Unwrapping the packaging boost behind Christmas presents

Published on Wednesday, Dec 23 2015 The Christmas season is a very exciting time for those within the consumer goods market as sales start to increase and marketing campaigns take a more festive approach. Businesses need to have a bespoke Christmas packaging if they are going to want to appeal to the Christmas gift market, so many businesses will design an entirely unique packaging just for the winter months. So where is the biggest boost in the packaging market seen? Well, a recent YouGov survey reveals that 47% of consumers would prefer their Christmas presents to arrive in cardboard packaging rather than polystyrene, paper or plastic. Considering that 300,000 tonnes of cardboard packaging are used in the UK at Christmas, it’s clear to see that those within the packaging industry are going to have quite a high demand to fulfil. Online shopping has contributed to such a massive rise in demand for cardboard packaging during the Christmas period, with 23.4% of Christmas spending being made online in 2014 (around £17 Billion). All of these online purchases need to be delivered in sturdy and well presented packaging, hence the need for cardboard. Many businesses will design bespoke Christmas packaging at this time of year and see that it increases sales. Supermarket giant Waitrose designed a festive ‘snowy’ packaging for many of their products in 2014 and are using the same design in 2015 due to its success. They reported a 2.5% increase in sales during the week ending 21st November 2015 which really proves the psychological effect this type of packaging has on consumer behaviour. Another big player in the festive packaging game is Coca-Cola. This year, they have designed a special on-pack bow design on their 1.75 litre bottle in an attempt to make Coca-Cola part of the Christmas meal. People on social media have already been raving about the new design which just goes to show how effective a well targeted and timely packaging design can be. At Wessex Packaging, we provide a bespoke packaging service as well as packaging design and sampling to ensure our customers have the right packaging for the right season. We have seen the success of seasonal packaging within the industry and are always ready to help our customers to create something truly memorable. If you would like to discuss your packaging needs with us, please get in touch today. References http://www.retailresearch.org/shoppingforxmas.php http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/design/new-packs/waitrose-christmas-feel-09-12-2015 http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/design/new-packs/coca-cola-launches-christmas-on-pack-bow-design-08-12-2015 http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/materials/corrugated/a-corrugated-christmas-27-11-2015 http://www.ciwm-journal.co.uk/uk-uses-300000-tonnes-of-card-packaging-at-christmas/