With the holidays creeping up, gifting season is just around the corner – and it’s time to enhance your packaging.
For SMEs, it is one of the busiest sales periods, with retailers expecting a $69.7 billion boost in retail sales during the six-week peak season lead-up to Christmas, marking a 2.7 per cent increase on last year’s figures.
The festive season is a vital time to ensure you’re catering to customers’ needs, and there’s no better place to start than packaging.
Packaging is critical to attracting and retaining customers. The festive season provides an opportunity for SME owners to think outside the box (pardon the pun), be creative, and craft packaging solutions that wow customers.
It can, however, be hard to know where to start. Knowing how to excite your customers with incredible packaging is challenging and can be a bit like crystal ball gazing.
With that in mind, here are three ways SMEs can enhance their packaging game this festive season.
Double down on design
Design is everything in packaging.
Being creative with your packaging designs not only ignites a reaction from customers, but also helps increase positive brand perception.
For example, a design can be simple, with a branded sticker. Or, if a brand wants to stand out further, they can adopt techniques like custom designing a beautiful mailing box, wrapping the products in a custom festive tissue or include a customised festive packaging insert card – where customers can write a special note to gift their loved ones either stuck on the package itself or tucked away inside.
Packaging design can play a key role in elevating brand recognition and ensures your brand permeates through every aspect of your product experience.
Use interactive experiences and local artists
Brands are shifting their focus from just promoting products to creating memorable customer experiences. This change is reflected in all areas of product marketing, but especially in the packaging. Packaging now serves a dual purpose, containing the goods and actively engaging with the customers.
Interactive packaging comes in a variety of shapes and forms: from incorporating AR or QR codes via tools like a QR Code Generator to multi-sensory packaging where customers can experience through touch or even smell. The idea is to make the packaging versatile which allows customers to also interact with the brand. Think of creating packaging that allows for transformation and standing out from competitors.
SME owners can also collaborate with local artists to create unique and festive packaging ideas. This can include having handmade local designs that may represent your city, community or even landmarks.
Plan to succeed
It might sound like stating the obvious, but the first thing that SMEs should consider is what their product is and the logistical components to consider as a result.
To ensure you are prepared for the festive period, you should begin by being clear on how you are going to package up gifts for customers and make sure you have all your packaging and materials ordered in time for the busy season, so it’s one less thing to worry about.
It’s also important to pay attention to the size and material of your products, considering how fragile or breakable the contents would be in transit, and ensuring the packaging you choose is suitable.
Effective packaging should not be just an afterthought; it’s a vital component that enhances brand identity, boosts customer loyalty, and ultimately drives sales for small businesses.
Investing in thoughtful packaging design this festive season can set you apart and create a memorable experience that resonates long after the unboxing.
