The holidays are always stressful time for consumers and business owners alike. While consumers are trying to find the perfect gifts and treats for their family and friends business owners have the excruciating task of proving to consumers that their product is the perfect fit. So that leads to the question of how do businesses successfully brand themselves for the holiday season while staying true to their identity?
Introducing: SYNPLE
Recently, Split14 Creative had the pleasure of helping a small boutique navigate this challenge. The first and most important part of any project is to evaluate brand values and business mission. In this case, we collaborated with SYNPLE, a lifestyle boutique located in Camillus, New York. SYNPLE is a brand that is committed to personalizing the shopping experience with the belief that every shopper has a unique identity that deserves to be celebrated. They offer something for everyone and believe in accessible, high-quality products. SYNPLE’s aim to always put a smile on consumers faces and believe a little retail therapy can be healing. The boutique is aesthetically dedicated to creating a luxurious brand feel across all points of the shopping experience. While exploring their store the Split14 team noted that everything from the layout of the store, the product placement, the background music, and even the candle they burned in store emulated cozy and chic. The owner pointed out that in the consumer experience she believed the only process left to be elevated was their check out process. Currently, purchases were packaged in simple white kraft bags with a logo sticker. Though functional, the owner believed her customers — especially during the holiday season — would appreciate a more refined presentation. That’s where Split14 stepped in.
The Project
After having a one on one with the brand owner Split14 really got to understand not only her brand goals but also her aesthetic vision. SYNPLE truly values the beauty of understated elegance. They were not looking for a loud statement but instead wanted to showcase the beauty of subtlety. First we had the task of locating the bags that FELT luxury. In cases when the design is to be relatively subdued we look to our materials to be the statement. Split14 was able to source bags with a similar vibe but an elevated feel swapping the thin kraft paper bags with twine handles for a heavy weight bags with the elevated woven ribbon. The next task was taking them to the next level for the Holidays. While the new bag would be used year round with the regular logo hot stamped to the front, for the holidays we needed to elevate it even further to drive the “gifting experience” further.
SYNPLE’s owner had sourced some holly berry wrapping paper that she wanted to include in her bagging, with this in mind we used the wrapping paper to craft the perfect Holiday logo for a limited run of the bags. Keeping true to her brand the logo created was a simple addition for colored holly to her logo. This successfully brought her branding into the holidays without warping her brand identify- keeping SYNPLE simple and elegant, while bringing a festive touch for the season.
Conclusion
This case study poses a question for other businesses: how can you enhance your customer experience for the holidays while staying true to your brand? By focusing on small but meaningful details, you can create a memorable experience that aligns with your brand values and leaves a lasting impression on your customers.