In an increasingly saturated market, standing out is essential. Seasonal marketing, in particular, is a strategy used to capture consumer attention and boost sales at key times of the year. One of the most powerful levers to maximise this strategy is the creation of festive and customised packaging. Whether it’s for Christmas, Easter, Halloween, or back-to-school, seasonal packaging design can transform classic products into exclusive limited editions.
In this article, we will explore what seasonal marketing is, why it is so important for businesses, and how seasonal packaging can give your marketing strategy a boost.
1. What is seasonal marketing?
Seasonal marketing involves adapting your offers and communication according to the seasons, events, and specific holidays. These times of the year are opportunities for brands to use seasonal products to meet consumer needs. Let’s take Christmas as an example. At the end of the year, consumers are in a festive mood, often looking for gifts and items that evoke warmth and sharing.
How does it work?
During festive periods or specific events, brands adapt their communication campaigns to attract consumers’ attention by using cultural references, colours, and messages tailored to the event. This can include:
- Festive or personalised packaging.
- The launch of limited edition products.
- Season-specific discounts and promotions.
- Enhanced communication around the event, via channels such as social media, advertisements, or even in-store merchandising.
3 reasons why seasonal marketing is important
1. Increase sales through seasonal buying behaviours
Consumers are more inclined to spend during festive periods and specific seasons. For example, in December, sales increase considerably in sectors such as fashion, beauty, food, and more. By using seasonal packaging, you can not only attract your customers’ attention but also create a sense of urgency, as products are often available in limited quantities.
A striking example is Starbucks with its festive cups during the Christmas period. Consumers regularly return to discover new products and purchase limited edition cups, which significantly boosts seasonal sales.
2. Strengthen emotional attachment and brand loyalty
Holidays and seasonal events are periods filled with emotions. By using festive packaging and personalising your communication around these key moments, you create an emotional connection with your customers. Consumers will remember these experiences and will be more inclined to return to your brand the following year.
Ferrero Rocher, for example, strengthens this bond by dressing its products in luxurious golden packaging during the end-of-year holidays. These festive packages immediately evoke the idea of gifts and luxury.
3. Improve your brand’s visibility
During seasonal periods, competition is often fiercer. A specific packaging design, aligned with the events, allows your product to stand out on the shelf. Consumers will naturally be attracted to festive packaging that reflects the mood of the moment. Take the example of KitKat, which, during Easter, offers stand-up bags decorated with bunny and chocolate egg motifs.
Identify the relevant seasons for your market
Not all seasons are relevant for every brand. It is therefore crucial to thoroughly analyse your market and identify the most strategic periods for your target audience. For example, a chocolate brand might focus its marketing efforts on holidays like Valentine’s Day or Christmas, key times for gift purchases and sharing. Conversely, a sports nutrition company will capitalise more on the periods leading up to summer, when many people are looking to resume physical activity to achieve their fitness goals.
How can you identify the key periods for your market?
1. Study your customers’ buying habits: When are they most likely to purchase your products? This could be around the end-of-year holidays or during the summer season.
2. Analyse market trends: For example, in the beauty sector, skincare products see a peak in popularity in spring, as consumers prepare for summer.
3. Use historical data: Analyse your sales performance over several years to determine seasonal activity peaks and prepare your marketing campaigns accordingly.
Advice for creating seasonal packaging
1. Play with festive colours and symbols
Colours are a key element of seasonal packaging design. Each event or season is associated with a specific palette. For example, red, gold, and green immediately evoke Christmas, while orange and black shades remind us of Halloween.
2. Use suitable packaging formats
Some packaging formats are better suited to seasonal products. Stand-up pouches and Doypack pouches are particularly popular because they are practical and offer a large surface area to play with seasonal designs. Moreover, their shape allows for highlighting visual elements while facilitating shelf presentation.
3. Customise your packaging with digital printing
One of the current major trends in packaging design is digital printing, which allows brands to quickly adjust their designs for different seasons without requiring large stock quantities. This technology also offers flexibility to test multiple versions of the same product depending on the event or season.
Seasonal campaigns become more effective when packaging becomes a marketing tool. Discover how to use it to boost your sales and image.
Ready to boost your sales with seasonal packaging?
Valentine’s Day, Easter, Black Friday? Don’t let your products blend into the crowd any longer! Opt for exclusive packaging that will catch everyone’s eye on the shelf. Now is the time to make a difference with striking designs that capture your customers’ attention.