When the parcel arrives: what print can do in the run-up to Christmas
In the golden quarter, brands compete for attention across all channels, and much of it is simply clicked away. A parcel, on the other hand, is picked up and opened at one’s leisure. Let’s unpack it together and see what role print plays in this today.
You get home, your jacket still half on, and there it is in the hall: a parcel. Probably the one you’ve been waiting for since Tuesday, or perhaps another one – you can’t really remember that clearly in autumn. It’s been a long day, and it’s already almost dark outside. Despite that – or perhaps precisely because of it – you’re feeling a bit pleased. This morning in the meeting, the topic of shipping packaging for the Christmas season came up, along with the question of whether it really warrants so much attention. The budget is tight, and the share allocated to digital channels is set to increase further at the expense of print advertising.
You can’t just click away a parcel
If you think back, you’ve already seen dozens of advertising messages today. Discount emails, banners, adverts between two posts – you didn’t even notice most of them. The parcel in the hall is a different matter altogether. You were expecting it, you pick it up, and you’re about to open it without anyone having to persuade you to do so. For brands that sell primarily online, this is often the only moment when they make physical contact with their customers beyond their product. And younger shoppers, in particular, pay very close attention to how this unboxing experience feels.
The greeting on the box was printed just before dispatch
On the top, a short, seasonally appropriate greeting speaks directly to you. Nothing major, but it catches your eye for a moment. And then, whether you like it or not, the professional in you speaks up: was this box really mass-produced in batches of a thousand? Not necessarily. There are now fulfilment centres that use plain boxes and only print on them just before sealing. These printing systems are linked to the warehouse software, and the print can vary from order to order – for example, with a promotion for a specific region or a greeting to mark a special occasion. So the brand doesn’t have to decide back in the summer what will be printed on the box in December. And in January, nobody is left with boxes featuring Christmas motifs. “Clever,” you admit to yourself, giving credit to the colleagues responsible.
When you open it, the packaging appeals to more senses than any screen
You pull the tear-off strip, lift the lid, and the first thing you notice isn’t even the product. There’s a faint scent of cinnamon. The inside is printed, and in one spot the paper feels different from the rest. Somewhere, a team has devised precisely this moment, and it has clearly worked for you. Naturally, you wonder how they’ve done it, and even more so, how much something like this might cost. But you put the question of money to one side for the moment, because you realise that the technology behind it is less exotic than it feels. Fragrances can be enclosed in tiny capsules that only break open due to the friction caused by unwrapping, and can simply be printed alongside the design using screen or flexo printing. There are inks that react to heat and only reveal a message when you place your hand on them. And textured surfaces can now be created more cost-effectively using special varnishes rather than a laminated film.
A digitally printed insert in a shipping box is ideal for showcasing seasonal campaigns, right through to an Advent calendar. The area is seen precisely when people are taking the time to look anyway.
The insert leads further into the digital world
Beneath the tissue paper lies a card with a code. You scan it, if only out of professional curiosity. A small animation opens in your browser without you having to install an app first, and at the end there’s a competition running until Christmas. What’s exciting isn’t so much the animation as what lies behind it. Modern product identification codes, such as those based on the GS1 Digital Link standard, can be redirected to new content at any time. So the same box can lead to a prize draw in November and to something completely different in January. With gift packaging, it gets even more personal, as a smart label with an NFC chip can, for example, contain a personal message from the giver. This clearly demonstrates once again what you constantly emphasise to some of your colleagues: print and digital channels are not opposites. The printed material is often precisely the point where the journey into the digital world begins.
There’s no other product quite like it
At the very bottom lies what you actually ordered. The packaging features a colourful pattern, and on closer inspection you realise that this pattern was apparently created exclusively for your copy. The idea isn’t entirely new. A few years ago, a manufacturer of spreads launched a limited edition of several million jars, each label featuring its own design calculated by an algorithm, and the edition sold out within a month. This is made possible by digital printing, which, unlike offset or flexographic printing, does not require printing plates and can produce each item differently. Nowadays, this isn’t just possible for the very big players. A small chocolate manufacturer uses this method to bring out Easter and Christmas products without having to commit to large minimum order quantities or tie up capital in stock.
Personalisation comes into play at two stages. For an entire campaign, it begins when the packaging is printed; for an individual order, it takes place just before dispatch.
The next morning, the professional’s questions arise
The next morning, you’re back at your desk. In front of you, a cup of the Advent tea you unwrapped yesterday is steaming. You can’t get that parcel out of your head. Now the question you brushed aside last night has come back too. How much does something like this cost per unit, and is it cost-effective given our order volumes? How much lead time is needed, and who needs to be at the table when marketing, procurement and logistics suddenly find themselves discussing a cardboard box together? And if names or greetings are to be included on the packaging, how do we handle this data with care? Not every brand needs a scent, a chip and a bespoke design all at once. Often, you’ve already achieved a great deal simply by using the one space that’s there anyway and thinking about what should be printed there at the right moment.
Print has taken on a new role in marketing
The empty cardboard box is still standing in the hallway, and it’s getting dark early again outside. Somewhere in the world, colleagues have thought about how this one moment should feel, and they’ve managed to reach you with it – otherwise you wouldn’t be thinking about it now. It has once again become clear to you: print hasn’t lost its role in marketing; it has simply shifted. Print is the part of a campaign you can touch, and often the very point where online and offline converge. For the upcoming Christmas shopping season, the question may therefore no longer be whether you can save yourself the effort, but rather which moment during unwrapping best suits your brand.
That depends less on size than on the objective. Digital printing doesn’t require printing plates, so even small print runs and seasonal variants are cost-effective. Often, it’s enough simply to make targeted use of an existing space, such as the inside of the packaging or an insert.
Traditionally pre-produced packaging is often planned months in advance. With digital printing or printing shortly before dispatch, designs can be adapted at much shorter notice. Just how short depends on the process and the service provider.
Both lead to digital content via a smartphone, such as a competition, a video or a promotional page. Codes compliant with the GS1 Digital Link standard can be redirected to new content at a later date. An NFC chip is tapped rather than scanned and is particularly suitable for gift and premium packaging.
No. Variants for different regions, occasions or specific time periods can be created entirely without personal data. Only when names or personalised greetings are to be included on the packaging is data from the order required, and in such cases the usual data protection rules apply.
