Flexible production schedules help make promotions timely

On this blog, we’ve talked about incorporating holiday promotions in custom label strategy. For Valentines Day, countless manufacturers have prepared specialty items for the public to enjoy on the most romantic day of the year, but what happens when that day is over?

Large manufacturers like candy companies may have the resources to absorb losses sustained by an excess of holiday-branded goods. Drugstores have a habit of selling leftovers at a discount, and customers obviously don’t mind because candy is candy. Greeting cards can be held for the following year, and other goods can be repurposed after the fact. However, for smaller companies, it’s important to have a flexible label strategy so that you can produce just enough to meet the consumer demand, and not much more. 

Labels bearing Valentine’s day messages, recipes or other nods to the holiday might not seem relevant once February 14 is past. For that reason, printing the correct number of labels for products is essential, as well as having a plan to restore branding to “normal” on February 15. It’s a delicate balance that manufacturers need to strike in order to maximize profit, and assert themselves deliberately in the marketplace. 

“One of the things a lot of candy makers are doing is making a product with a sleeve on it that can be taken off after Valentine’s Day and then the product can be sold the day after as a non-Valentine’s Day item,” Crystal Lindell, the managing editor for Candy Industry Magazine told ABC Buffalo. 

Along the supply chain, estimating demand is part of the job. When companies get creative with label promotions, another factor is introduced to the equation: How long is this promotion set to run? When is the advertised sweepstakes deadline? How can we ensure that our products on shelves are communicating the right message at the right time? Setting a production schedule that accounts for these changes can save time and effort. 

Another creative solution to the stale-promotion problem is to brand items in holiday colors, without making other overt nods to the occasion. For example, Hershey’s Kisses are typically red, silver and pink around Valentine’s Day. Around Christmas, they’re often gold, red and green. Once the promotional days have passed, there’s nothing directly tying those colors to a certain holiday, and they become more neutral to consumers. One week, a customer might purchase them to complement Christmas decorations around the house, or to stuff stockings, but the next, they’re just Hershey’s Kisses again. 

With an industrial label printer, companies can take control of the timetable, volume and other metrics of production that help them tailor labels to the moment. Contact us today to learn more about custom label printing options.