Baskits, a leader in personalized gift baskets, is marking a major milestone this year—its 40th anniversary. Along with celebrating four decades of success, the company is embracing a bold new look, including a rebranding initiative and becoming a certified B Corp. Robin Kovitz, who acquired the business a decade ago, sees the company’s commitment to spreading joy and fostering connections as central to its long-standing success.
“We did a lot of soul searching and figured out what we really stand for and our mission is to spread joy and build connections, which is what we’ve been doing for 40 years. We also became a B Corp this year, which is really exciting. Our goal is to positively impact everyone the business touches—not just our customers, but also employees, suppliers, and everyone involved,” she said.
Despite the ongoing economic uncertainties, particularly in the retail sector, Baskits is thriving. The company is focused on expanding its footprint with an ambitious goal of doubling its business in the next three years. Kovitz attributes much of the growth to their dedicated team, constantly testing new ideas, and diversifying their market reach.
“We’re exposed to both B2C and B2B markets, and that has helped us weather the economic storm,” she explained.
“Things are great. We’re living in strange, unpredictable times, especially for retail. The situation to the south is destabilizing, and it’s hard for business owners to navigate the waters, but all in all, we’re doing really well. Can’t complain.”
Kovitz said much of the company’s growth is coming from direct exports to the U.S.
“Businesses like ours ship to the U.S. under a provision called “de minimis,” which allows us to bring in goods under $800 without paying taxes. The tariff situation puts that in question. If tariffs increase, our products would be more expensive, and we’d face a 25% tariff at the border for all our export sales. That’s significant, so we’re really hoping it doesn’t happen,” she said.
“A lot of my friends in retail manufacturing, particularly in textiles due to the Chinese import tariff, are really struggling. Companies like Roots or Sheertex in Canada, which manufacture abroad and ship to the U.S., are subject to those additional tariffs.”
Kovitz said the U.S. market is about 10 times the size of Canada. With a bit of marketing in select jurisdictions, “we can grow our sales by 10-20%. It’s a significant opportunity, but we’re also looking at the EU and other opportunities, realizing we can’t just rely on the U.S. for growth.”
She has noticed two things about consumers these days.
“Overall, there’s a decline in average order value and a general pullback, which signals economic softening. This is true across retail, particularly B2C. However, we’re seeing strong demand in B2B and growth there. Fortunately, we’re exposed to both markets,” she said.
Despite some macroeconomic challenges, Kovitz attributed the success of her business to have a great team – scrappy, hardworking, always testing new ideas and software.
“We try things, and when something doesn’t work, we move on to the next idea until we find something that does. I think part of it is luck too. We’re well-positioned, not exposed to one end market. We have customers across a broad range of industries. So if one sector is down, another might be up. Maybe it’s just dumb luck, who knows,” she said.
To celebrate its 40th year, Baskits has updated its branding and logo, introducing a heart symbol on top of the “i” in the logo.
“We launched a “design your own gift” feature on our website, which is a cool, interactive tool that’s getting better with new features. We also launched gift cards, so customers can send a gift without knowing what the recipient wants. We introduced “send to email,” where you can send a gift to someone without knowing their shipping address. Just use their email address!
“Additionally, we invested in equipment to offer more personalized gifts. We now offer customized gifts like aprons with names or corporate logos, which is a big focus for us this year.”
