How to package seasonal products and decorate your Store

Creating the festive mood for buyers
Holiday packaging tips
Imbue your listings and Store with festive spirit

Creating the festive mood for buyers

Holidays are all about the special atmosphere created by traditional attributes — be that pumpkins and spooky props, string lights and lush green wreaths, or painted eggs and floral garlands. These attributes make us relive our childhood feelings and find joy in tiresome preparations. As you’re getting ready for holiday sales, take some time to contemplate: how can you create holiday vibes for your buyers on eBay?

Unlike brick-and-mortar stores, eBay sellers can’t adorn their premises with seasonal decorations. But you still can contribute to the festive mood using the tools that are available: holiday packaging and Store customization. If you pack an item with love and care, these feelings will reach your buyers together with the parcel and help you win customer loyalty. As for the festive design of your Store and listings, it will help your items stand out in search results and increase their visibility (which is a must due to the heavy competition during holidays).

Holiday packaging recommendations

Before you start buying seasonal packaging supplies, think about the core values of your business and your target audience. What matters to your customers? What are their motivations? What affects their buying decisions? The answers to these questions will help you define what packaging style will appeal to your most active buyers.

Another important matter is your packaging budget. You should calculate your costs and decide how much you can spend per unit. It can be just a small “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Valentine's Day” sticker on your regular shipping supplies — or a whole collection of beautiful branded boxes.

Focus on sustainability

The recent McKinsey’s survey reveals that 84% of consumers consider products’ eco-friendliness when making purchase decisions. If your audience is among them, you should adhere to “green” packaging practices and choose recycled or biodegradable supplies:

Resealable cardboard boxes
Compostable packaging made from corn starch, peanuts, hemp, or palm leaves
Reused boxes in good condition (but don’t forget to cover old stickers and labels to avoid confusion)
Shredded cardboard, paper tissue, or embossed paper
Eco-friendly paper tape

Sustainable packaging practices include: not putting a box inside a box, minimizing returns, educating your customers about waste sorting, offering combined shipping, and avoiding boxes that are too big for your item. For more detailed information, please read the article on eco-friendly packaging.

Tip: If you use only sustainable packaging supplies, don’t be shy! Mention it in your listing titles and descriptions, add this information to the About section of your eBay Store. Lots of eBay shoppers care about the environment, and your eco packaging can help you stand out from the competition.

Make your buyers feel special

Add a nice touch to your parcel by adding a small inspiring sticker or a card with kind words. What would you write there? It can be good wishes for the upcoming holiday, a compliment, or some empowering words for your customers. It will not only create good feelings, but also make the order memorable.

If the number of orders is not too overwhelming, you can make handwritten notes telling the story of your store and describing its mission. Your message may resonate with one-time buyers and make them your repeat customers.

Coded coupons are also a great tool for building loyalty. Adding a printed coupon with a promo code to your package, and your customers will be more likely to make another purchase.

Choose a trendy packaging design

If your audience values cutting-edge tech and enjoys following new trends, your packaging should reflect that. Read about the trending colors and styles for this holiday season and keep them in mind when selecting your boxes or other supplies.

What’s in style this season

1. Scandinavian minimalism. Choose neutral colors, natural materials, and simple ornaments to create a calm and soothing impression. This style is best for those sellers who use eco-friendly packaging supplies.

2. Viva magenta. Pantone’s color of the year 2023 is vibrant and audacious [1]. Use the color palette of vivid pinks and strong purples in your packaging supplies to reflect your brand’s bold attitude.

3. Black-and-white color scheme. Monochromatic packaging may look serious and even austere. Mix patterns to create a more festive look for your orders: stripes, polka dots, seasonal motifs, and such.

4. Sparkling metallics. What can be more festive than shining and glittering gold? However, this season you can choose any metallic color that appeals to you: silver, pewter, iron, champagne gold, brass, or platinum.

5. Vintage design. The everlasting demand for sustainability contributes to the popularity of charming retro items and patterns. Use vintage motifs in your packaging, but don’t overuse plastic supplies because that would look inconsistent and hypocritical.

Offer gift wrapping for your items

Some eBay orders are gifts for someone living abroad or in another city. A buyer can provide their address as the shipping destination, and the order will be delivered right to the addressee’s place of residence. Convenient, isn’t it? But if the parcel arrives in a regular packaging, it will lack holiday spirit, and the overall impression might be spoiled. That’s why we recommend adding the gift wrapping option to your items. It can be a separately listed paid service in your eBay Store, or you can offer it for free. Either way, buyers looking for gifts will appreciate this option because it will create a festive mood for their loved ones.

Use custom shipping supplies

How about turning your packaging into promotional materials? Order custom shipping boxes or mailers with your Store’s name, logo, and social media page. Custom design will not only give your parcels a professional look, but also encourage customers to follow you on Instagram or other social platforms.

In addition to this, you can prepare custom greeting cards or seasonal decorations with your Store’s name and slogan. It’s another opportunity to promote your brand: when your buyers give these little things to friends, colleagues, or relatives, there’s a good chance they will google your Store name or look it up on eBay.

Imbue your listings and Store with festive spirit

What do you want buyers to feel when they come across your listings in search results or eBay ads? It’s probably excitement, joy, and warmth traditionally associated with the upcoming holidays. If you manage to convey these feelings via your item photos, your listings’ will surely get more attention from holiday shoppers. It may be worth time and effort to arrange a photo shoot of your items with seasonal props and decorations. Even if your products have little to do with the holidays, you still can present them as great gifts.

And don’t forget to customize your Storefront, so that any buyers visiting your Store would feel warmth and delight. Use image editors or collage-making apps to add festive elements to your logo and main image. Even a few snowflakes or a couple of spooky-looking bats can make a difference! You can also create a clickable marketing banner to lead buyers to the best-selling category of products.

Creating festive vibes is one of your most important tasks before and during holidays. Even if your budget is limited, we strongly recommend customizing your Store and adding item photos with seasonal backgrounds. Today’s hectic life often makes us feel overwhelmed, and everyone is in need of positive emotions. Let your buyers find warmth and magic on your eBay page, and they will be happy to make a purchase!

Sources:

Welcome to the Magentaverse. Pantone LLC. URL: https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year/2023. Accessed 08 Nov 2023.