Holiday Packaging Tips
A well-planned packing strategy for the holiday season helps your brand stand out and offers customers the convenience of packaging that comes in a gift-like parcel. Packaging materials reflect your brand, so picking high-quality materials that align with your corporate identity is essential.
Using special packaging during the holidays is a way to show clients you put as much care into your packaging and design as you put into the product you're selling. Holiday-themed designs also encourage users to post their packages on social media, giving your business more exposure during the busy season.
From design to practical elements and cost-effective solutions, there are several factors to consider when you plan your holiday packaging design this year.
Planning Your Holiday Packaging
According to one report, 88% of businesses expect holiday sales to make up to 40% of their annual sales, so this is a great opportunity to make the most of your holiday packaging and give your customers an extra sense of wonder. Avoid last-minute rushes and any potential supply chain disruptions by planning your holiday packaging well in advance.
- Establish a budget: Having a budget for your holiday packaging will guide your choices when it comes to design and quantity later on.
- Plan ahead: Order your packaging in advance to account for higher demand, production and any unforeseen circumstances that could delay the process.
- Personalization and branding: Plan to add a personal touch to your holiday packaging with customized branding and a fun holiday note inside.
Creative Packaging Ideas
Understanding your client base and their preferences regarding holiday packaging is essential. Data can help identify packaging that did well in previous years, including design motifs and color schemes. Consider adding a special touch to your packaging with customized branding or a special holiday message to leave a lasting impression.
- Seasonal colors: Popular holiday hues include green, red and silver, but you can also stick to your corporate colors and opt for seasonal elements to bring out the festivities.
- Holiday aesthetic: Minimalist packaging can help you break away from a cluttered look to feature more minor elements like trees, candy canes, stars and bells alongside your corporate branding.
- Shimmering metallics: One way to create eye-catching packaging is to incorporate metallics or sparkles into packaging designs.
- Paper art: Analog hobbies are a great addition to holiday packaging and can be added as images on cards or gift wrapping.
- Retro themes: If your brand is bold and colorful, lean into some bright retro-themed designs for a modern and classic twist on traditional holiday designs.
Choosing the Right Packaging Materials
Quality materials can help elevate your brand around the festive season while allowing more room for creativity. Though you want to stand out with creativity, focus your packaging efforts on functionality above all else.
Using functional packaging adds to the overall buying experience, helps your brand stand out and offers apt protection for your products during shipping. The choice of packaging materials should align with the nature of your products.
- Polymailers: These are an excellent choice for non-fragile and lightweight items, offering a cost-effective, space-efficient solution that is easy to brand.
- Boxes: Ideal for heavier or bulky items, boxes provide decent protection, especially in combination with void fill packaging.
Packaging Safety and Durability
Filler materials, often used in boxes for shipping, add protection for items you package while allowing you to create a fun unboxing experience for your clients. Some of the more versatile and cost-effective products include:
- Bubble wrap: This material offers excellent cushioning for fragile items and is available in large 1/2-inch bubbles or small 3/16-inch bubbles for surface protection and interleaving.
- Kraft paper: This is a natural brown paper that is sustainable and recyclable, offering cushioning when crumpled up.
- Air pillows: These are individual, sealed-off pouches of air that fill empty spaces to prevent items from shifting during transit.
- Packing peanuts: Although these are used less nowadays, packing peanuts are easy to dispense, providing cushioning and filling voids to stabilize products.
Branding and Personalization
As your business prepares for the festive season, you want to keep your focus on creating a lasting impression with clients. One stand-out packaging tip is to reinforce your corporate identity, company values and product quality, which can leave clients with a memorable and positive brand experience. Personalization also sets you apart in the competitive market, showing clients that your organization invests effort and thought into creating this brand experience to enhance value.
You can use branding and personalization in the following ways to make your clients feel special when they receive their purchases:
- Special offers: The holiday season is a great opportunity to go the extra mile for your clients. Enhance your packaging by including special offers like a discount code or a new product sample to show your thanks for their support.
- Background information: Add a personal touch by adding a postcard with your brand or the product's background story to leave a meaningful impression on your clients.
- A personalized note: Thank-you notes can go a long way with clients. Consider adding a customized message with each order or give the client the option to personalize a message if they are purchasing a gift for someone.
Cost-Effective Packaging Solutions
Adding customized branding and other special touches over the holiday season can ramp up packaging costs. However, there are options you can consider to help reduce shipping costs:
- Bulk buying: Planning ahead helps you identify how much packaging and materials you'll need so your organization can bulk purchase boxes, wrapping materials, labels and more. This will reduce per-unit costs and eliminate the hassle of last-minute restocking.
- Lightweight packaging: Lightweight materials, like corrugated boards or polymailers, provide reliable protection without adding bulk, which keeps your shipping costs low. These options often have eco-friendly variations, which is always a plus.
Packaging and Shipping With Compack USA
Delight, entertain and excite your customers when sending out holiday packages this year. Incorporating a personal, festive touch into your holiday packaging is a strategic decision that can lead to better customer loyalty, increased word-of-mouth recommendations and boosted brand recognition.
Compack USA can help. As your go-to packaging partner, we are ready to help you reduce costs without sacrificing the quality of your packaging materials. Contact us today for a free quote on our tapes, protective packaging and tools or to learn more about how we can help you meet your packaging and shipping needs.
