The Essential Christmas Packaging Guide For Ecommerce Businesses

Christmas is one of the busiest times of year, particularly for ecommerce businesses. So, to ensure that your business is the winning choice for customers, you’ll need to be ahead of the trend with your Christmas packaging. 

Introducing a special line of packaging during the festive season has endless benefits from refreshing brand image to emphasising special holiday offers, so it’s essential that you get it right this year. In today’s article, we’ll be discussing some essential Christmas packaging solutionsand considerations for ecommerce businesses to help you avoid the frantic, last-minute rush.

Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pixels

Protect fragile items

Whether you’re sending a sentimental ornament or a beautiful handmade vase, the basic function of packaging is to ensure it arrives in one piece at its final destination. It’s no surprise that customers will expect their items to arrive in a durable box with the correct dimensions for the product being shipped. However, to stay ahead of your competitors in the thriving ecommerce market, adding a special touch could be the difference between your customers placing that order and making repeat purchases.

Holiday packaging is a vital component to running a successful Christmas campaign as an ecommerce business - so it’s essential that you get it right. Firstly, be sure you’re choosing the right packing materials for the items in question. For instance, recycled paper mailing bags are great for non-fragile items such as clothing and stationary, but you’ll want to avoid these when packing goods like glass and jewellery. Instead, opting for sturdy single-wall cardboard boxes or double-wall boxes for especially fragile loads will provide better protection when bolstered with some additional bubble wrap.

Alternatively, for smaller items such as jewellery, black postal boxes, custom boxes or luxury gift boxes offer a secure and snug packaging solution that looks professional and festive when finished with coloured tissue paper, packing paper or shredded paper.

Make it personal

In today’s age of ‘instagrammable’ moments and unboxing videos, packaging has never been more fundamental when marketing your brand. Whether your customers are buying for loved ones or themselves, it can be beneficial to raise the bar with your packaging’s unboxing experience to make it more personal and hopefully shareable on social channels, too.

To hit home with your target customer, conduct a little research to discover the current trends in your industry, what other brands are doing well (and badly), as well as determine the unique selling point (USP) of your packaging. Brands such as Glossier aim to make their products appear fun and easy to use with their packaging, incorporating bright pops of colour and eye-catchingly playful quotes. In contrast, brands such as Apple aim to convey their simplicity and elegance with their packaging. If your product is handmade, why not add a hand-written note or tie it up with twine to align your packaging with your branding? It’s all about communicating your brand direction effectively to positively impact the customer experience.

Choose sustainable packaging

With two thirds of people in the UK currently recognising that we’re living in a climate emergency, sustainable packaging supplies could have positive rewards for both your brand image and broadening your customer base. With some retailers such as ASOS already making the switch, using returnable mailing bags which can be used twice with their second seal, Christmas 2019 offers the perfect opportunity to adopt sustainable packaging.

Sustainability in e-commerce packaging differs from that in traditional retail, as it needs to strike the perfect balance between ecological sustainability and product protection. A good rule of thumb is to look for packaging options that are made from recycled waste paper or recycled plastic, and ensure that the materials you’re using can, in turn, be recycled. While many are concerned that recycled materials can impact branding design and colour pallette when transferring logos, the fact that customers can visibly see that you care about sustainable commerce outweighs the small design compromise.

Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

We hope that with our guide, we’ve proven that packaging is in fact ‘everything’, making it fundamental to the success of your ecommerce business. If your products arrive at your customer’s doorstep in less than perfect condition, you’ll not only lose the stock, but also the sale - all while potentially damaging your brand’s reputation. So, make sure your packaging stands out to make the unboxing experience an unforgettable one for all of the right reasons.

Here at Kendon, we’re firm believers in making your packaging special and endeavour to ensure your products are protected securely during shipping - to find the perfect packaging solution for your business this Christmas, browse our quality packaging supplies today.