Getting your business ready for the Christmas rush: ensure you have the packaging you need for the festive period

Christmas is fast approaching with only 3 weeks left to go! Our packaging experts at Rajapack have put some useful information together to help your business run smoothly over the festive season.

It all started with a record-breaking weekend

We’ve just passed Black Friday on November 25^th, where you may have picked up a bargain or two on the high street or the internet, which ran through to Cyber Monday on November 28^th.  Last year UK shoppers spent £3.3 billion over that weekend, and forecasts for this year were expecting £5 billion in the busiest online trading day ever!

Following Cyber Monday, the run up to Christmas is now in full swing as many businesses see demand surge right through to Christmas Day.  Last year UK retailers took £24 billion across November and December, a 12% increase on 2014, which is expected to grow even more this year.

Just what can you do to ensure you’re prepared?

If you’ve been trading for more than 12 months then you should have a good record of what happened in 2015; total orders taken, extra hours required, and how much packaging, stock and supplies you used.  Look back over last year’s results for each month and it should give you a starting point for what to expect in 2016.

Find out when orders began to increase and work this into your planning.  Did orders rise by 50% in mid-November, and then again by 200% by December? By noting these changes, you should get a good sense of what to expect so you can order enough supplies to fulfil your orders.

Many small businesses don’t have the space to store lots of materials or packaging on site, so ordering from suppliers that offer next day delivery can help you be more flexible, buying materials and packaging when you need it.

Make sure you’ve got your packaging boxed off

The right packaging is essential to give your customers a good experience when they receive your parcel, ensuring it arrives safely and well presented. We’ve shaped our services so that all our customers can benefit from our expert advice, flexibility as well as our wide range of packaging, so you can stay focused on your business.

Just a few of the things we offer include:

• 99% of all our packaging products are in stock, always.
• Next day delivery offered as standard.
• Credit arrangement terms are available after your first order, so you can pay by invoice.
• Expert packaging advice, to ensure you’re using the right packaging for your products.
• A wide range of Christmas packaging, including personalised bags and tape to ensure your products stand out.

Key delivery dates

Finally, we’ve compiled some key dates below so you don’t miss anything when it comes to posting your parcels out this year.

Ordering your packaging this Christmas

For ordering your packaging from Rajapack UK, our last order dates are:

• To ensure your packaging arrives in time for Christmas, place your order by Thursday 22^nd December, we’ll deliver the next day on Friday 23^rd.
• We offer a Saturday morning delivery service on 24^th December, available at an additional cost for orders placed on Thursday 23^rd.
• We’ll be open as normal between 27^th & 31^st, with normal deliveries resuming on 3^rd January 2017.

For full details of our Christmas opening times, to request our latest catalogue or browse our Christmas packaging range, simply visit www.rajapack.co.uk or contact our team on 0800 542 44 28.