In Closing
Gifts That Keep Giving
After the holidays, the last things we want around are tinsel and trees, wrapping and wreaths, candles and confetti. Consumers feel the same way. Their minds have turned to other opportunities (or obligations) for gift giving, like Valentine's Day. In a matter of days, shopping lists change dramatically.
How do designers of fragrance packaging keep up?
If you design a holiday gift set that uses your brand's signature colors rather than holiday colors or themes, you've got it made. You've chosen a package that can carry you through the holidays to Valentine's Day and perhaps even to Mother's Day. Take, for example, the setup boxes for Thierry Mugler Parfums' (New York City) Angel, Angel Innocent, and AngelMen fragrances. "Our gift boxes match the Mugler sky blue of our fragrances. The products are laid out inside the box as if they were floating in the universe. Our sets are simple, bold, clear, and effective, and they are popular because of that," explains Thierry Mugler Parfums' Pierre Salamon, training and public relations manager. "Our gift sets sell through very quickly."
An any-holiday look may not be what you are after, though, especially if you want your package design to turn a shopper into a gift giver. For its new fragrance collection, BCBGirls by Max Azria, Unilever (New York City) chose "to celebrate the holiday season by providing the girl on the go with packaging that was fashion forward and novel. We wanted to provide packaging that would appeal to every woman, therefore we translated 'Happy Holidays' into seven different languages," explains a spokesperson in Unilever's global marketing department. The message worked. "We had great success this holiday season and had nearly 100% sellthrough."
To increase your chances of sell-throughs like that of BCBGirls, produce gift sets in small volumes, say experts. Not only will it reduce returns, but it also offers givers a unique gift option. "Limited quantities create an ultimate exclusivity feeling," says Thierry Mugler's Salamon. "The maximum return we have never goes above 2%."
However, if you do end up with overstock, they can serve as scented salespeople. "Among the few percent of returns, some components may be transformed into testers," says Salamon.
Experts advise against saving them for another season, or discounting them for quick sale. Both Salamon and Unilever's spokesperson say that they don't hold onto holiday gift sets for future seasons, nor do they discount the sets on retail shelves. "It is against our policies," Salamon states emphatically.
For a closer look at the designs of Thierry Mugler and other holiday gift sets, check out our Inside Design column this month by designer Daniela Pakzad of Bijan Fragrances (Beverly Hills, CA).