With over 28 years experience in the gift basket industry, I have observed many interesting trends. One of the most interesting is the sale of baby gift baskets throughout the year.
Although the average price spent on baby gift baskets fluctuates based on the economy, (in 2020 the average money spent on a baby gift basket was $50-100, in 2023 the average purchase increased to around $120-$140), one thing remains the same. There is a clear increase in purchases of Baby Gift Baskets during the early summer to early fall. Now the reasons for this could be many, but at Boodles of Baskets, we have come up with our own fun and interesting conclusions:
-in this age of go, go, go, perhaps baby deliveries are planned for this time of year, as everyone’s schedule seem to slow down more. In many industries, the summer months tend to be slower, (although garden shops, camping and boat shops would disagree!) Having a baby during these slower times decreases the burden on the employer and eliminates the stress and guilt on the employee who requires time off.
-having maternity leave during the summer months is preferable as you are able to do more with the baby. Who wants to bundle a colicky baby up for a walk in two feet of snow?! It is so much nicer to put on the sunglasses, grab a good book, walk your baby to sleep and find a nice shady tree under which you can sit, be it to read or to slumber along with your little cherub.
Our most tongue in cheek conclusion:
-it is just so cold during the winter that there is not a lot to do…so why not make a baby!
This is our favorite (and secretly our most believed) reason. I won’t go into details, but if you’ve ever experienced a Canadian winter, I’m sure you know what I mean!
Regardless of the REASON couples decide to have their babies birthed during the early summer to early fall season every year, we have learned to be prepared! Boodles of Baskets designs several new gift baskets every year in anticipation of the flood of orders that always comes. We have themed gift baskets for girl babies, boy babies and neutral (in case our customer is unsure of the baby’s sex). Our staff always looks forward to designing these sweet, frilly baskets that are filled with oh so soft items and smell of baby talc.
Now, how to get parents to have more babies…hmmm……I guess I’ll save that for another article!