Wrapping things up

For catalogers catering to gift givers, offering gift-wrapping services can be a point of differentiation that wins them the sale from the competition. A search through 30 random consumer catalogs showed that two-thirds offered gift-wrap or gift boxes. Of course, that means one-third didn’t. So while gadgets and gifts cataloger/retailer Hammacher Schlemmer offered gift packaging for an additional $4.95, rival Brookstone didn’t offer gift-wrapping at all. Toys cataloger Learning Resources did not gift-wrap, but two other toys merchants, Sensational Beginnings and Toys to Grow On, did, for an additional $3.95 a gift. Sensational Beginnings went one further: To encourage online orders, it threw in gift-wrapping free of charge for Web orders.