Don’t you feel like the holiday season comes unexpectedly fast each year? Well that’s because more and more people are getting tired of late delivery, so they decide to place their orders sooner. That’s why eCommerce brands have to start developing their holiday marketing campaign way before Thanksgiving.
The good news is that most brand owners got the message. In September 2018, Deloitte came out with its annual forecast for retail holiday sales. During the 2018 holiday season, eCommerce sales are expected to grow from 17 to 22%.
So are you ready to take on all those orders? Are you ready to ship those packages?
Speaking of packages, you should be mindful about that aspect of marketing, too. It’s not just about promoting products and getting your target audience to buy them. It’s about how you deliver those products and how you manage to surprise them.
We’ll list few important tips on how to turn holiday packaging into your brand’s forte.
1 – First and Foremost, The Packaging Serves a Purpose
Kate Thompson, marketing adviser from A-Writer.com, reminds us not to forget the essential purpose of proper packaging: “During the holiday season, brands focus on design. That’s a good thing, but you should never forget that the package is mostly there to protect the product and deliver it safely to its final destination. No matter how much you invest in design, you must never sacrifice quality for the sake of appearance.”
The packaging must be functional, especially if you’re selling items that could get damaged.
As an example, we’ll take many eCommerce stores that sell clothes. The packaging is nothing but a single layer of plastic wrap. That’s not enough to protect the product. Even if you put the clothes in two plastic bags, they may still get damaged. Remember: shipments get crazy during this time of year. The delivery service is not going to pay special attention to your delicate package. It will get thrown around. So it’s your responsibility to protect it.
Choose sturdy, high-quality materials. If the items are fragile, carefully wrap them in bubble wrap and fill up the empty space with foam.
2 – Personalize It
The package is part of the branding process. Function is above all, but design matters, too.
During the holiday season, every single online retailer is sending packages across the country and around the world. People receive packages from more than one store. When your package arrives, you don’t want it to appear just as another cardboard box in the bunch. You want the recipient to distinguish it. It’s your chance to make a great first impression.
The good news is that it doesn’t take tons of effort for you to personalize the package. Just choose the right design and add a logo. If you want to take things further, you can hire a graphic designer to make it really special.
3 – Make It Recyclable
Do you know how much waste is being created during the holiday season? A LOT!
During the period between Thanksgiving and New Year, Americans throw away 25% more trash than usual. That doesn’t mean a lot? Well that means 25 million tons of extra garbage in a month!
Fortunately, consumers from all around the world are getting more environmentally conscious. That may add some pressure to your brand, but it’s a good thing. Accept the challenge and start delivering environmentally-friendly packages.
For example, you won’t use ribbon. You’ll only use biodegradable or recyclable packaging materials. Take Asos as an example. They still use plastic and cardboard, but they made great efforts to reduce the waste. The delivery boxes are made of 100% recycled materials.
Anna Gordon, part of the marketing team at Best Dissertation, has something to add: “This is a great policy, which you can even use for marketing purposes. Get informed and do everything in your power to make your packages as eco-friendly as possible. Then, inform your audience about these efforts. More people will be willing to support your brand because of it. In other words, you’ll sell more.
4 – Add Something Extra
You want the recipient to be pleased with the quality and design when they get your package. But you also want them to be pleasantly surprised when they open it.
Book Depository, for example, throws cute bookmarks in each package with books. That’s a nice touch. It’s nothing big, but it means a lot to the recipient.
You can do something similar. You may add a holiday greeting card with a personalized note. If you don’t know how to design or write it, you can rely on writers from BestEssays or a similar service.
You may go further and add an extra item. You can inform the customers about the special gift during the checkout, but you may also let them be surprised.
5 – Get Into the Holiday Spirit
Remember how we said it’s mainly about function and not form? Well it’s about function, but you can add some pizzazz to it over the holidays. We’re not talking about random gift wrap from the stationery store. Leave those boring tactics to your competitors. We’re talking about a lovely, festive packaging that makes your brand noticeable.
Snowflakes, Christmas trees, Santa, snowmen, decorations… you can think of various elements that will spice up the design. Be subtle, but creative at the same time.
You can twist it up by adding some visible quotes on the package. The writers from Superior Papers can help you choose them. That package will go through many hands before it finally reaches the customer. It’s your chance of getting more attention.
It’s Your Time to Shine
Developing the perfect design is a matter of commitment and taste. Are you committed to making your customers happy? Well then you’ll pay attention to this aspect of your business.
Are you talented enough to come up with classy packaging and notes? Even if that’s not the case, you can hire designers and writers from services like MyAssignmentWriting to help.
The bottom line is: you have no excuses. Your customers deserve the best.
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