Due to the large influx of orders during the holiday season and unstable delivery times, our order deadlines for holiday packaging have changed.
To receive your orders in a timely fashion for the holidays, please follow our recommended order deadlines:
The holiday season is quickly approaching and businesses need to start considering their packaging supply for this busy time of the year.
Businesses, established and new, know that the holidays hold a ton of potential in boosting sales and revenue.
Matched with holiday-themed packaging, businesses also have the opportunity to expand their reach and rebrand their products as the perfect gift for their customers.
It’s best to strategize your holiday packaging in advance to account for any delays in shipping and leave enough leeway to restock if needed.
Here we outline all the important dates and considerations your business needs to ensure any holiday packaging designs can be ready in time for the gift-buying extravaganza.
When Is the Latest Day to Order Holiday Packaging?
Let’s cover the most important facet of planning your holiday packaging first — deadlines.
As seen in the chart above, holiday packaging should be purchased a minimum of 6 weeks in advance to account for any shipping delays and leave enough time for distribution during the holidays.
However, the earlier you order, the better!
As you probably know, shipping times and costs leading up to the holiday season are always more unpredictable due to a rise in demand across almost any industry.
It’s best to be prepared to keep up to date with shipping times and options to ensure your packaging supply arrives on time.
Here we outline the production times (excluding shipping) for different packaging methods to give you a better idea of the time frames you should expect:
- Folding Carton: 20 – 25 days
- Corrugated: 20 – 25 days
- Rigid: 20 – 35 days
- Countertop displays: 10 – 12 days
- Floor displays: 13 – 15 days
- Labels and Stickers: 10 days
- Paper retail bags: 25 – 30 days
- Reusable bags: 25 – 35 days
- Polymailers and bubble mailers: 12 – 15 days
- Pouches (digital print): 10 – 12 days
- Foam box inserts: 20 days
- Tin boxes: 30 – 35 days
Based on this, we recommended approving and ordering your packaging by mid-October at the latest to ensure your holiday packaging arrives in time to get ready for the gift-giving season.
Don’t forget that even after your packaging is delivered to you, fulfillment and delivery centers may add an extra week or two pushing the customer timeline for your products.
What Is Holiday Packaging and Do You Need It?
For many businesses sales generated from holidays can account for more than 50% of their annual sales volumes, so it’s safe to say that the holidays are kind of a big deal, and the packaging plays an integral role in it.
Let’s not forget that consumers love convenience, when consumers are shopping for holiday gifts, you can be sure they are looking for products that are already packaged in a gift-like parcel.
Whether it’s for Christmas or Valentine’s Day, specialized holiday packaging can add value to your product and customer experience.
Change up your packaging to turn your everyday product into a precious, ready-to-deliver gift by just altering the packaging design to fit the holiday you want to serve or opting for limited edition, high-quality solutions like rigid boxes to complement the themed unboxing experience.
Take Hershey’s kisses for example, by marketing their product as a valentine’s day gift, kisses have now become the face of this international holiday.
What better way to capture customer attention than festive packaging?
Holiday Packaging and Volume Planning
Not sure how much packaging you need for the holidays?
Depending on the history of your product’s success during the holidays, packaging needs during this time frame can spike by nearly 80% higher than your regular day-to-day sales.
Forecasted numbers can be hypothesized through historical data or by adding a multiplier to your regular sales volumes.
For example, if you anticipate spending 30% more in marketing dollars to get 50% more customer engagement and are releasing a limited edition product expected to drive a 30% higher demand, you can multiply these increases by your regular sales volumes to get an anticipated holiday sales expectancy.
We recommend ordering at least 20% more than your sales expectancy. This way, if you overachieve, you’re covered and if you don’t — that’s okay too.
You have some packaging ready for the year to come.
Breakdown Your Budgets
We briefly touched on your marketing spend, but what about product costs, fulfillment costs, and shipping premiums during the holiday times?
Budgeting correctly is key to having a successful holiday turnout.
Expect to increase your marketing spend for a higher-than-normal sales conversion rate during holidays.
Product parts and labor may have higher costs during times of demand, especially over the last few years, so anticipate higher costs in this department as well.
Fulfillment and shipping centers are both busier during this time too, with so much gift-giving happening through deliveries.
In fact, shipping rates can increase by over 80% when compared to rates during non-holiday seasons.
This is caused by increased demand and less availability.
When budgeting for your packaging, consider the per-unit margin over your total product cost including all aforementioned expenses.
Keep in mind that your packaging can add value to your product and may very well pay for itself in that regard.
Get Inspiration
Never stop learning and improving your products.
Learn and get inspired by businesses that have had tremendous success in their holiday packaging.
The truth is that packaged products can have a significant impact on your holiday sales.
Consumers often begin purchasing products in order to collect the special edition packaging or share it on social media.
This is especially true for businesses that utilize packaging as part of their overall experience as a brand.
Stressed about ordering your holiday packaging?
Don’t worry, PakFactory is here to help!
