. So hey! On your next purchase, save 10 off your order by using this coupon checkout code. ChopLocal is really great about that kind of stuff where you can set your own coupon code with them, and that customer can use it at checkout on their on their first purchase. So you can do promotional stuff like that, and that's my intention this year of doing that, or an offering it in store, too, if they're local, and they want to come in store and shop. So just something to kind of, you know, they're they're getting a nice little testing of what you have to offer. So how can you get them back in to start purchasing their own stuff? I think that's important to kind of think through.

**Rebecca Dalton: **The main things that I've done is like a business card. But if that, if it's a holiday purchase specifically like a holiday card with our picture of our family that just says, "Thank you for supporting our business." Something that we use to mail out to a lot of people. But now that we have now, I just include it in their purchases, because it's directly with that. And then they are seeing the family that's behind it. And a lot of people like that. The other thing just even even on the Styrofoam cooler. Or sometimes I'll just write "Thank you." And handwriting like not even necessarily a Thank you card, but just something handwritten, I think, goes a long way. Teresa Davis: Yeah.

Sydney Hadacek: so this is kind of moving away from the boxes side of things. But one of the obviously the most popular holiday items is prime rib. So in your planning for holiday sales. How do you balance the demand for steaks at the holidays with prime rib or standing rib roasts.

Teresa Davis: That's a great question. So I in the past couple of years I've only gotten. I think it was 8 total prime ribs last year that I purchased, or that I got off of my harvest like in October, November, and that was it. And that's kind of that's how I plan Again, I make sure on social media alread,. I'm telling people. If you want the prime rib, you better lock it in right now. So give me your name and phone number and start start telling me what you want, cause I set myself a number and once they're gone they're gone. And you, you're gonna turn a lot of people away potentially. And I think that's okay, though, because then that really creates the demand. And they understand the urgency of making sure they lock that in in the future. If that's what they really want. So I feel like that's a really, that's really tricky to kind of balance that because yeah, you. Then you've got all these bundles, too. All the more reason why, if you're having companies and and people that want multiple bundles full of steaks like you can only produce so much right? And so you've got to kind of figure out where you're comfortable or where you want to say. I'm only going to have X amount of these available this year, and once they're gone they're gone, the rest of it's all going to be for these bundles. And then, okay, so you know, if I have. How many ribeyes do I have left? Then to create how many bundles? Right? So I think that there's a there is a lot of planning that goes on in the holidays to make sure that you don't over promise and under deliver. You want to do it quite the opposite of that. So that's that's kind of how I've been. I've been like, you know, this is going to be my number this year. I'm gonna commit to getting this much off of these next couple of harvests. And that's it.

Rebecca Dalton: yeah, I don't think people, you know, most consumers. I don't think really, truly understand that there's only so many steaks on a beef. So I tell them all the time like, hey? If I could make cattle produce more steaks I wouldn't have to work so hard. But it is what it is. So kind of same thing, you know, just having that short supply creates its own hype and its own. You know early orders, because people know that you're gonna run out and you just I think a lot of that comes down to education, too, you know, like we only have so many beef that go in, and this is what's available. The other thing that I have done is with work with our local butcher, who sources his cattle locally, and once I'm sold out I will be completely transparent with my customers, and just say, "Hey, ours are sold out. But I'm working with you know, my butcher, and he can get the product that I stand behind. If you'd like me to get you one from them." I'm willing to do that. And people most of the time are like, absolutely so it, you know. Just another way of supporting another local business, and I know where the beef coming from, too. It's not like, you know. It's it's being shipped in from somewhere. So I have started to do some of that when we do run out, but I am transparent about that, because I don't want it to ever, you know come back to where I'm not telling people exactly where it's coming from.

Sydney Hadacek: I wanna pull in one of the questions that we had here about taking deposits for pre orders. So for things like prime rib or turkey, or Christmas ham. Do you guys take deposits for those pre orders? How does that work?

Teresa Davis: Yeah. So I turkeys. Yes. Well, okay, I guess I'll back up a little bit if they order an online on the to the ChopLocal site. They, I've set a price for certain ranges of sizes of turkeys. And they pay for that in full. So when they come, pick up their turkey, or all their sides, or their pies, or whatever else they're buying on there. It's all. It's all paid in full. If they come into the store. I don't do a deposit. I have done that for the last 2 years, and I've never had an issue. It's a pretty small amount, and honestly, I have enough people banging on the doors last minute that would love a turkey that don't get one. I wouldn't have an issue moving all the turkeys if some of those people didn't show up kind of thing. So I don't do a deposit on those. But I certainly very much encourage people to order online and lock it in just because it's easier when they come to pick it up. It's already taken care of. They don't have to worry about it. They literally come in. We hand them their food, their turkey, and they go out the door kind of thing. So that's that's how I've personally set it up, and I haven't had an issue. Now, if things grow and evolve even more, what I potentially entertain putting a deposit down, probably. But I think when we're talking about turkeys and prime ribs, I have no problem selling them. So I don't. I don't require that. It's a lot to organize.

Rebecca Dalton: I'm the opposite. I do require a deposit just because I don't want to sit on a hundred turkeys. Not that I not that I think people wouldn't like you said I've not had an issue with people not showing up. It's usually the opposite where the day before. Thanksgiving. Hey? Do you have any of those left? No, I don't sorry. But I do have them put a little bit down just to kind of hold them accountable and probably could get away from it. Make it a little easier at the end of the day, but I do have them put a little bit down. It's like $20 towards their prime rib, or $20 to, you know, towards their turkey. So it's not a ton but I do have them put a deposit.

Rebecca: Think you're more organized than I am. It's a little sad.

Katie Olthoff: your big corporate orders or your big, you know, business orders that they're doing a bunch of bundles? Do they pay for the whole amount up front? And then you put together the bundles and they come pick them up, or, I mean, do you require a deposit on some of those? Or how does that work?

Teresa Davis: Yeah, that's a good question. So those I do. And those are like thousands of dollars worth of orders in one time. So yes, I do, because that's costing me money upfront to be able to get those off harvest and then set them aside. Right? So you know, a few of those bigger companies are actually…I know I personally know the people that own them. And so like that kind of thing, I'm not concerned about that. But the other ones I certainly do. I say, "Okay, we're gonna do $250 bundles you ordered 32 of them. Here's your total and I'll invoice them. And say, I need this, you know…within the next, however, many days. "And then it's done. It's paid for, and I'm gonna secure them. I'll deliver them on this date, and we're it's a done deal, and I've never had an issue with that, and they actually pay in full ahead of time. And then we just agree on a date that I'll show up with a van full, and it's a lot of meat and if they if that were to fall through last minute, I'm I'm out that money, and that's that's a lot.

**Rebecca: **and once again I'm the opposite. I don't have. But the difference, I think, is is that I'm not working with big corporate companies. A lot of the businesses that are purchasing from me…We are in business with, you know. We have that business relationship. Somehow, in, you know, within the farm or within customers or something. So I feel like, I kinda have a like, almost a working relationship with them to where I don't necessarily worry about. Now, if it was somebody that I have no idea who it is, and they order thousands of dollars that probably would change my feeling on that but most companies that I worked with they have come personally and picked the items up, and then they just pay for it when they pick it up. And knock on wood…nobody's stuck me with anything yet.

Last Minute Orders

Sydney Hadacek: Okay, so the next question, we talked a lot about like people last minute. Do you still have turkeys? Do you still have prime rib? How do you deal with the last minute orders? Do you set inventory aside specifically for this or what do you do to deal with last minute orders?

Teresa Davis: Yeah, I don't. I don't set anything aside so like when it comes to turkeys, I'll I'll usually order or have the turkey farmer drop off maybe an extra 5, I think, is what I did last year. An extra 5 turkeys same thing with hams. I'll kind of pad my order a little bit with hams. Obviously prime rib - No, because those are those fly out the door really fast. So I really don't. You know. I try to keep…I try to really stay on my inventory through the holidays a lot more tight, admittedly, than I do the rest of the year. But that way I'm really again putting out there on social media, "Hey? We've only got 3 rib prime ribs left.." We've only got 10 hams left. And I really push that out there a lot for people, so I don't really pad a lot for last minute folks. To me it's once it's gone, it's gone. Yes, those extra last minute sales would be great, but I've been burned before, and having it on in stock, and then having to literally just give it away is a lot worse than not getting one or 2 last minute sales. So I look at it that way of you know I do as much. I mean, I just hustle as much as I can. September, October, November, half of December, and if I run out, that's great, because then I'm gonna go have dinner and a cocktail with my spare time. But yeah, I don't. I mean, honestly, I don't want anything left at the end of the year. I want to do a fresh start in January, and just and just have it be gone.

**Rebecca: **yeah, I generally like you said, order a couple of extra in plan, and maybe a couple, but not much, because I don't want to be stuck with it. You know I don't wanna sit on it. The other thing. And you mentioned this, Teresa, when we had talked a couple of days ago, is making substitutions for those last minute orders like, if you have somebody that wants a bundle, I think that's a great idea. You know, they might want, you know, a bundle of some sort, but you are missing, x, y and z to make that bundle. Those last minute shoppers will be just fine with you making a substitution in that bundle. So I think that's a great idea. **Because they're kind of in a bind, and you can make it work with what you have. **And so I think that's a great idea, in a way that you can maybe get rid of stuff that you still have instead of you know what's already gone. So I like that idea.

**Teresa Davis: And I think I will say that ChopLocal is great about that. And that's one thing that I really love about this about kind of just utilizing this platform is because I you can make changes like that last minute. Right? So, my holiday bundle, if I wanted to substitute a couple of things, because now, while I'm out of Porterhouse, I'm on a rib eyes. But, hey, I've still got t-bones and some New York strips left. I can go online and I can adjust some of those bundles and say, I can leave it at the same price point and I can go in there and say, You know, okay, delete these 2 steaks that are on here, and I'm gonna input, these and then advertise it again and say, "Hey, we've ran out a couple of things, but we've actually redone some of our holiday bundles, and this is what we have left." So that's a great point. And that's I think that's what's really cool about how ChopLocal will allows you to be flexible like that as your inventory kind of shifts, especially through the holiday season. **

Sydney Hadacek: Alright so that is kind of all the questions that we had prepared we do have a few in our question queue as well, so we'll hop into those next. If anybody else has any questions at this time, though, feel free to add those in the QA. And we'll kind of run through them the next few minutes before we run out of time here.

Attractive Packaging

So one of the questions we have is any tips for holiday meet bundles when they need to stay frozen for local pickup and delivery while still looking attractive to the consumer.

**Rebecca: **So what I do with mine is, I still just put them in a nice box. I think just the packaging is where you're at like I don't. I don't think it necessarily has to be foo foo on the inside. Just have a nice looking box on the outside with, you know, a stamp or logo or something so it's clean. And you could always, you can put like a little over something on it. I don't know that it necessarily has to because, yeah, you're right. That box is then gonna need to go into a freezer. So what you're packaging it with this kind of hard, and things get damp and it it doesn't then always look very pretty.

**Teresa: **Yeah, I would agree. And I don't. I don't know. People. Can people see me? Can they see my screen, this box that I have from you? And these are actually like super high quality, like really good cardboard. I've tested them. I've actually had them full of meat in a freezer for weeks at a time, and they've still been perfectly solid and stable. So that's what I use. And a lot of people love that, because then they literally just set it down in their freezer, and then they to your point. They tie a ribbon or do something kind of cute with it right hand it to the person, and then it can kind of go back in the freezer again, and then I just use that crinkle paper inside and I'd be happy to send out that link afterwards. But that's kind of a little bit more of a…It still looks good and looks pretty, but it's kind of a little bit more durable to to be able to store in a freezer refrigerator if they, if they need to do that. So I love these boxes. I've been using them for last couple of years, and people think they're great, and they work out really well.

**Rebecca: **and I think the I think the white boxes make it just look a little more classy, too, versus the cardboard color.

Teresa: Yeah. And then you can tie a pretty pink ribbon. I've had some people I have, like custom made charcuterie boards here in the store from a local guy, and I've had some people put like the charcuterie board on top of the bundle and of the box, and then like, wrap a bow around it and put a really nice card on the top. And that's literally the whole gift to somebody. And people think that that's pretty darn cool. So yeah, they can kind of make it cute in their own way.

Sydney Hadacek: I love the charcuterie board box idea. That's so. Fun.

Shelf Stable vs. Frozen Items

Sydney Hadacek: One of the other questions was, do you choose items that are shippable? Do you choose shelf staple items that can be frozen easily and thawed. Have you guys dealt with that a lot? Teresa: I haven't really. So I have some people that come in and they'll get like a meat bundle, and then they'll pick some things off the shelf like a honey, or rub, or something like that, to go along with it or hot sauce. I'll send that home with them in a separate bag, and then at holiday time, when they go to gift it, they'll put those items in that box and kind of make it a whole gift. But it's not freezer safe, obviously, to have you know the hot sauce, the glass and the things like that in there, so I'll kind of do it individually like that where I'll show that it might all be together as a bundle but when I send it home with that person or even ship it, I guess it's kind of separated so that they can then put it together, and kind of make it look nice at the last minute before they actually give it to somebody. So it's a little tricky, I think.

Rebecca: I make 2 different options, one that's shelf stable, and one that's not one that needs to be in the freezer or the cooler.

Sydney Hadacek: We have one last question here. Have either of you ever included wine with your bundles.

Rebecca: hmm. I can't legally sell wine. Yet. So no but same, I mean, I may have tried once, but…

Teresa: no, but I think honestly like, I think, to to the point earlier of like making sure that they know exactly what comes that bundle like the glass jar example, right? The glass jar didn't come in the actual bouquet, and you know they said something about it. But I would say, like, advertise that right? Like, show somebody how they can dress this bundle up and add other local items that they may purchase elsewhere to make this a really cool gift for somebody. So show how you can be just a part of that gift, but maybe not the entire gift itself. And I think that would be a really cool idea of showing, you know a thing of steaks in a 12 pack or a 6 pack of local IPAs, you know, from a local brewery, you know. "We don't carry this. But here's a really great idea of something to give to somebody, and you can go down the street and get it from this brewery and then bundle, and it's a done deal kind of thing." I think that's a great idea. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Just make sure you're clear on what actually comes in the bundle and what doesn't.

Final Thoughts on Marketing

Rebecca: The other thing that I was thinking of when I was thinking of coming on here, and I wanted to share this because I always get into this situation. As we talk about always selling out and stuff. And I don't know….Maybe this is just me and and Teresa doesn't have this issue, but, like I will generally sell not a ton of turkeys a year, but maybe 70-100, and** people have to see that post multiple, multiple times before I will sell out. **I will sell out and I'll be sold out weeks before Thanksgiving. But I've already shared it a couple of times, and I've had orders. *But it's not like they're gone today, the first time I share it. And I think historically, I used to get a little discouraged by that, and I think you just need to keep at it and keep sharing like you said, Teresa, because different people see it every time.* **And there's actually studies that in marketing, people have to see something up to 9 times before they'll actually pull the trigger and order that product. So you just have to keep in their newsfeed, you need to keep it in **the back of their mind. They might need to see it in an email and hear it on the radio. They might need to see it multiple different ways before they actually order. So don't be discouraged if you do holiday boxes or holiday baskets and they don't fly off the shelf the first time you post it is kind of where I'm going with that. Because I think people wait, a lot of times, until week or two before and then they think "Oh that was cute! Who has that?" And you will sell them. So don't get discouraged if you don't sell out in the first 24 hours after you post them.

**Teresa: **And I mean, ask some friends to share it on social media, too. Shoot a text out to a bunch of people and say, "Hey, I just posted something for the holidays. Do you guys mind going on my page and sharing it out there and kind of dispersing it? I agree. **I don't think you can share enough. Because somebody's gonna see it who didn't see it before and they're gonna need that reminder to get their order in. **100%