4 Ideas for Gifting Presents That Support Small Businesses

19 September 2024

Supporting small businesses means you’re not just buying a product — you’re investing in the dreams and livelihoods of local artisans and entrepreneurs.

Small business owners use the money for a plethora of spending. Very few of them are luxury. This is to make mortgage payments and improve their business all the while supporting their inevitable household expenses.

Therefore, by supporting small businesses, and gifting presents with their help, we enable them to keep pouring love into what they do best.

Today’s world is full of mass-produced everything.

So, it’s wonderful to know that there are still people out there who are carefully crafting.

Pouring their passion and care into every item they sell. When you shop at a small business, chances are good that the items it offers come with a story.

A story about the maker or designer who creates it. About the sources of raw materials or about the community from which it hails.

Whatever that story may be, when you give a gift from a small business, you’re giving something special. Something infused with quality, care, and dedication to craft and often an element of tradition as well.

Not sure where to start? Fret not! We’ve got plenty of ideas for everyone on your shopping list:

1. Handmade Goods

You can’t go wrong with gifting presents made by hand.

Yes, your mum would appreciate a one-of-a-kind vase more than any jewelry. Your significant other might enjoy a cozy new knitted sweater this winter.

Did you know artisans rarely get paid enough for all their years of practice? Even after producing one masterpiece after another. Not to mention the carefully honed skills poured into each creation?

In contrast with fast-fashion factory-produced goods (which often have hefty invisible environmental costs), handmade products are ethical.

One produces them with limited quantities on demand using sustainable materials.

Think ceramics made by local potters using clay dug meters away. Again, this also produces limited waste compared to mugs created overseas by coal-powered machines.

Gift handmade, and your recipient is more likely to end up with a fabulous heirloom-quality object to cherish.

So, alongside a great gift, you are also giving something back to the environment.

2. Customized Gifts

Customized gifts are a perfect way to show someone that you’ve put extra thought into their present. Plus, small businesses excel in offering these bespoke services.

Whether personalized jewelry, monogram items, or custom art pieces, these gifts are tailored to the recipient’s tastes and preferences.

Thus making them truly one-of-a-kind. Small businesses often work closely with their customers to create something special, adding names, initials, or even meaningful quotes to the items.

If you were creating a customize get well care package, for example, you can personalize the gift to include the recipient’s favorite comfort items, such as a cozy blanket with their initials or a custom tea blend.

If you’re choosing foods to include, small businesses often offer the flexibility to accommodate dietary preferences. So, make sure to select vegan dishes for vegans or gluten-free options for those with dietary restrictions.

Many small businesses allow you to mix and match items to create the perfect care package, ensuring that each item resonates with the recipient’s needs and preferences.

3. Locally Sourced Products

Locally sourced products are a fantastic way to give gifts that are both thoughtful and environmentally conscious. By choosing items such as gourmet food baskets, artisanal cheeses, or locally roasted coffee, you’re providing high-quality products while supporting the local economy.

Small businesses that focus on locally sourced goods often prioritize sustainability, using ingredients and materials produced nearby, which reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation.

Locally sourced products tend to be fresher and of higher quality, too, as they don’t have to travel long distances before reaching you. Beyond sustainability, locally sourced items carry with them a piece of the community they come from, offering a story that adds depth and meaning to your gift.

When you buy locally roasted coffee or artisanal cheese, you’re tapping into what makes that region unique, whether it’s the rich soil that grows the coffee beans or the traditional techniques passed down through generations to craft the cheese. It’s a way to share a taste of the place and learn about the history and culture behind the product.

4. Experiential Gifts

Experiential gifting presents offer a unique and memorable alternative to traditional presents. It focuses on creating lasting experiences rather than just physical items.

Tickets to local events, workshops, or cooking classes are excellent examples of experiential gifts that support local artists, chefs, and instructors. These gifts provide an opportunity to engage with the local community and its vibrant cultural scene.

Attending a local event or participating in a workshop can be a great way to support talented individuals and small businesses.

This helps foster creativity and contributes to the vitality of the area. So, if you give tickets, consider buying some for yourself too.

Whether it’s learning a new skill, exploring local culture, or enjoying a special event, attending these events is a meaningful way to support local talent.

Making a Difference with Your Purchases

Making a difference with your purchases extends far beyond the simple act of gifting presents. Supporting small businesses helps sustain the dreams and livelihoods of local entrepreneurs and strengthens the community as a whole.

Each purchase contributes to a vibrant local economy, fosters creativity, and promotes sustainability. When you choose to buy from small businesses, you’re making a positive impact that resonates throughout the community.

As you plan your next gift-giving occasion, consider thinking small and making every purchase count. Your choices support and celebrate the unique offerings of small businesses.

If you’re still unsure of what to choose, a gift card to a local boutique, bookstore, or café is always a thoughtful and flexible option. It encourages recipients to explore and support their local community. Therefore, ensuring that your gift continues to make a difference long after it’s been given.

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Deepanwita Dey

Deepanwita is a seasoned practitioner of ‘jumping the ship’. She started out her journey with literature and now holds a double graduation degree, one of which is in psychology. As a result, she is now using this skill to help confused job seekers to pick a direction. Given her academic background, her writing is laden with analytical analogies and deep research. As one of Content Rally’s most regular contributors, readers can find a sense of confidence in her writing.

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What Do Employers Look For In A Background Check?

Background checks have a significant impact on the job search process. These checks are used by employers to establish a secure and reliable work environment rather than to spy. It's not a spy; it's a shield. This piece delves further into the what, why, and how of these checks, elucidating their place in recruiting. Think of it as the employer's safety goggles, ensuring they hire people ready to learn. Here, the goal is to shed light on the procedure rather than to lower morale. Now, let's take a leisurely stroll through the realm of background checks, revealing the meticulous procedures that companies apply to cultivate a workplace based on dependability and trust. Legal Considerations Employers negotiate a legal minefield regarding background checks to guarantee a complete and equitable screening procedure. Complying with federal and state standards and comprehending the legal structure guiding background checks are crucial factors. Accès Identité, specializing in background checks, investigations, and pardon petitions, is a significant player in this scene. They have an exclusive license from the RCMP to transmit fingerprints, demonstrating their reputation for excellence. This Private Investigative Security Bureau-licensed organization upholds the highest standards of operation. It places a great value on confidentiality while catering to a wide range of consumers. Basic Personal Data Basic personal data is the next item on the list. They are verifying that you are who you claim to be. This is when your Social Security Number (SSN), which functions as your professional ID, comes into play. In addition, they verify your name, address, and contact method. Easy enough, huh? It resembles a handshake of trust. Nothing to hide; just checking to make sure everything lines up. So, don't worry when that background check shows up; it's just a pleasant conversation to ensure you and your information agree. Criminal History Reviewing a person's criminal background is the next item on the schedule. Companies try to find any prior convictions that could hurt the company's harmony. Felons and misdemeanors are examined carefully since the seriousness of the offense can affect the assessment procedure. Painting a clear image and comprehending a person's past context are key. Work Experience As one proceeds through the checklist, employment history comes in first. Employers go above and beyond simply confirming the information on a well-formatted resume; they also take the time to confirm that a candidate's employment history and dates are accurate. The past talks loudly, and reaching out to former employers is like opening a time capsule—you can see performance reviews and references that have the power to influence the hiring decision. Educational Background The educational background is the next place this research voyage will stop. Companies work hard to verify that the academic honors proudly displayed on a resume are real. Was that degree truly earned by the candidate? Did they go to the schools they said they did? Seeking the facts to ensure the educational foundations are as strong as they appear. Credit Record Evaluating a person's credit history is an unexpected but crucial aspect of the background investigation. Employers use credit checks to determine financial responsibility outside money and cents. It is considered how this relates to the employment position, keeping in mind that financial reliability can be crucial in some professional settings. Social Media Screening Social media is becoming a digital stage for examination in the age of digital footprints. Companies search publicly accessible data for insights that cut through the formality. However, this isn't unrestricted; moral issues and legal constraints raise questions about the extent of this social media exploration. Professional Licensing Official endorsements are frequently necessary for professional excellence, and employers confirm the legitimacy of professional licenses pertinent to the position. It goes beyond a person's formal credentials to ensure they meet industry norms and the legal requirements for their line of work. Verification of References Like ghosts of the past, references tell a story written by people who have collaborated closely with the candidate. Employers contact these references to have comprehensive knowledge. However, here is where a nuanced dance between professionalism and secrecy occurs when character traits and work habits are revealed. Conclusion Employers set out on this complex path to make educated decisions rather than to act as detectives. In summary, they seek a balanced online presence on social media, legitimate professional recommendations, truthful character references, honesty in job and school claims, and an accurate criminal background. They are also looking for fiscal discipline in credit histories. A comprehensive and impartial evaluation procedure is more important than simple dissection in this complex inspection dance. Employers maneuver through this environment, knowing that every jigsaw piece adds to an individual's professional identity. Finding the ideal fit for an elaborate workplace mosaic is more important than looking for defects. So, it's more than just putting up a polished front when people go on their career search journey. It's about accepting honesty, appreciating the layers, and realizing there's a tale waiting to be revealed behind each application checkmark. Read Also: Commonly Misunderstood Facts About The Employee Retention Tax Credit Only the Best for Your Business: Check These Hiring Strategies What Are the Ways to Prepare a New Employee?

Business

Brand Ambassador Application – How to Find a Brand Ambassador

Having a brand ambassador who will represent your brand and company goes a long way in increasing sales and goodwill among the people. They are able to win the hearts of people due to their influence and the trust which has been placed in them. Knowing that you need an ambassador is one thing, finding one is another matter on its own. With the competitive nature of the industry, many companies require these influencers. Hence, you must employ certain methods to find these talented individuals. In this article, we will discuss one of the main ways to find a corporate ambassador. And to ensure that you exhaust every means available, we will also discuss 5 other ways to find these influencers. 1. Brand Ambassador Application Form: This is a major method that firms employ when seeking a representative. Your company’s brand ambassador program can be promoted using this method. All you need to do is publish the brand ambassador application and wait for interested ambassadors to contact you. The application form or the form’s link can be sent via targeted emails, pages on your organization’s website, post-sales messaging, etc. The ambassador application form should contain questions that query the potential influencers why they purchased your product or patronized your service and the reasons they adore your products. Furthermore, ask them if they would like to share those products consistently with their network. From the answers you get, you ought to be able to determine if the customer is fit to be your company’s representative. An interesting thing about this method of finding ambassadors is that only truly interested people will fill the form. Include a website application once you are done with your section to further streamline the top candidates. Tip: An NPS survey can be used to ask the kinds of questions contained in your application form. 2. Informal Application: This is informal in the sense that it doesn’t carry an official format. It is more or less like a referral platform that invites almost everyone to be brand representatives. Customers who join do so using a basic form published on the company’s website. After signing up, a link or code is sent to them. This code can then be shared with their network. When anyone employs the link to buy a product, the ambassador will receive an incentive. While this is informal, there is still a need for you to contact your customers personally to inform them of the ambassador program. An informal application can be sent to every customer so that they can join. Then, the top customers or those that do well in the informal program can be invited to join the formal program. The only difference is that the formal ambassadors should receive more incentives than those who belong to the informal program. 3. Search on Social Media: This is the simplest way to find influencers; however, it requires your time investment. Start with individuals that have posted about your company or brand if you know any. If you don’t know anyone like that, then you need to go through the process of searching. Run a search using your brand name or hashtags. But bear in mind that not everyone who makes use of your hashtag is suitable to be your brand influencer. Visit https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-hashtags/ to learn how to use hashtags. 4. Use Software Programs: There are some software programs you can use to help you get the best brand ambassador. This is advantageous as it saves you precious time and stress from manual searching. These programs reveal individuals that are mentioning your brand and company. They can also filter through these mentions to make the process easier. Once you find a potential ambassador, some software programs can aid you in reaching out to them. 5. Use Customer Data: This is dependent on whether you have collated customer data over time. So, you can sieve through your previous data to find out who has been loyal to your brand. You must select only loyal customers as they would be eager to promote your brand since they’ve used your products. Click here to learn more about customer data. 6. Ambassador Marketing Platforms: Since the number of influencers has been rising, many of these individuals have created platforms where they can interact and also be easily reached by brands. So, you can make use of such platforms and just go through the list of influencers there and make your pick. You can use filters to streamline your choice of what you are looking for. Conclusion: After you get your ambassadors, establish a rapport with them. Then make sure you follow their social media accounts and like and comment on their posts. You can also share their posts that will be impactful to your followers. Which of these methods will you employ? Or have you employed any of them in the past? Feel free to let us know… Read Also: How to Market a Small Business in a Big City Influencer Marketing Tool to Move from Local to Global Market 5 Steps to Building an Influencer Marketing Campaign

How Do Iot Devices Improve Warehouse Management?

Sales growth in e-commerce is good. But as the business expands, it becomes increasingly difficult for warehouse managers to track large volumes of goods. Products can get lost, deteriorate or, conversely, take up extra space. In order to restore order and have time to respond to customer requests on demand, warehouses turn to IoT devices. Let's look at how the Internet of Things simplifies inventory control and revolutionizes warehouse management. Inventory management means coordinating and controlling the movement of goods in a warehouse: getting new products; their movements around the warehouse; storage of products; return of units; SKU extension; checking the rack code and so on. It is often impossible to fit such volumes of information into spreadsheets, besides it is not very convenient. Therefore, enterprises buy IoT solutions for warehouse management in order to work efficiently. IoT solutions for enterprises IoT devices automate warehouse processes and reduce labor costs. This can be done by implementing the following technologies: Drones It is not easy to move around a large warehouse to describe the location of goods and climb the stairs to high shelves. In addition, it takes a lot of time to search. Amazon has long had an army of 200,000 robots working in warehouses with humans for better drone management delivery systems. They saved people from having to walk 10-20 miles a day on a concrete floor and helped the company store 40% more inventory. They also increased the average productivity of the assembler to 100 units per day, and managers plan to increase these figures by 3-4 times. Robots Industry and warehouses are priority places where global robotization is unfolding. According to recent reports, the warehouse robotics market is steadily growing by 15.26% per year and will reach $9.5 million by 2026. Amazon has long had an army of 200,000 robots working in warehouses with humans. They saved people from having to walk 10-20 miles a day on a concrete floor and helped the company store 40% more inventory. They also increased the average productivity of the assembler to 100 units per day, and managers plan to increase these figures by 3-4 times. Radio frequency identification tags Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags can be embedded in IoT devices. These tags store much more data than traditional barcodes. They can be used to scan up to 200 tags at a time. The received inventory information is stored in the cloud platform, automatically processed, and analyzed. The expiration date, serial numbers, sizes, manufacturers, and other product information do not need to be entered manually on the panel. Voice selection systems Warehouse workers can use IoT devices to increase the efficiency of operations. For example, voice systems allow you to work without the help of hands, giving instructions and directing workers through their list of orders. Sensors Connected devices are able to track the productivity of warehouse workers using speed, motion, and GPS sensors. Managers also better control the goods in the warehouse by measuring humidity, temperature, and other characteristics that can spoil the products. DHL has implemented similar innovations in its warehouses. The company uses smart glasses, robots, drones, a digital twin, and other technologies. The IoT increases warehouse security, tracks the location of goods, and predicts weather changes and possible equipment failures or breakdowns. Up to the point that the warehousing of goods begins 30 minutes after receipt, and outgoing goods are ready for shipment in 95 minutes. Problems that IoT solves The main problem of warehouse management is manual work. Working with their hands, employees perform operations more slowly, with a higher probability of errors and damage to inventory. IoT solutions for enterprises simplify the following management and work tasks: Product search Imagine that the manager has a warehouse of several floors at his/her disposal. How to track where a particular product is located? Or how to avoid a situation when an employee wants to pick up a product from the right place, but it is not there? You will have to spend time correcting errors and searching for the goods, which will delay the shipment. To avoid such problems, it is worth using IoT and the best warehouse management system, which automates registration and data tracking. Movement of goods Any movement of the goods must be recorded by the manager. At the same time, he/she needs to know how many units are arriving and how many are leaving. It's hard to keep track of the exact numbers, but with IoT solutions for business, it becomes easier. Thus, reporting will not be such a difficult task. In addition, connected device analytics will tell you which products will increase demand in the near future. Use of storage areas In the warehouse business, it is important not only to accept goods but also to place them efficiently. Then it will be convenient for employees to pick up goods from the shelves, and they will do their job without delay. If you configure the storage system manually, you can repeatedly make mistakes and redo the layout. With IoT, this is done quickly and with minimal effort. Warehouse equipment maintenance Any equipment breakdown can lead to downtime, which distributors do not like. IoT devices for enterprises are able to monitor the status of equipment and warn about possible failures. Thus, managers will be able to prepare spare equipment in advance, avoid downtime, save money, and preserve their reputation. Storage of goods It is extremely important that during the storage period in the warehouse and during its delivery to consumers, the goods do not deteriorate. According to the latest data, about 11% of products die during transportation due to the fact that managers did not provide proper conditions for their storage. It is necessary to maintain the desired temperature and humidity so that the product can be brought to the endpoint and sold. IoT devices are able to control environmental parameters, saving goods from deterioration. Advantages of using IoT And now let's take a deeper look at the advantages of the Internet of Things, supporting them with figures. Saving on salaries An average warehouse with a hundred employees can allocate about $3.7 million a year for wages. This amount is approximately 65% of the operating budget. With the help of the IoT, employees sort goods on shelves faster, in addition, they search for goods, check equipment and perform other tasks more efficiently. Automation brings great money savings. Better use of the warehouse The average warehouse area is 16,400 feet. This is a huge space where you need to conveniently and appropriately arrange products. However, overloading and improper distribution of goods can lead to traffic jams and delays on the roads. You have to move inventory or take it out, which takes time and labor. With the help of the IoT, you can place more goods in the same area, so that it is convenient to find empty seats and later fill them with new goods. Automated storage and search systems are able to increase the accuracy of orders by up to 99%. Taking into account the fact that rents are growing and will not stop growing in the future, rational use of space is a matter of saving and making a profit. Information support The number of goods is growing, and slow goods are taking the place of strategically important products. Less relevant products stay in stock longer and require placement, which increases the rental cost. Not all warehouses have an adequate information support system. In other words, managers have no idea what the supply and demand in the market are. IoT analytics provides information about the state of the market so that managers can rationally manage purchases and plan other operations based on inventory. IoT devices for enterprises give managers the opportunity to cover large warehouse work, put it in order, automate, and speed up. Andersen will help implement the warehouse management system software and automate important operations. If you are ready to save time and resources with the help of new digital technologies, contact our team for a private consultation. Read Also: Best Essential Tips While Renting a Warehouse in Mumbai Tips For Protecting Your Overseas Shipments What Are 10 Manufacturing Industries?