Planning a holiday gift program: a month-by-month timeline
When to lock artwork, approve samples and book freight so year-end corporate gift boxes actually arrive before the holidays.
Holiday gifting fails on the calendar, not on the product. Sea freight to Europe and North America takes 30–40 days, and the factory floor is at capacity from September onwards.
June to July is concept and budget. Define the recipient tiers, the per-set budget, and whether the program is one SKU or several. This is also the cheapest moment to explore custom tooling.
August is sampling. Approve a physical pre-production sample, not a rendering. Confirm ribbon colour, insert fit and card stock in your hand.
September is production and quality inspection. October is consolidation and departure. Anything that ships in November is arriving by air at three to five times the freight cost.
Build two weeks of buffer into every stage. Clients change artwork, and the buffer is what keeps that from becoming an air freight invoice.