It’s here! The holiday season! We’re well underway for the holidays, but something companies don’t seriously think about (until it’s too late) is custom packaging for the season.
It’s something that can easily be overlooked, but makes a big difference for customers! Seasonal packaging is a great way to create a buzz in your market, whether you’re an e-commerce business, physical store, or a combination of both! Standing out matters, so we have a list of some things to consider when creating your packaging.
TIMING MATTERS
Simple enough, right? Wrong.
Extra time should be given when ordering holiday packaging as it will conflict with peak shipping times. In order to avoid the stress of last minute packaging woes, create a schedule with the following:
- Quotation period: 1 week
- Design (if applicable): 1-2 weeks
- Sample Approval (if applicable): 1-2 weeks
- Production and shipping: 8-10 weeks
- Unforeseen circumstances: tack on 1 extra week
- GRAND TOTAL: 12-16 weeks?!
It sounds like a long time, but overestimating is always better than ending up in a bind. You also need to ask yourself when you want your holiday season to start; some people begin in October while others wait until December 1st. It’s all relative, but make sure you know what your ultimate deadline will be in advance.
Unfortunately, some factors are simply out of anyone’s control, but that’s why planning is so important. By planning ahead, you’ll be ready for shipping delays, weather mishaps and so on.
We actually advise our clients to start their holiday packaging planning in July in order to ensure their is 100% satisfaction before the season starts.
Designing Your Holiday Packaging
Okay, so you’ve set up your timeline – now what?
There are many variables when it comes to the actual look of your box, bag, tin or whatever packaging you plan on using. Colours, patterns, images – these are all things that have an impact on your customer’s experience.
Colours and patterns will help define your brand’s style, so determine what you want that to be first. People tend to gravitate towards red and green for the holidays, but think outside the box [or bag] so that you can stand out among other companies!
Creative alternatives are black and gold, navy and peach, and green and beige. The good news is that LeKAC prints digitally so you’re able to choose from any colour(s) you want! For extra attention, incorporate gold and silver foil for festivity.
The main goal is to elicit a cheerful feeling from your customers, so utilise holiday-related patterns and images such as snow, leaves, trees, and so on. Don’t forget to include festive icons to spice things up! Think of string lights, candy canes, mistletoe, candles – anything that reminds you of this time of year.
Similar oR Different?
We’ve established that the design most likely isn’t going to look similar to your year-round packaging. But what about the shape of your packaging?
There are endless possibilities so the most important thing to keep in mind is brand identity: does your packaging clearly identify your brand? Structure is more important than you might think.
Depending on how detailed your original packaging is, you may want to switch it up or keep it the same. If you have a generic rectangular box or bag, will you keep it the same? What if your default packaging is a star? That’s something you might want to use for holidays as well since it’s already festive. Accessories can also aid in this area – using gold ribbon? Minimise your costs by using it for holiday packaging as well!
It’s important to maintain some elements of your packaging so that customers remember which brand they’re looking at, but other than that go wild!
Ultimately, it’s up to you and what you’re trying to convey to consumers – just be sure to have a clear picture of what that is.
Holiday Wrap Up
So what does it really come down to? Here are our 7 holiday tips:
- Create a schedule
- Start EARLY
- Account for mishaps
- Incorporate holiday elements
- Use out of the box colour combinations
- Maintain some elements; colours, accessories, shape
- Keep your brand image in mind
- Keep it fun, keep it fresh, keep it you
No matter what you do, make it festive. Short on time? Let us know and we’ll do our best to get you your packaging on time. Contact us to start the process – it’s never too early to plan for the holidays!
LeKAC wishes you warmth, joy, and prosperity this holiday season!
