Holiday Packaging Ideas That Won't Sacrifice Your Profit Margins
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Alright, admit it. You’re terrified of being stuck with holiday-themed packaging after the Christmas season. And selling products at a discount just because they are in leftover giftable packaging doesn’t feel great either. But having products in holiday packaging that shows customers “I’m a great gift” is essential to boost your holiday season sales. What’s a small business owner to do?
Giftable Graphics
One of our favorite ways to design a must-have giftable package is to incorporate a pattern that looks like wrapping paper. A patterned design can work well for creating non-holiday packaging that won’t look out of place after the holidays are over. Think about what kind of patterns you’d find around your home during the winter months: Snowflakes? Fair Isle? Flannel plaids? These are all great choices! Even a more abstract pattern of stripes or polka dots could work. The key is using your primary or secondary brand color palette instead of traditional Christmas, Hanukkah, or another holiday-specific theme. The goal here is to make the packaging feel giftable but not specific to any holiday season.
Put A Bow On It
To add a little holiday cheer to your everyday packaging, try adding a ribbon and a bow. There’s a reason why Maria said “brown paper packages tied up with strings” is one of her favorite things. That finishing touch screams, “I’m a present.” Our favorite is a festive red bow, but any color that compliments your brand will do. Finally, don’t forget the gift tag! Leaving space to write in the names of the giver and recipient helps customers to envision giving the gift to someone they love (or themselves).
Marigold & Grey Holiday Gift Boxes - Look at that bow!
Jo Malone Packaging
Wrap It Up
For products that already come in full-color boxes, it can be a significant investment to print holiday-specific designs for a short sales window. Sometimes it just isn’t feasible to hold so much merchandise in holiday-specific packaging. To reduce the commitment, try covering the boxes with a removable wrap or a sleeve. This way, you can take the sleeve off after the holidays without having to mark down or discount the inventory just because of the packaging. NoIssue and PackHelp are two suppliers with custom box sleeves you can design to look like holiday wrapping paper.
Bundle Up
Everyone loves a good bundle! When you’re putting together bundles of products for the holiday sales season, consider what you’ll do if you have any leftovers. Let’s say you create a bundle like Kinship here. Inside is a variety of skincare products. After the holidays, remove the outer packaging (secondary packaging) and sell the individual products separately.
Kinship Gift of Glow Bundle set
Drunk Elephant Littles Gift Bundle
Takeaway: You Don’t Have to Discount Holiday Packaging In January
You don’t have mark-down products that didn’t sell before the last-minute shoppers grabbed their last gift. There are several ways to “holidayize” your product packaging so that it feels giftable and outlives the holiday season. Our favorites include adding something festive to your everyday packaging, like a removable wrap, bow, or gift tag. A little planning before the holiday season can avoid those new year blues!