Saxon Packaging has been considering Christmas in July. You might think it’s a little early to be thinking about Christmas – but in the world of packaging, preparation is key!
Bespoke advent calendars offer a world of benefits to your brand. Over the past few years, there has been a boom in non-chocolate advent calendars: spirits, beauty, and even cheese have embraced the festive treatment.
With bespoke offerings, you can opt for 24 or 25-day calendars in a variety of sizes for your needs.
And as consumers embrace the experience, there is no better time to invest in your packaging – even if it feels a bit odd thinking of snowflakes and reindeer in July.
Boosting brand identity & voice
One of the best things about holiday packaging is that you can let your brand identity shine. This is especially fun if you’re a legacy brand who perhaps hasn’t been able to play around with your image, or a new brand wanting to experiment.
With an advent calendar, you can get playful. They’re about joy and mystery, and you can branch out from traditional packaging options even if you stick with set brand colours and fonts.
It’s also a great chance to demonstrate your brand’s core values. Is there a focus on sustainability? Make sure your advent calendar proudly states its FSC Certified origins and recyclable nature.
Big, bold, and made to stand out? Ensure your advent calendar leaps off the shelf with vibrant colours and foil-blocked lettering.
Whatever your brand is about, you can push the boundaries at Christmas whilst promoting your brand values – and people will remember you for it.
A luxury offering and premiumisation
Something we’ve seen a lot of in the move away from traditional chocolate advent calendars is the rise of premiumisation.
Usually the realm of affordable confectionery brands, the past few years have seen brands capitalising on the festive spirit, with advent calendars now a more luxury offering.
One of the key facets of cornering this premium market is the packaging – especially for advent calendars. Given that the entire idea of advent calendars is to hide their contents, the usual rules of packaging go out the window – whether you’re selling in-store or online.
You’ll still need to stand out, though – many brands are picking up on this advent calendar trend. And one way to stand out? Ensure that your advent calendar is made with premium packaging.
The variety of options on offer mean that you can create a completely bespoke calendar for your brand.
Broadland Drinks
Lithographic printing offers top-quality colours, with the ability to match pretty much any colour you can dream up. This is particularly useful if you’ve got a brand colour you’d like to feature exactly – think Cadbury purple or Coca-Cola red.
Depending on quantities, it can also be a very cost-effective option as the die-cutting formes can be reused.
Another option is digital printing, which is a great one to plump for if you’re going for smaller runs on the product. It also allows for a quick turnaround, so if you haven’t heeded our advice and left it a bit late, you might still be able to squeeze through an order in time!
Lastly, flexographic printing is probably the most flexible option. There are a variety of ink types you could use, many of which dry quickly enough to produce a quick turnaround, so you can produce thousands of runs of your calendar easily.
All can offer a luxurious, premium finish that can help your brand to stand out.
Enhancing customer experience
According to PWC, customer experience is fast becoming the most important factor people consider when shopping with brands.
That includes everything from the moment a potential customer hears about your brand to the unboxing – and even beyond, as they (hopefully!) recommend your company to friends!
Many brands are falling short after the sale, though. They rely on the build-up, forgetting that loyal customers – especially those who go on to be advocates to their social circle – are much better for a business than one-time customers.
And it might not seem like much, but taking the time to put thought into packaging can top off a wonderful customer experience all around.
You want your brand to be remembered, and your packaging is the last touchpoint a customer has with you – aside from the product itself – before deciding whether or not to buy again.
In terms of advent calendars, this kind of attention to detail can only enhance the air of luxury.
For a spirit-filled calendar, perhaps rigidity and protection are key, helping to ensure the drinks arrive in one piece. An extra touch, you say? Doors that have cocktail recipe suggestions printed on the inside!
A skincare brand might be more concerned with their ethical appearance, and put an emphasis on sustainably sourced materials whilst garnishing the calendar in beautifully aesthetic – and Instagrammable – colours.
Whatever the product inside, knowing what your customer wants and needs is a great first step in designing advent calendar packaging that reflects that.
The chance to promote different products
Advent calendars are a fantastic way to introduce customers to your product offering. It might be that you have a cult product and you’d like to entice long-time customers to branch out and try something new as well.
Alternatively, perhaps you’re targeting the gift market. An advent calendar not only builds up the suspense (and brings with it almost an entire month of presents!) but also has the advantage of variety: there’s bound to be something in there that the receiver likes!
And let’s be honest – we all love unboxing things. There’s something much more special about opening a door every day to discover what lies behind than there is about receiving 24 unwrapped gifts on a theme.
