[NL] Faster gift wrapping in 2023: the tips for retailers
14min read
23/01/2023
Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, St Nicholas… There are those times throughout the year when gift fever rises to peak temperatures. For your customers, that means the start of a frantic search for the ideal gift. For you as a retailer or website owner, it means quite a few orders that require extra attention. During such holidays, in terms of packaging, it can all be a bit more. Right? Elegant, colourful and durable: the “ideal” gift packaging seems to have to meet a lot of requirements. Therefore, putting them together might seem like a time-consuming and expensive task for you… Fortunately, this does not have to be the case at all! In this article, we look at all kinds of solutions that allow you to wrap gifts quickly and festively. This way, you won’t lose seas of time at the wrapping table yourself and you can ensure a nice wow effect with your customer.
Below, we distinguish between physical retailers with a ‘shop of stone’ and online retailers with a digital webshop. After all, those who stand behind a counter in a shop have different packaging needs than those who have to give a parcel to a courier service. In conclusion, we list the main benefits and applications of personalised packaging. Think of packaging with a self-written thank-you note, a sticker with your logo or tape with a promotional code. All useful extras to give your gift packaging a truly unique and professional look.
Contents:
- Faster gift wrapping for physical retailers in 5 steps
- Faster gift wrapping for online retailers in 5 steps
- Advantages and applications of personalised packaging
1. Faster gift wrapping for physical retailers in 5 steps
As a physical shop owner, just before special occasions like Valentine’s Day, Easter or Father’s Day, it’s all hands on deck. All customers want you to wrap their purchase brightly and festively. As a shop owner, how can you tackle this quickly, without wasting a lot of time behind the counter? In 5 steps, we show you below how to quickly conjure up sublime gift wrapping on your counter. And good thing: most of this packaging is made of eco-friendly materials. This way, you will meet the ecological image of your shop.
Do you have a digital shop? Then be sure to check out our tips in part 2.
► Step 1: Pack faster with carrier bags
Carrier bags are an ideal solution for wrapping a gift quickly, without much fuss. Preferably use a carrier bag with a flat bottom and side gussets so you can easily slip your customer’s purchase into it. You can opt for a timeless brown kraft paper carrier bag for the most natural look. Or you can go all out with a coloured variant that perfectly matches your house style or the festive season. Get inspired by some unique ones below.
Carrier bags are available in all possible sizes and shapes. Some varieties are specially designed for packing specific products. For example, there is the ‘bottle carrier bag’ that you can use for presenting, packing and carrying 1 to 3 bottles. Or the ‘flower bag’: a very handy type of packaging that allows you to give a bunch of flowers to your customer. This way, they can carry them safely while walking home or to the car. Read on to find out how to finish your carrier bag in a festive way.
► Step 2: Pack faster with gift bags or gift boxes
For small items, a tote bag is probably a bit too big. Instead, you can opt for a gift bag as take-away packaging, for example. Preferably use a pouch with a bottom gusset so it can easily stay upright while filling. Another option are gondola boxes. These strong boxes are easy to close by simply folding the sides. They are ideal for packing small gifts that are not fragile.
Is your product fragile or breakable? Then a strong cardboard gift box is a better option. A gift box is quick to use. You can use it to package, for example, cosmetics, perfume, candle holders, glasses, etc. You can easily fill the empty space inside the box with coloured chips or even wood wool. This protects your products from shocks and adds some extra colour and originality to your gift packaging. You can read more about that below.
► Step 3: Protect with soft tissue paper or durable Geami paper
Want to wrap a scratchy item festively? Then we recommend choosing tissue paper. This paper has a very soft texture which eliminates the risk of scratching. By the way, tissue paper is available in all colours of the rainbow. Perfect for matching your gift wrapping to your house style or the colours of the present.
Want to go a step further? Then choose the Geami Wrappak device. It combines a layer of kraft paper with a layer of tissue paper. The tissue paper protects against scratches – you already knew that – and the kraft paper protects against shocks. The Geami Wrappak ‘punches’ the kraft paper creating a kind of honeycomb relief. This texture is ideal for cushioning shocks. You can wrap this paper around any gift, regardless of its shape. It is without doubt the most original and quickest solution for wrapping gifts. The Geami Wrappak is available in different designs and is really ideal for shops or start-ups.
► Step 4: Add originality with ecological gift wrap
Do you have a little more space and time behind your counter? Then you can wrap your gifts festively with colourful wrapping paper. You can choose from various types of eco-friendly paper at RAJA, made entirely from recycled materials and fully recyclable after use. Gift wrapping paper is usually made of kraft, but there are also varieties made of something else… namely grass. This ‘grass paper’ gives your gifts a truly original look. Watch the video below and find out for yourself!
► Step 5: Finish with gift ribbons and stickers
The final touch… Everything stands or falls on that. Whether you have chosen a tote bag, gift bag or gift box – a good finish is crucial. To make it easy on yourself, we recommend opting for stickers. You use such stickers primarily as decoration, that goes without saying. They are also very handy as a quick ‘sealing tool’ for bags, pouches or boxes. You can choose from standard pre-printed stickers (which are slightly cheaper) or create your own design with your logo or a personal message. Then add a bow or gift ribbon and you’re all set.
2. Faster gift wrapping for online retailers in 5 steps
In the period before the holidays (from Christmas to Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day), you will probably see a rapid increase in the number of sales orders in your webshop. Fantastic of course… but what’s the best way to wrap those orders quickly and festively? You want to be able to get every order to your customer like lightning – and preferably with beautiful and original packaging. Below, we give you an overview of materials that absolutely must not be missing from your wrapping table during the festive season. This type of packaging is intended to prepare gifts for shipment much more quickly and festively. Afterwards you can safely give them away with a courier service.
► Step 1: Pack faster with autolock boxes
Everything starts with the box: the basis of most e-commerce shipments. Those who are smart choose one with an automatic bottom here. This is also called an ‘autolock box’, because the bottom of the box secures (locks) itself automatically (auto) as soon as you push on the sides. Such a box with an automatic bottom is set up in just 9 seconds. With a standard box, it takes an average of 22 seconds. A packer handling 250 parcels a day thus saves 1 hour of work! It is good to know that all RAJA autolock boxes are made of recycled and recyclable material. Nice touch for your eco-friendly image. Another tip we would like to give you: if you choose a box with a white interior, your product and the filling will stand out even more.
► Step 2: Pack faster with customised boxes
Want to avoid padding material altogether? Then opt for customised packaging. Such packaging does not always have to be extra expensive. For a number of popular products, there are already custom-made boxes that are ready to use in an instant. Well-known examples are custom-made boxes for books, bottles or flowers. Each of these boxes has unique properties that are perfectly tailored to the product you want to send. For example, flower boxes have a special insert in which you can place a vase. And book boxes have sides with crease lines that you fold and adjust according to the thickness of the book. This way, not a single piece of packaging material goes to waste and you can be sure of a really safe shipping of your gifts during busy holidays.
► Step 3: Protect with studs or blotting paper
For your fragile gifts, we recommend choosing extra protective material. Seems logical, but which material is best to choose? For example, you can wrap individual products in a bubble bag. This way they are extra well protected against shocks. If you pack products with a scratch-sensitive surface, we recommend wrapping them in soft tissue paper. You can choose from a wide range of colours for this tissue or silk paper. You can match those colours to the season, the holiday (e.g. red for Valentine’s Day), your house style or the colour of your product. All these solutions are quick and easy to use. They give your package that extra touch of charisma and professionalism.
Do you really want to impress with festive, original and durable protection? Then choose the Geami Wrappak protective paper. It works in combination with kraft paper that is ‘die-cut’. A sort of honeycomb pattern is cut out of the paper and folded. The big advantage is that this folding technique absorbs shocks extra well. You can also combine the Geami Wrappak with a layer of soft tissue paper – the ideal protection against scratches. Good to know: this type of paper protection is completely antistatic and therefore suitable for packing electronics.
► Step 4: Fill up with snippets
Too much empty space inside your packaging is best avoided. If your gifts have too much slack inside the box, there is a high risk that they will collide with each other and get damaged. Processing the return of a damaged order is often much more expensive than providing the necessary padding material. Prevention is better than cure. But if you have empty packing space left over, what is the best way to fill it?
A popular solution for this are void fill chips or paper void fill chips. Cushioning chips are available in many colours, allowing you to shape the festive wrapping of your items yourself. Option two is paper filling chips. You pour the chips into a box very easily. The folded particles adhere to each other, so your products then stay put and do not slide around. The shape of the chips makes your products spring just enough to absorb the very biggest shocks. The ideal buffer and shock absorber! Both the chips and the shreds are made of a renewable raw material – paper – so you can easily recycle them after use. Watch the video below to see the best way to use cushioning chips.
► Step 5: Close with personalised tape
In the final stage, it’s time to close your box. How do you go about this in an original or festive way? For this, you can opt for paper tape, for example. You can have them printed and personalised: a cheap and effective way to give your packaging extra character.
If you really have no time to lose, you can also choose boxes or shipping bags with an integrated adhesive strip. Just pull off the strip, glue the closure and you are ready to go! If you would like to add a nice finishing touch to the outside of your gifts, you can easily do so with stickers, for example. These stickers are available with different messages, suitable for any occasion or holiday.
3. Advantages and applications of personalised packaging
Original and festive gift wrapping quickly becomes a whole lot easier if you opt for personalised packaging. A sticker with your logo, tape with a nice message, a box with a thank-you print… The possibilities are endless. Not yet convinced of the power of personalised packaging? Or would you like an overview of the possibilities? Then read on here.
► What are the advantages of personalised packaging?
- Strengthen the customer relationship with your brand: if you only have an online shop, packaging is often the first and only physical point of contact between your shop and your customer. This makes packaging the ideal communication medium to highlight your brand. For a retail shop, on the other hand, packaging is an ideal means to give the brand some exposure even beyond the boundaries of the shop.
- Save on marketing costs: personalised tape or stickers are often a cheap solution to highlight a promotion or promotion to a wide audience.
- Improve the unboxing experience: printed or colourful packaging says much more for your gifts than a boring brown box. This way, you create a positive unboxing experience and strengthen your relationship with your customer.
- Save on packaging materials: personalised packaging is also equivalent to customised packaging in some cases. As a result, you reduce the amount of air and padding material required and ultimately save on transport costs.
► Which packaging materials can you personalise and print on?
- Packaging tape: tape is often the cheapest way to personalise your gifts. It also does not require you to change your wrapping process. It represents the biggest quick win for many shops.
- Boxes: boxes can be printed on the outside as well as the inside. Choose durable inks that do not interfere with the recycling process. A box is also a perfect material for customised packaging.
- Carrier bags: ideal for those who have a shop or are participating in an event. This way, your brand still stands out as soon as your customers walk out of the shop or leave your exhibition stand.
- Bags and envelopes: these allow you to pack in a very compact way. By the way, shipping bags are a good alternative to a box when you want to send textiles, for example.
- Labels: ideal for sharing small messages. You can have a label printed with a warning about how to open the package, for example. Or you mention a specific promotion. It is very easy to integrate on your packing table and costs relatively little.
- Padding material: with tissue paper, among others, you can choose a printed variant that you put together all by yourself. A real winner for the unboxing experience.
