And are you packaging ready?

No sooner than the school holidays end and the weather starts to feel a little more autumnal, than we start hearing the dreaded Christmas word, with reminders to book Xmas parties and even Christmas cards on sale at the local garden centre!

This also means it’s time to start thinking about that other event which is becoming a firm part of the business calendar, Black Friday.

This year it’s on 29^th November (that’s just 2 months and counting…) and it’s time for retailers and online sellers to get ready for one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Black Friday has firmly established itself in the UK retail calendar and last year over 75% of retailers offered promotions and deals of some kind. Last year, the UK’s overall spending during the sales weekend was up nearly 12% from £1.39bn on the previous year. Many expect this year’s sales to exceed those numbers, with the average shopper expected to spend over £200 during this shopping frenzy.

If your business is expecting a sales surge, you need to start planning now how to handle the sharp increase in orders, to ensure your business can maximise on the opportunity and deliver a great customer experience. Electronic items are a big part of the sales mix from Black Friday, and these items in particular can be expensive and fragile, so protecting them effectively during shipping is vitally important.

As well as planning your promotion and product stocks, you’ll need to make sure your packaging and dispatch area is well prepared and that you have all the right packaging materials you need to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible. Speedy and effective dispatch, and avoiding costly breakages and returns are clearly essential, as well as selecting protective packaging which minimises your shipping costs.

As packaging experts we manufacture and distribute protective inflatable packaging across Europe to protect everything from computers and electronics, glass bottles and mirrors, to valuable fine art. Our range includes biodegradable options too.

Contact our sales team today on +44 (0)1256 300480 for advice and support on effective packaging for fragile or high value items.