Plan for the festive period

It won’t be long before the first mince pies appear on shop shelves – a clear sign that declares the Christmas countdown has truly begun. When it comes to the promotional merchandise industry, time really is of the essence for all festive matters.

By the time the Halloween decorations are on shelves, in some cases, it’s almost too late for clients to order with guaranteed delivery for December. End-user clients often don’t have an appreciation of the really tight turnaround times and deadlines of our sector.

It’s hard to imagine the scheduling, planning and manic production that comes with the Christmas season unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes. With that in mind, it is vital to ask clients about special Christmas promotions they have coming up and give them a positive nudge towards placing their orders. This

part of the year can be the perfect time to maximise opportunities and revenues; the Christmas messaging and saturation has yet to hit so customers will be viewing products with fresh eyes and your fantastic new product offerings can get a real boost.

Examples of events

Think about what events end users might be hosting. Whether its branded blankets for festive frolics outside, promotional messages on long-sleeved T-shirts, hoodies, softshell jackets or beanie hats. Be sure to ask about Christmas events or parties – think printed bags and giveaways
like gloves, socks, and scarves.

Consider finishes

Gold is always great for more subtle touches and offering metallic or glitter print finishes for a bit of festive sparkle will catch the eye of all.

Communicate

Work closely and maintain open lines of communication with your supply partner to ensure deadlines are met. For example, with customised or bespoke products shipping might take six weeks, so customers need to allow for 12 weeks from order to delivery.

This means there is very little time left for guaranteed delivery in December. If ordering off-the-shelf products to be over branded it will certainly be faster, but when it comes to Christmas orders, the earlier the better. Don’t be the elf on the shelf, get your customers on board with early Christmas planning.

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