5 Fun and Effective Christmas Packaging Ideas for 2023

Find out how to make the most of Christmas by giving your customers festive eco-friendly packaging that spreads the seasonal cheer.

It’s that time of year again. Christmas is right around the corner, and shoppers are looking for the perfect gifts for their friends, family, colleagues, and loved ones. Every year presents different challenges, but one persistent task is making your Christmas packaging stand out. So, how can you make the most of the busiest period for retail and eCommerce businesses?

Why Invest in Christmas Packaging?

Shoppers spent 82.2 billion on Christmas gifts last year, making it a crucial time for businesses across the retail and eCommerce sectors. 

While launching a new line of products may not be achievable, you can significantly increase sales by repackaging your existing products with updated Christmas packaging designs. A printed sleeve box is an easy way to keep your usual boxes while adding Christmas packaging designs on the sleeve. It’s a simple switch that doesn’t need an overhaul of your entire packaging for just a few weeks of the year! 

It’s also worth noting that some of your customers will be ordering gifts from your business and sending them directly to the recipient. Offering a festive packaging design might be why customers choose your brand over your competitors! 

Fun Christmas Packaging Ideas for Your Brand

There’s a reason “it feels like Christmas” is often used to describe a fantastic unboxing experience. You want your customers to feel like this all year round, especially at Christmas! 

If you’re lacking inspiration for Christmas packaging or looking for an effective way to implement your ideas, read below to find out how you can make your packaging all the more festive:

1. Choosing Your Colour Palette for Christmas Packaging Designs

Most people think of red and green when it comes to traditional Christmas colours. Changing your brand’s colour scheme to match the most prominent colours of the festive season can be impactful for your marketing and advertising campaigns. It adds an instant festive feel to your branding and can help position your brand as a good place to get Christmas presents! 

If you’re looking for festive Christmas packaging ideas, red and green aren’t the only traditional colours. Silver, gold and even purple have historically been used for festive celebrations and are perfect for Christmas packaging designs.

Metallics like gold can give your products a premium finish while keeping Christmas classy. Nothing says Christmas like tinsel, so add a bit of sparkle to your packaging to help customers get in the Christmas spirit! 

Repeating patterns, like snowflakes, Christmas lights or reindeer, can also be incorporated to great effect. With a range of printing options, you can get a fast turnaround on Christmas packaging for limited runs of different coloured packaging.

2. Go for a Rustic Aesthetic

If you’ve got an eco-friendly product, opt for a design that shows restraint by sticking to paper-based packaging like cardboard postal boxes and Kraft paper sheets. This cost-effective approach needs little customisation to achieve a minimal, rustic feel. If possible, keep to two colours, like brown and white or black, to enhance your “homemade” design.

Consumers prefer natural packaging over plastic, making this kind of packaging appealing to most potential customers. Stick to earthy tones and keep your designs simple; just include your logo to keep your branding consistent.

Opting for paper tape is also a great way to ensure your packaging is recyclable. Don’t undo all your eco-packaging efforts by putting plastic tape on your parcels! Customers are increasingly opting for washi tape and paper tape to wrap Christmas presents, so ensure you’re leading by example when sealing your Christmas packaging boxes. 

3. What’s on the Inside Counts! Your Internal Packaging

Keeping most of your packaging the same is fine if you’re on a strict budget. Simply changing one aspect of your packaging, such as the tissue paper, can make your packaging much more appealing during the holiday season. It’ll also make a great unboxing experience, making your products feel more like a personal gift that fits the festive season.

If your products are being shipped as gifts directly to the recipient, you want to ensure they have a great experience. This could be their first introduction to your company, and a great experience may convert them into future customers! In this scenario, your packaging is the gift wrap, so Christmas packaging will make it feel as special as if friends or family wrapped it. 

Internal packaging isn’t just about aesthetics either. You should take every precaution to avoid damage during delivery, so ensure you have plenty of void-fill packaging to reduce the risk of breakages. People ordering in December may not be allowing time for any accidents, so make sure you send items safely on the first try! Read our tips for packaging fragile items to lessen the number of returns you may get this Christmas. 

4. Include a Personal Christmas Note

Everyone loves receiving Christmas cards, even from companies! A brief, personal note can spread the festive cheer to your customers. Include your message as a business card and add a small token of gratitude, like a discount code, on their next order to promote brand loyalty. 

Alternatively, you could include your message printed on the inside of the box with our custom packaging options, making the unboxing experience even more special. This is another great touch if the item is a gift, as the Christmas packaging designs become a part of the unboxing experience. 

5. Add Some Final Festive Touches

Going the extra mile at Christmas can help make your product feel more special than ever. Regular customers may be more likely to make repeat purchases if you have a limited edition or special festive packaging design. You may elevate your packaging for the festive season, opting for luxury rigid boxes if you don’t already offer them. Check out some of the luxury gift boxes we’ve produced to get Christmas packaging design ideas for your own products. 

It’s the thought that counts, so go the extra mile at Christmas to let your customers know you care. For retailers, hand over your Christmassy products in printed bags to add another dimension to your packaging. You’ll benefit from additional marketing as your customers carry your products in bags featuring your logo or brand name.

Tissue paper is also a great way to add an extra special touch to your Christmas packaging boxes. A small investment in details like this can give the illusion of a gift wrap service. 

Keep Your Customers in the Loop

Don’t forget to promote your Christmas packaging options to your customers, as this can be a major selling point! So be sure to shout about your additional services in the run-up to Christmas. 

It’s also a great opportunity to remind your customers about the last postage dates over Christmas and if or when you’ll be closed for the festive period. If customers want to take advantage of your festive packaging design, make sure they don’t miss the deadline to get some! 

Ordering Festive Packaging for Christmas

Whichever direction you choose to take with your Christmas packaging, remember to keep it eco-friendly. Over 100,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown away this Christmas, so make sure your brand is doing its bit to protect the environment over the festive season.

Ready for Christmas? Check out our online shop and discover a range of eco-friendly packaging. If you’re looking to create a memorable experience this festive season with branded packaging, get enquiring now for guaranteed Christmas delivery.