By Splash Packaging TeamGift Card Packaging, Holiday Packaging, Packaging Resources, Sustainability in the Packaging Industry

5 Creative Gift Packaging Ideas for the Holidays

Unique Gift Packaging for the Holiday Season

The need for gift packaging during the holiday season means it’s time to get creative with your retail packaging!

The holiday season is looming closer and businesses are starting to plan their holiday packaging programs. Many businesses aim to have unique, creative, and effective gift packaging that represents their brand at an affordable price. Convenience, storage space, pricing, and functionality are all important considerations when it comes to gift packaging.

The visual representation of your brand and products is extremely important because most consumers make instant judgments based on visual cues. The element of personalization and customer service can also be important for businesses to consider. Here are five great ways to elevate your holiday packaging and make a lasting impression!

1. Draw or Write Something Special

Many small retailers have taken to writing handwritten notes to include with their e-commerce orders. When customers buy online, the personal interaction of the sales process is taken away. Adding handwritten or hand drawn notes or extras with your package creates a more personalized and human element to your shipment. Writing a simple note like “Thank you for your order” or “Enjoy your products!” can go a long way, and personalizing your message with specific information like the customer’s name can be even better.

If your company thrives on being quirky and fun, hand drawing on your packaging can be a fun way to personalize it and give your customers a laugh or a smile. You always want your gift packaging and unboxing to be associated with positive feelings for your customers. Adding these personal touches can also promote social media sharing, positive reviews, and word of mouth sharing which provides additional marketing for your brand.

2. Give Reusable Packaging

Packaging that can be reused is often appreciated by consumers and gift recipients, especially if they care about the environment or saving money. Some gift packaging can be easily reused when it’s in good condition, including many types of boxes, pouches, and high quality bags. If you choose holiday gift packaging that is stylish and fun, the recipient will be more likely to want to reuse it. Reusing gift packaging is one of the best ways to be environmentally friendly, and businesses should always encourage their customers to reuse or recycle packaging. Because reuse is dependent on the consumer or gift recipient, you can promote your packaging reuse by adding a note in your packaging with creative reuse and DIY ideas.

3. Include Some Freebies

From a consumer standpoint, free gifts are always welcome and definitely promote positive feelings towards a brand or retailer. Don’t panic about your budget just yet, because there are many inexpensive ways to provide ‘freebies’ with your orders that will promote positive feedback without costing you profits.

Some small businesses give away inexpensive freebies like pieces of wrapped candy, pins, stickers, or even coupons and discount cards. If you want to promote more product sales, you can provide free samples of other items with purchases, which works best for businesses who sell cosmetics or food items. You can also provide free gifts with the purchase of certain items or of a certain dollar amount to help promote and increase your sales. Many customers will spend a little extra to reach the threshold for a free gift. Freebies are a great way to promote sales and increase positive reviews of your products.

4. Use Color to Stand Out

Research shows that people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.
Source: CCICOLOR – Institute for Color Research

Color is one of the most important aspects of visual marketing and it can communicate a lot about your brand. Choose your colors wisely when coordinating your packaging. If your branding is based strongly on color you will want to stick to brand colors for the most part. It never hurts to add fun accent colors to your packaging, especially when promoting special events or holidays. Unique color themes will capture the attention of consumers quickly, and may lead them to view your business more favorably. When choosing from in-stock packaging, color options may be limited for general packaging like bags and gift boxes. However, there are many unique packaging products that are available in an array of colors and designs including tissue paper, gift wrap, ribbon, and gift card packaging.

5. Stamps and Stickers

If you’re looking for an affordable way to personalize your gift packaging this holiday season, stamps and stickers should be top options! Stamps can be used to easily and quickly decorate your packaging, and as a bonus they create a very authentic look that customers love. You can also get a custom stamp made for your brand name, logo, or other design and use that to personalize for your business.

Stickers are another great way to personalize packaging for a special occasion or holiday. You can get stickers made relatively inexpensively, use stock stickers, or even print your own stickers with a quality printer and sticker paper. Use your stickers for closing gift boxes and envelopes, or to finish wrapping your items with tissue paper, or just as a decorative accent to your packaging.

Bonus: Keep it Eco-Friendly!

When using disposable gift packaging keep in mind the amount of waste generated by the holiday season and consider more environmentally friendly packaging options. There are many packaging items that are recyclable, reusable, biodegradable or compostable, or are made from recycled content. Consumers are very aware of the environmental impact of packaging products, and many will choose to support companies that value eco-friendly packaging and business practices. It’s a win-win situation when you choose eco-friendly packaging!