Over these past few months, many of us have been sheltering in place, working from home, and watching the COVID-19 crisis unfold. Now, as state regulations permit, businesses are beginning to open again, but life is not simply returning to the old normal. Not only has this pandemic affected retail sales in the recent past, it will continue to have an effect in the foreseeable future.

Overall, store closings have set retailers back. In March, retail sales dropped 8.7%, the largest month-to-month decrease since the Census Bureau started tracking the data in 1992. But this overview doesn’t tell the whole story.

The impact seen varies greatly depending not only on the type of retail business but also whether they sell online. According to BigCommerce, Food & Beverage and Gifts & Specialty online sales are up 7.2% and 18.9% respectively, while NPD has reported that the week of March 28, 2020, online beauty sales jumped 47% year-over-year. Although alcoholic beverage sales have spiked significantly, the distribution and type of alcohol being sold has changed enough to upend the liquor industry. And consumer reactions to the pandemic also vary from one generation to the next and between men and women, adding even more flux to the situation.

In recent weeks, online versus in-store sales trends have started to slowly reverse. Stores have begun opening with precautions, but that doesn’t mean sales will automatically jump back to where they were before. As Imogen Matthews asks in Happi, “One of the big questions is where people will want to buy and from whom—is direct contact ever going to re-emerge?” Until that time, retailers will need to continue to be creative as they open locations, offering services such as buy online and pick up in store, no-contact delivery, and appointment shopping.
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Although the effects of COVID-19 have and will continue to vary, we have recovered from recessions in the past and expect to again now. The questions in everyone’s mind are, how long will it take, and will this change the shopping environment permanently?

Encore International is excited to announce that we've won two awards in the 41st Annual NJPEC Package of the Year competition!

The limited edition George & Viv 24 Days of Beauty advent calendar box we supplied for Anthropologie won the Promotional Gold award. This rigid book style box contains twenty four inner folding kraft boxes for individual product to be opened each day leading up to Christmas. Illustration style graphics with gold, blue, and fushia foil created an eye catching visual on the shelf and online.
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The coffret box we developed for Luxe Brands for Ariana Grande was awarded with the Bronze in the Gift Set category. Inspired by a holiday box Encore created, this rigid foil wrapped box has a PET window on the front panel that allows viewing not only of the various products but also a dimensional scene inside. These layers add a unique element that really stands out, making for an excellent gift and worthy of keepsake.

Spring is finally here! With the warmer weather that's starting to show, we decided this was a perfect time to share a spring mood board and showcase some spring themed packaging.

Are you looking for some spring packaging for your brand? Contact us to see how we can help you develop seasonal packaging for your product!

Encore International is excited to announce that we've won two awards in the 40th Annual NJPEC Package of the Year competition!

The prestige fragrance gift boxes we supplied to Luxe Brands for Ariana Grande have been awarded with the Gold Award in the Gift Set category. This set of folding boxes were designed to be specialty items that could also ship flat for cost effectiveness. Each box has different art, printing, and finishes to match the fragrance they hold and hinge open with a ribbon puller so all three compartments can be viewed on display. These boxes are striking individually or together to create an impressive and eye catching display on shelf.
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The limited edition coffret box we supplied to Revlon/Elizabeth Arden for Juicy Couture has been awarded with the Silver Award in the Fragrance category. The design of this box was intended to be unique to help convey its standing as a specialty item. Not your typical rectangle box, this closes to be a pentagon shape, keeping in line with the current geometric trend. Creative and original, this giftable coffret box is keepsake worthy.