If you’re a brand that relies heavily on Black Friday and Christmas shopping patterns, this is probably the most stressful time of year. First, you’ll need to somehow forecast your product needs and balance your cash flow. Maybe then you might start to think about forecasting your packaging needs.
We’ve worked with several brands who work to the “Christmas in July” principle: planning and ordering in July to make sure you don’t miss important lead time deadlines. The bad news is that we’re at the tail end of August.
The good news is that when it comes to packaging, there’s still time for you to get what you need. If we take Black Friday as the closer deadline, here’s a rough guide to some order deadlines (assuming delivery to you by 22nd November):
Corrugated Mailer Boxes, Shipping Boxes, Cartonboard Boxes
UK (Road): First Order – 10th October | Reorder – 17th October
Europe (Road): First Order – 3rd October | Reorder – 10th October
Asia (Air): First Order – 3rd October | Reorder – 10th October
Rigid Boxes
UK (Road): First Order – 10th October | Reorder – 17th October
Europe (Road): First Order – 3rd October | Reorder – 10th October
Asia (Air): First Order – 12th September | Reorder – 19th September
Tissue Paper & Printed Collateral
UK (Road): First Order – 10th October | Reorder – 17th October
Europe (Road): First Order – 10th October | Reorder – 17th October
Paper Tubes
Europe (Road): First Order – 3rd October | Reorder – 10th October
Asia (Air): First Order – 26th September | Reorder – 26th September
Paper Mailers
UK (Road): First Order – 3rd October | Reorder – 10th October
Europe (Road): First Order – 3rd October | Reorder – 10th October
Poly Mailers & Poly Bubble Mailers
Asia (Air): First Order – 3rd October | Reorder – 10th October
Other considerations
These dates assume that artwork is ready to go and any sampling needs have been taken care of. We would always recommend giving yourself some comfort room for design:
Artwork and design – minimum 1 week. Sampling (where possible) – 3 weeks. Decision making – minimum 1 week. Higher quantities will require longer lead times (could be 2–3 weeks longer). For Christmas, add 2 weeks to the above table.
Rush Orders
We’re sometimes able to accommodate rush orders depending on the complexity of the design and print. This might mean compromising on print process, materials, finish or using a stock size. Contact us to discuss your needs.
