With experts once again predicting that Black Friday will outperform Christmas this year as the biggest shopping event in the retail calendar, Antalis Packaging is advising customers to plan ahead to ensure their packaging and logistics are able to withstand the earlier seasonal rush.

As 2018 is set to see the escalation of the Black Friday takeover, latest research shows 42% of British retailers now view the US import as more important than the Christmas rush.

According to Antalis, one major issue facing retailers ahead of Black Friday this year is how to deal with the unprecedented increase in returns as more and more customers use online shopping to ‘try before they buy’. Meanwhile, the rising importance of the unboxing experience of online orders at home is driving a growing appetite for bespoke personalised packaging. Andrew Smedley, head of ecommerce and logistical packaging at Antalis, comments: “In just five short years, flash sales such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have completely transformed the UK retail sector, resulting in a sharp rise in pre-Christmas shopping and with the popularity of Black Friday showing no signs of abating this year, retailers need to prepare now for the ‘new normal’ of the festive seasonal peak arriving much sooner than ever before.”

“Although the packaging and distribution isn’t always top priority for retailers, it can really make an impact in terms of improving efficiency in time for the Black Friday peak in demand.

With more and more consumers over-buying and excessively returning – a practice costing retailers billions of pounds in lost revenue each year – it’s never been more important to have a robust returns process in place.”

One area to consider, advises Antalis, is bespoke pack designs that can not only help retailers to boost those all-important seasonal sales by cashing in on the trend for all things personalised but can also be key to overcoming significant logistical challenges.

Andrew adds: “For instance, personalising packaging such as boxes and cushioning solutions is seen as increasingly essential to making that memorable first impression. At the same time, bespoke pack design also offers quicker packing speeds, better protection, as well as ensuring packaging can be easily returned. Using up-to-date machinery is another way to speed up packing times, which are crucial to meeting those all-important delivery targets during the festive period.

“For businesses looking to take their seasonal preparations up a notch, help is at hand via our new state-of-art design facilities, where our dedicated team of e-commerce and logistical experts can turn around bespoke packaging samples in just 24 hours.”

ANTALIS PACKAGING

www.antalispackaging.co.uk

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