November 30, 2016

One of the biggest trends in cosmetics over the holiday season is that of giftable packaging. This could mean many things, such as packaging that already resembles a wrapped gift or keepsake packaging that consumers will be able to keep and reuse. For those of us in the cosmetics industry, the holidays mean gift set mania.

Year after year, the holiday shopping season begins earlier and earlier Black Friday used to signify the beginning of the shopping season, but is now becoming a last minute sale. Cosmetic manufacturers need to prepare exceedingly early in order to be ahead of the curve. That being said, many companies are already working on gift sets for 2017.

Likely, it’s too late for you to change your brand’s holiday campaign. However, here are some ideas to get you inspired for next year.

Cosmetic Sets

Shoppers look for value in their holiday gifts. You can tell that makeup sets satisfy that need from just one peek at Sephora’s website between October and January. Whether your set be lipsticks, eye shadows, mascaras, fragrances, or a combination, customers want variety in a gift set.

After all, it’s difficult to guess another person’s makeup preferences. Variety makes customers more confident about their gift purchases. Check out one of Sephora’s most popular gift sets on the right and notice how it has something for everyone.

Choose a Theme

By theme, we don’t just mean “holiday,” but packaging that aligns with your brand as well as the products you’ve included in your holiday gift sets. You want your brand to be easily identifiable and the gift set should have some element of excitement.

In the picture on the right, you can see the company First Aid Beauty incorporated the colors used in individual products into the set packaging. They’ve also added some custom holiday graphics to make it festive.

Keepsake Packaging

The idea of reusable packaging is always intriguing to the customer — even more so when that packaging appears to be of high quality. Typically, this strategy is reserved for luxury brands, as keepsake packaging tends to drive up the price.

Placing your items in keepsake items that customers can collect and display will generate a buzz about your product. Everyone will want it not only for the products they love, but for the limited edition items they receive as well.