Here’s how inspiration from Metal Art led to the making of creative Gift Boxes
Meet Rushi who is not only a valuable member of our SnackMagic family but also a reliable partner, Pamiru Curios, creating some of our most unique and exciting gift boxes in the UK using his many talents and passions for inspiration! This is his story as told by him…
I’m often asked how I come up with the ideas for Pamiru’s gift boxes. The short answer is, I look for things I like! That is, in theory, the driving force behind my curation approach. However, if I followed this mantra blindly, I would only really be building a store for myself! Instead, I ask myself why I like the things I like, and what part of that is universal to the human experience. If what I see in the world around me confirms the hypothesis, I move forward and build it out to create a new theme.
The best way for me to illustrate this would be through an example: The Metal Earth box
I like working with metal. In my spare time, I ‘sculpt’ various trees and plants in metal. The nature of this work is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and requires a certain amount of space and equipment. In January 2021, I had the opportunity to start a side hustle, and that ‘spare time’ disappeared entirely; but the desire to mold, craft, or make something remained strong. So how do I scratch this itch? Step in, Metal Earth.
Metal Earth kits are essentially a (metal) Origami model, with all the instructions, tools, and pre-prepared material you need to make a beautiful desktop ornament. You would be surprised at the variety and volume of things that can be made from a few flat sheets of shiny aluminum! – All of the fun, with no mess, and take only a fraction of the time to complete. Winner! It also occurred to me that during the lockdown, there must be many others out there unable to indulge in their favorite hobbies, spending more time at a desk, and less time developing their other skill sets. I can now see the potential for this as a theme. Combine this thought with the observed rise in popularity of ‘adult’ versions of the things we once enjoyed as children. Adult board games, card games, coloring books, and Lego sets are now commonplace.
So now I have the idea, the product, and the theory. Time to test the waters. The box goes live on SnackMagic, possibly the first non-snack item on the menu. Tensions are high, sleepless nights begin. Will this work? Will people be confused? Will someone try to eat it? I check our order system obsessively, waiting to see if someone, anyone, order my new theme. Thankfully, in less than 24- hours the orders started coming through. Soon enough, there were enough orders to start looking for patterns in the data. What emerged from this data was that some recipients simply don’t want snacks. Be it diet, religion, or just personal preference, the only available non-food boxes on the menu were getting repeat orders from the same individuals.
This is great news and validates the experiment, but it also brings a new danger: with a ‘random’ kit being placed in each box, how can I ensure no one is disappointed with a duplicate kit when choosing this theme more than once? To maximize client satisfaction, and minimize the risk of complaints, I began to record all orders for that theme and cross-referencing any new incoming orders with that list, ensuring recipients were sent a different kit to their previous order. With help from the SM team, we took this a step further and allowed for recipients to make a choice: Would they like an included tool kit, or instead have an extra metal-earth kit added to the box? We also provided the option for recipients to note which kits they would prefer to receive (if possible), ensuring any repeat orders can request a different kit without the need to track every customer’s order.
There are plenty of reasons that people make the choices they do, and these may be completely unrelated to the thought process that inspired me to list the box in the first place. Luckily both the velocity and customer feedback for the Metal Earth boxes qualify the box for listing on the SnackMagic menu. I’m happy and grateful to be able to share a little of what brings me joy with others in the UK, thanks to the SnackMagic platform!
There are plenty of reasons that people make the choices they do, and these may be completely unrelated to the thought process that inspired me to list the box in the first place. Luckily both the velocity and customer feedback for the Metal Earth boxes qualify the box for listing on the menu.
I’m happy and grateful to be able to share a little of what brings me joy with others in the UK, thanks to the SnackMagic platform. You can check out my creations here.
If the story sounds interesting and you are keen to explore the world of being a SnackMagic Ambassador in your own country, please fill out your application here. The only criteria being the below:
Do you love snacks & gifting?
Are you passionate about curating gifts?
Are you looking for extra income while doing what you love?
