3 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the Holiday Rush

The High-Stakes Retail Balancing Act

The holiday season remains a pivotal opportunity for retailers, bringing heightened demand alongside increased operational complexity. The National Retail Federation (NRF), the world's largest retail trade association, forecasts that total retail sales in the U.S. holiday season will rise about 3.7–4.2% over last year. Consumer behaviour continues to reflect a strong focus on value, with shoppers placing increased importance on promotions, discounts, and competitive pricing when making purchase decisions.

Managing Holiday deal pricing is a delicate balance for merchandisers as they seek to manage profit margins, prevent overstock inventory and capture the sale. Then, there is year-end when attention shifts to returning holiday gifts. E-commerce typically sees a significant increase in return volumes during and after the holiday season. Higher-value items, in particular, tend to generate disproportionately high return rates, adding cost, complexity, and operational strain to fulfilment and reverse-logistics processes.

Here are some of this year’s biggest trends predicted to shape this holiday season:

1. Personalised Promotions & AI-driven Deals: Retailers are leveraging AI to deliver hyper-personalised discounts and product recommendations. This helps brands stand out in a crowded marketplace and maximise conversion rates.
2. Sustainability as a Purchase Driver: Eco-conscious shopping is stronger than ever. Consumers are actively seeking brands that use recyclable or reusable packaging and highlight carbon-neutral shipping options. This is no longer a “nice-to-have”—it’s a competitive advantage.
3. Same-Day & Micro-Fulfilment Expansion: Two-day delivery is now the baseline. Many retailers are investing in micro-fulfilment centres and localised inventory to offer same-day or next-day delivery, especially for high-demand items.
4. Returns Management as a Differentiator: With return rates still hovering around 30%, brands are focusing on frictionless returns and even incentivising exchanges instead of refunds to protect margins.
5. Omnichannel Integration: Click-and-collect and hybrid shopping experiences are booming. Consumers expect seamless transitions between online and in-store, including unified loyalty programmes and inventory visibility.
6. Packaging as a Brand Experience: Beyond protection, packaging is being used as a marketing tool—think branded, sustainable materials and “unboxing moments” that drive social sharing.

3 ways to optimise your operations and get ahead of the trends:

1. Protect your products

Damage is one of the top reasons why products are returned. According to eCommerce Fastlane, 80% of returns are due to product damage or breakage. Not only is damage a tremendous business cost with higher customer service expenses, fulfilment costs, product replacement charges, and even higher freight – but it’s also a blow to brand image.

Think about the popularity of unboxing videos on social media. A delightful unboxing experience – even without video – serves as the foundation for a positive, long-term customer relationship. Contrast that with the disappointment, frustration, and even anger when a long-awaited holiday gift is damaged.

Investing in good packaging pays off. Here are specific ways Pregis can help:

When products require a box with premium protection, sustainability can still be a defining influence. Look for on-demand cushioning like the Pregis AirSpeed® Ascent, which cushions holiday gifts on a bed of air. This film is a high-pressure air cushioning solution that is 100% recyclable and is made of 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content– boosting your sustainability standards to the next level. Plus, White Paper research shows that products packed in superior cushioning improve the customers’ price perception of the product by 45%.

If product damage continues to be a headache, turn to the Pregis IQ team. Our Integrated Systems engineers are eager to tackle your toughest packaging challenges and can evaluate, design, and test the ideal packaging solution so you can delight customers and increase brand loyalty.

2. Optimise your workspace for speed and efficiency

Paying attention to ergonomics has a direct effect on workers’ speed and efficiency. When it comes to speed, the Pregis line of Sharp Automated Mailing & Bagging systems can improve output by four times versus manual packing!

Adding equipment to the mix is a common way to increase workstation output. You have your workers in mind that are using the equipment and material combination. Machines need to be properly positioned and supplies easily accessible to improve efficiency, reduce injuries, and boost throughput.

Machines should be loaded at the hip or waist level. Anything higher or lower can lead to workers losing their balance or cause unnecessary strain. Keep your packaging supplies within arms reach to reduce unproductive worker movement. Train your full-time, part-time, or temporary employees on proper packing techniques, not only to ensure damages stay low but to reduce confusion about how to effectively pack your products.

Preparing for peak season and performance with an ergonomic setup and great training will optimize efficiencies and throughput. The experts at Pregis can help:

• Offering “how to” videos specifically tailored to your operation, workspaces, and products. · Conducting training sessions both in-person and virtually.
• Ergonomically positioning packaging materials and dispensers to allow packers the most optimal setup for your business.

Lastly, you can’t be speedy and efficient if supplies are out of stock. Partnering with a trusted supplier like Pregis who builds its products to stock will help keep your operations up and running with a constant supply of packaging materials.

3. Turn sustainability into brand loyalty

Building your brand around sustainability can create stronger affinity and loyalty, especially since consumers seek out brands that display concern and take action toward protecting the environment. Sustainability plays into most buying decisions and can lead to a customer conversion over a competitive brand.

Using sustainable packaging solidifies a positive perception of your products as these materials are the first things customers see when an item arrives on their doorstep.

There are a host of sustainable packaging solutions that can improve brand perception while maintaining your operation’s desired speed and efficiency. Here’s how Pregis can help:

Pregis EasyPack® Paper Systems produces recyclable paper cushioning material on demand. Consumers are becoming more in favour of fibre-based materials as they are more frequently accepted for curbside recycling.

As previously mentioned, the Ascent is a standout for both cushioning and sustainability. Pregis pulls material previously designated for disposal and waste and remakes it into highly effective cushioning materials to protect your business’s valuable products. Using this material can result in a 40% reduction in carbon emissions versus comparable materials without recycled content.

If you would like more advice for packing to optimize your operations and improve your brand perception to your most valued customers, contact us today. We’re happy to help you optimize your operations and boost productivity with our creative packaging solutions.