It’s no secret that holiday is time for serious business—and for many brands, that means getting deeply promotional to make goals. But the beauty of planning ahead is that you can strategically plan to meet your goals with innovative, expert-backed solutions, rather than relying on sales to get you to the finish line. Here’s what our product and marketing leaders recommend to give your holiday sales a boost—without sacrificing your margin.

1. LIMITED IS THE NEW LUXURYWhen it comes to gifting, we all want to give something that is unique and thoughtful, but in today’s globalized marketplace, it’s becoming more difficult than ever. As a brand leader, you’re in a unique position to deliver with limited edition holiday product drops that are sure to sell out. Think: holiday versions of your best-selling products, your hero products in ready-to-gift secondary packaging, sets, merch, and more that you won’t offer year round.

To capitalize on this trend, work with our brand experts to come up with unique product concept in tandem with a hype-building marketing campaign so you can build up the anticipation way before the holiday season actually starts.

2. MERCH, MERCH, MERCHListen here: People who are crazy about your products are probably crazy about your brand, too. And for today’s customers, brand loyalty isn’t just a purchasing habit—it’s a lifestyle. If you know parents are shopping for their kids, or vice versa, for products they buy year ‘round, you can up the ante with limited edition merchandise soft goods, like sweatshirts, baseball hats, water bottles, cosmetic bags, and more, to either supplement the products your customers are already buying, or give them another reason to purchase from you this holiday season.

Our soft goods experts are on standby to help you come up with a unique merch idea, whether it compliments your product offering or stands strong on its own—we can make it happen.

3. GET GIFTYYou may think of the holidays as a time for your customers to get gifty— but it’s a great time for your business to, too. Instead of incentivizing customers with discounts, you can add more value with holiday-only gifts based on purchase thresholds or item selections. For example, you could create a limited-edition holiday lip gloss that comes with any purchase over $50, helping you keep additional money in your business as opposed to running a 20% off promotion, for example.

Need help thinking of a unique gift with purchase that’s strong enough to bring in new and existing customers this holiday season? We’re full of ideas—and now’s the time to reach out.

4. GO FOR A COLLAB OR TAP INTO NOSTALGIAAround the holiday season, customers are endlessly seeking novelty—and you have a few avenues to provide it to them. You can collaborate with another brand to capitalize on double the audience, or you can tap into a nostalgic element, tying your signature products in with something they remember fondly from years past. Our packaging solution for Dr. Squatch x Harry Potter is a great example—and a great way to create unique gifts for your customers to give abundantly.

No matter what you’re considering for the holiday season ahead, our brand strategists and product experts are here to help you make it happen. But now’s the time to get started so everything’s ready to go by Q4. To schedule  your free holiday consultation, reach out today.