What to export ? What sells well in international market ? How to select products for export ? These are questions uppermost in the mind of every budding exporter. Let us examine various options and a practical way of selecting a product basket.

There are products that sell more than others in international market and it’s not very difficult to find them from various market research tools.

However, such products will invariably have more sellers and consequently more competition and less margin. On the other hand – a niche product may have less competition and higher margin – but there will be far less buyers.

A Practical Approach in Product Selection:

Fact of the matter is – all products sell, though in varying degrees and there are positive as well as flip sides in whatever decision you take – popular or niche product.

So, instead of approaching the product selection process from demand side – it is far more practical to look at supply side. Ask yourself what can you supply. What are your strengths ? How close are you to supply sources. Once you take a stock of your capabilities – evaluate and prioritize available options.

Key Factors in Product Selection:

The product should be manufactured or sourced with consistent standard quality, comparable to your competitors. ISO or equivalent certification helps.

It should be available in sufficient quantity. If possible, avoid products which are monopoly of one or few suppliers. If you are the manufacturer – make sure sufficient capacity is available in-house or you have the wherewithal to outsource it at short notice. Timely supply is a key success factor in export business.

It is competitively priced. The price should not fluctuate often – threatening profitability of your export venture.

Regulatory aspect of export. Check Govt policy – if there is any restriction in its export. Here’s a good source for export import policy and hand book of procedure for indian exporters.

Status of various Govt incentives – such as duty drawback, tax incentives, DEPB etc.

Import regulation in overseas markets, specially tariff and non-tariff barriers.Though some major non-tariff barriers such as textile quota has been abolished – quite a few tariff and non-tariff barriers exist in European Union and other regions. If your product attracts higher duty in target country – demand obviously falls.

Registration/Special provision for your products in importing country. This is specially applicable for processed food and beverages, drugs and chemicals. For example – one needs FDA approval for exporting drugs and pharmaceuticals to North American market.

Seasonal vagaries of selected products. Some products sell in Summer, others in Winter. Some products may sell only during Christmas. Keep in mind seasonal aspect of your product, if there is any, and lead time required to reach target market.

After Sales Service. If exported product needs after-sales service, you should open service center beforehand or arrange distributor/agent who can provide servicing facility. It is not advisable to export a product that requires after sales service, in case you lack the technical and financial ability to provide it.

Packaging and labeling requirements. Keep in mind special requirements of perishable products like processed food

Mode of transport, logistics requirements. Special care is required for certain products which may be bulky or fragile or hazardous or perishable or of some such feature.

Source by Dr.Amit Kumar Chatterjee

The importance of corporate gift baskets cannot be underestimated because they have been effective in building the business relationship between the employees and the clients of the Company. The gift baskets represent a means of gifting items to express certain appreciation, gratitude, rewards or even compensation towards the other parties. This mutual benefit of maintaining a strong customer or supplier relationship has been recognized and well accepted by many bosses and managers in the course of their day-to-day management.

There are a great variety of corporate gift baskets that are available at a great bargain ranging from deluxe and palatable food and refreshment choices, pleasant office items as well as lavish items that may include engraved trophies or golf set in simple or differentiated wrappings. Either intended for the employees or clients of the Company, there are innovative ways of sending these gift baskets for their most-valued clients and two of these innovative gift baskets are baby corporate gift baskets and maternity corporate gift baskets.

The reason behind selecting a baby gift basket as the corporate gift is that it touches the heart of the parents who are overwhelmed by the birth of their new baby to this world. With irrepressible joy and happiness, the collection of baby gift items best complement not only the content of the feeling but it greatly enhances the appreciation of the parents for the meaningful gift and the blessing attached to it for their child.

When it comes to deciding for and sending of a baby basket corporate gift to your intended recipient of the Company or most-valued customers and suppliers, it is imperative that careful selection is made on the basis that it must convey congratulatory and welcoming message to the parents for the birth of the new soul. The consideration that a baby deserves the most delicate care and comfort can propel the choice among the huge arrays of baby gift baskets.

As with the theme of items marking and coordinating each gift basket, there are themes (commonly colour theme of blue and pink) that synchronise the baby gift items in the baby basket corporate gift. Hence, the choice can be made easy by selecting pink colour for baby girl and blue colour for the baby boy.

A special greeting card attached to the gift can help to reiterate the greatness of the new birth. If your budget allows, you may additionally send personal gifts such as dresses to the new mum.

Most baby gift baskets aim at coordinating and bundling together baby items of the highest quality and great comfort for the baby. The bundling may cover items such as baby oil and powders, cuddly towels, baby wipes and little toys, baby shower and shampoo and many other collections of basic necessities. There are also great gift baskets ideas that incorporate a whole range of delicate baby garments such as hats, dresses, socks in addition to other outing stuffs including diaper bag, feeding bottles, stroller and so forth. Other variation of baby gift baskets such as the toy baskets can be value adding for connecting the child with the parents through games of joy and enjoyment.

Baby basket corporate gifts have not been limited for gifting to new born babies and have moved away from this traditional view of gifting to a new era of gifting for different celebrations for little kids and children such as birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other occasions involving children. Therefore, baby corporate baskets have now innovated and created to suit all festive seasons and various celebrations.

Should you feel limited by the choices of the baby gift items offered by the local retailers and stores or would like to purchase something of uniqueness which is different to the locally available gift baskets, the online gift baskets merchants presents a wider choice and diversity of baby gift baskets. These gift baskets can be subject to customization and personalization and the provision of these value-adding services aim to maximize the senders experience so that the recipient is able to feel the message that is sending across to him or her through the gift baskets.

You can also be creative for your choices of gifts. In India, jewelleries are often treated as baby gifts. There is no harm if you would adopt this culture. However, you can go on to the extent of using gift certificates, gift cards and other means of sending gifts with preloaded value. These would provide much freedom n the parents to choose what they want for their daughter or son.

Age appropriateness consideration is deemed important during shopping for the right baby basket corporate gifts because of the different needs that may arise at different stage of the growing cycle of the babies. An infant may require more products fit for newborns while an older kid or child may be more responsive to fun games or toys that correspond to children of the particular age group.

Source by Thomas Bronson

Gift baskets are appropriate for any occasion. You can purchase gift baskets from various places, including online and in popular department stores, even grocery stores. When purchasing a gift basket, make sure the items are something that the recipient will enjoy and that it is theme appropriate for the type of gift. If you need a very generic gift basket, a basket of fruits is sufficient.

Gift baskets come in all shapes and sizes and have a terrific price range. You must decide what you’d like to give and on your own budget. Some gift baskets can be purchased that have different foods, cheeses and wine. Some gift baskets are full of soap samples. Many small town companies or organizations also offer gift baskets or gift boxes that you can order online, making for a very special holiday gift for a relative who may have moved out of state.

A fun variation to buying a gift basket is to assemble your own. This gives you the flexibility to put what you want into the basket. First you must purchase a basket. There is also a special basket bag you can buy at craft stores or local discount stores. What this product does, is gives you a finished touch after you are ready to wrap your basket. All you need is the bag, a hair dryer and some embellishments as ribbon to complete the look. You may also want to purchase filler such as tissue paper or other basket filler. Then decide what you are going to put in the gift basket. If you really know the recipient well, you can have an eclectic basket that is highly personalized. Shop for their favorite candies, candles, a DVD, cologne, book, the list could continue forever. You will know what to buy for the basket. Arrange them in a unique and inviting way. Place the basket into the shrink wrap bag and follow instructions. In just a few minutes you will have a professional looking gift basket that you have created on your own.

You can also create generic gift baskets for people as well. Sticking with common themes such as fruits (make sure you buy very fresh fruits that will last a few days without refrigeration such as apples, oranges, grapefruit) or an assortment of soaps, be sure to buy gender appropriate and buy soaps that are not widely distributed, or even a basket with a bottle of wine and a wine opener. You can turn a host/hostess gift into something very simple by just placing the gift in a basket. Have fun making and buying gift baskets. They are diverse and unique gifts to give for any occasion.

Source by Louisa

When we find out our friends or co-workers are hospitalized, the first idea that comes to our mind is often to send them a get well gift.  Indeed, wishing friends and loved ones to get well soon is one of the common gift occasion. A heartfelt gift can cheer up the patient, make them feel being loved, and facilitate healing of the body.  This article provides some ideas on get well gifts for different situations.

In selecting a get well gift, some of the considerations are: 
*  Is the illness mild or serious?  
*  If the patient is hospitalized, will the hospital stay be long or short? 
*  Does the patient have dietary restriction? 

For individuals with mild illness, such as the flu, you may want to make them feel better by sending a basket filled with Chinese green tea, fresh honey, wheat wafers and a Swiss cheese triangle, mints, and golden walnut caramel cookies. Alternatively, you can send a gift basket which brings all kinds of treats to beat the blues. The gift contains Gummi band aids, Get Well pills, fortune cookies, a ceramic mug, plus giant aspirin and popcorn that will amuse the recipients and cure what ails them. 

For individuals diagnosed with serious illness, you may want to send a gift basket with a book of inspirational and uplifting stories of personal triumph. Included in the basket is a calming aromatherapy candle, appetizing chocolate drizzled biscotti, fruit and nut mix, herbal green tea, cinnamon vanilla tea, caramel nut caramel corn, and buttery crackers. This gift basket is especially appealing to women.  For men, you can send a care package for someone going through rough time. The white gloss gift box is packed with green tea, Sunkist fruit gels, cookies, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, and word search puzzle book. The Hang in There plush monkey will sure to bring a smile, and the healthy treats will brighten his day.

For a humorous touch, you can send a health and happiness gift box filled with shortbread cookies, chicken noodle soup, gourmet coffee, cheddar popcorn, crossword puzzle book, herbal green tea, vanilla cinnamon caramel corn, stress ball, a “cranky” teddy bear, and shortbread cookie. They will know you care when they receive this thoughtful gift.

As mentioned previously, you need to find out how long the patient will be staying in the hospital before sending your gift. If you want to send the gift to the hospital, you have to be sure the recipient will not be discharged from the hospital already when the gift is delivered.  Otherwise, it may be better to send the gift to the home of the recipient. For illnesses that require long recuperating period (as in major surgery), you may want to bring some sunshine and send a gift box filled with playing cards, Gummy band aides, Smiley face stress ball, Jelly Belly assorted jelly beans, shortbread cookies, crunchy caramel corn, and a teddy bear with a Get Well Soon message on its tee shirt. There is no doubting how happy this thoughtful care package will make them when they receive it. You can also send a gift box filled with lemon shortbread cookies, lemon tea, jelly beans, and popcorn. The Gummi band aides, relaxable Stress Ball, and  the Get Well Soon if Not Sooner book will entertain and inspire until your friend or loved one is feeling better. For someone with strict dietary restriction, a nonfood gift may be appropriate. You can send a plush bear which delivers a heart warming voice message of goodwill and love to help your loved one to get better. The teddy bear will delight and inspire your loved one to feel better soon, and is appropriate for kids and adults.  Alternatively, you can send a candy bouquet. This gift consists of a keepsake reusable ceramic mug for individauals who may need some cheering up with something sweet. The bouquet comes with a Get Well Soon pick and includes individually wrapped hard and soft candies.  For individuals who cannot take in sugar, you can send sugar free candy bouquet.  Alternatively, you can send rose bouquet or a container garden which contains easy to grow seeds, nutrients, soil and a decorative leak-resistant bag that is used for its very own growing pot.  The recipient Just have to plant, water and grow it all in the same container.   In addition to gifts with get well theme, you can send other gifts that the patient enjoys, for example, a soup gift basket.  The basket is generously filled with old-Fashioned chicken noodle soup mix, water crackers, Mediterranean Style all natural baked pita chips which are perfect for spreading on the Cabernet Sauvignon wine cheese, and a small cheese knife. Added to this gift is also a box of California Orchards smoked almonds and Golden Walnut Fudge cookies, and some soothing gourmet green teas.  This is a “feel good all over” gift.

A movie gift basket can help the patient to pass the time.  One of such movie gift box is filled with Tootsie Rolls candies, Cracker Jacks, Twizzlers, Planters peanuts, Skittles, buttery movie popcorn, pretzels, and Movie Roll gift tin filled with assorted mini candy bars. You can give an evening of fun and great snacking when you send your movie-buff friend who is ailing this collection of movie theatre treats.  

For Nascar lovers, you can send a Nascar lovers gift basket to wish them a speedy recovery. The gift contains a history book of stock car racing will entertain your NASCAR fan, and the goodies will treat him as he reads.

In summary, sending gifts to friends and loved ones who are sick can cheer them up and help them to recover sooner.  Popular gifts include get well gift basket, gift box, candy bouquet, plush bear with voice message, fresh rose bouquet, soup gift basket.  Send these gifts to express your heart felt wishes, and they will appreciate your thoughfulness.

Kate S. is the CEO of Gift Basket for All, LLC, a leading online gift basket store. You can visit her site, http://www.giftbasketforall.com, for gourmet gift basket, and anniversary, new baby, birthday, corporate, get well, sympathy gifts.
For information of products related to this article, please click on Get Well Gifts  and sympathy Gifts  .

Source by Kate S

How often have you asked yourself if someone may be a diabetic when giving a gift basket? Such as your elderly parents or friend or even your employer? Be smart and give only diabetic gift baskets to those who need a sugar free diet.

I will teach you how to put together the most perfect get-well, diabetic-safe gift basket to give to your friend.

Now if you are doing it yourself you need first to put together a beautiful woven basket lined with decorative linens, and you need to know what snacks and items are safe to put into the diabetic gift basket. Snacks should be sugar free and have no sodium added. Organic tea like green tea is also one among the popular ingredients in these diabetic gift baskets.

Sometimes you can have other non-food items that are suitable for diabetics to use such as bath and body care products.

There are specialized stores and also drug stores that carry a lot of these attractive sugar free products. There they have tons of great diabetic snacks that you choose from and put into your diabetic gift basket .Some other great food items that are safe for diabetics to eat are; bags of plain popcorn, fruits, veggies, sugar free oatmeal, and sugar free cereals.

Whatever the occasion,whether it is Christmas, Valentine’s Day or just someone birthday, if you are giving a gift basket to someone elderly just paused and consider whether they might be diabetic or not. If so, then give them diabetic gift baskets instead of the normal sugar laden ones. Diabetic Gift Baskets Can also be given on any ocassion to diabetics.

Source by Ivy Smith

This is the most exciting idea for this year’s Christmas gifts for wine lovers.  Yats Wine Cellars came up with several interesting wine gift packages each with a different theme.  This is called the Connoisseur Series of Wine Gifts.

Each wine gift pack of the Connoisseur Series comprises five bottles which forms a sampling lineup.  Prices range from p7,000 to p20,000 and the wines are very unique and not available anywhere in Manila.  These gifts are not only good for personal gift-giving but also for corporate clients and VIPs who are wine lovers.

Here is an example of one such package and there are many options to choose from:

CONNOISSEUR’S VINTAGE WINE GIFT PACK

Php 18,500

A 5-bottle sampler comprising one wine from each of the five decades

From this decide

2006 Château Ludeman la Côte, Graves

Decade of the 90s

1996 Château Vieux Montaiguillon, Saint-Georges, St. Emilion

Decade of the 80s

1983 Château La Fleur Milon, Cru Bourgeois, Pauillac

Decade of the 70s

1978 Château du Courneau, Margaux

Decade of the 60s

1966 Château Jean Voisin, Grand Cru Classe, St. Emilion

Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation.  This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila.  Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.

Source by carla

During the long, hot days of summer, the last thing we think about is Christmas shopping.  After all, that’s a task we usually relegate to the month of December, right?  But the truth is, the job of shopping for Christmas gifts is something many people loathe.  Parking lots are crowded, malls are jam packed, and finding just the right gift for that special someone can take hours, or even days.  What if there was a way to get some of your Christmas gifts ready during the summertime and put them away in storage so they’ll be ready to go when the holiday season rolls around?  Before you grab your keys and jump in the car to go shopping now, stop and take a look around your own home and garden.  There may be some gift possibilities lurking right under your own nose that are homemade, thoughtful, and very inexpensive.

Many of us raise vegetable gardens in the summer, and we wind up with more fresh produce than we can possibly use.  Instead of letting it rot on the vine or giving it all away to neighbors, consider canning.  Many vegetables like fresh green beans and tomatoes can be canned and then given away as gifts at the holidays.  Fresh bell peppers can be made into relishes, and cucumbers can be pickled and canned.  Cans of fresh produce also make wonderful hostess’s gifts when you are invited to holiday parties.  Top off the jar with a colorful square of fabric and tie with a ribbon to make the gift really attractive and special.

If you enjoy cooking, consider using your fresh produce to make other items like homemade spaghetti sauce, fresh salsa, or pickle relish that can be canned.  For a really nice touch, put a couple jars of spaghetti sauce into a gift basket and then include some related items such as a pound of pasta and a loaf of fresh Italian bread.  Other nice touches might include an Italian cookbook, a bottle of good red wine or gourmet olive oil, and even some fresh parmesan cheese.  The idea of themed gift baskets based on your homemade canned goods can be expanded into other areas, too.  For example, if you’ve made some fresh salsa, include items in your gift basket like tortilla chips, margarita mix, and a bottle of good quality tequila.

Homemade gifts from the garden don’t have to be limited to only vegetables.  If you grow fruits such as blueberries, cherries, or raspberries, consider making homemade jams or pie fillings that can be canned for holiday gifts.  Nice additions to round out a gift basket with these items could include a new pie dish, or some homemade bread for toasting.  Fresh fruits can also be made into syrups that can be given as gifts along with some homemade pancake mix.  Furthermore, if you grow fresh herbs such as parsley or basil, consider making fresh pesto at the end of the summer and canning it into small jars to give as gifts.

Homemade Christmas gifts that have come from your garden make nice gift items for almost anyone.  After all, everyone enjoys good food, especially when it’s homegrown.  Even better, a gift like this is very thoughtful, and shows the recipient that you put some time and thought into what to give them.  So if you’ve got a garden that’s overflowing with fresh produce, take an afternoon and do some canning.  You’ll save yourself both time and money when December rolls around!

Source by Ellen Bell

As complicated as golf has been made to appear it is really only an eye to hand game that involves using a stick( golf club) a ball and your creative genius. Having learned from some of the greatest players that ever lived ie. Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret, Jackie Burke and numerous others I can tell you that they kept it simple.

The Ben Hogan that everyone reads about is nothing like the man that I knew growing up at Champions golf club in Houston, Texas. Mr. Hogan used to come there often to see his mentor Jimmy Demaret and get advice on his game. During a few of these trips I had the opportunity to get to know Mr. Hogan and ask him questions about how to play my best.

He made it clear that you had to play golf by feel utilizing your own ability to control the golf club in your hands while using your eyes to guide the hands both into the setup and throughout the swing. Mr. Hogan told me that trying to imitate him or any other golfer was not only a waste of time but would doom me to failure.

Through watching some of his practice sessions I can tell you Hogan  saw and felt every shot before he ever swung the club. I can also tell you that he said his book was only a description of what his golf swing looked like and not what he felt.

The only thing Mr. Hogan and the other players weren’t able to communicate clearly was how important a role the eyes played in peak performance. I could see that they used their eyes to map everything out but didn’t realize until later how anyone could be taught to use them to keep the mind organized and occupied.

By using the eyes to map out where the hands are going in relation to the target and by using them to calmly lead the hands both into the setup and through the swing or stroke your mind stays busy doing a productive job and your eyes aren’t wandering all over the place. To fully understand and appreciate how important it is to organize and map things out with the eyes try picking something up from a table or a desk while your eyes are wandering all over the room. That is exactly what happens to most golfers because they are trying to focus on the ball, where their backswing is how to get the club to impact and guide the golf ball to the target all in under two seconds.

In order to start using your eyes correctly let’s pick an area three to six inches ahead of the ball in relation to your target and have the eyes stay there in a soft focus until the hands start forward during the swing (no backswing thoughts allowed). Then let the eyes move slightly ahead of the hands until they come to a calm and relaxed finish. The players who can commit to this and practice improving it will see tremendous results. Start with putting and move your way up to full shots once you master the eye hand coordination in your putting.

Obviously this is not the only thing you must be good at to play your best but it is probably the most important one.

Source by eben dennis