- Christmas Decoration market revenue was valued at $5130 million in 2019
- 360 Market Updates is projecting the Christmas Decoration market will reach $5922 million in 2025, growing at a CAGR of 2.24%
- Suppliers to Walmart, Target, Amazon and other major retailers told Reuters they are placing holiday orders for foreign-made merchandise earlier, in light of the global shipping backlog
This holiday season the US Postal Service is temporarily increasing shipping rates for all customers for the first time. In a press release USPS detailed the cost increase between October 3 and December 26. The parcel carrier notes that this increase is done in order to offset increased costs during the busiest shipping season of the year. “This temporary rate adjustment is similar to one in 2020 that anticipated heightened peak-season package and shipping demand, which typically results in extra handling costs,” the press release from USPS notes.
Image courtesy of Rockwall Christmas Company
Shopping Local
Major retailers have placed holiday orders for Chinese-made merchandise weeks earlier this year, in an attempt to prevent the global shipping backlog from leaving holiday shoppers empty-handed. Reuters surveyed nearly a dozen suppliers and retailers of various products and found that all expected long delays in the holiday inventory due to shipping bottlenecks and complications brought on by the pandemic. With the holiday season fast approaching shoppers are left with two choices: wait it out or shop local.
In a 2019 survey by Thomas it was found that around 62% of respondents preferred to buy American-made, with more than a fifth of respondents indicating that they are willing to pay up to 10% more for local products. As more consumers opt to do their shopping online, one family-run, Texas company is helping to take the sting out of buying Christmas decorations.
The Rockwall Christmas Company has taken to producing innovative Christmas Crates, filled with theme-specific decorations for Christmas trees. Tamara Fisher, founder and CEO of the company, remarks that the Rockwall Christmas Company, “…work to produce original works of art and original designs of our products. As such, we do our very best to ensure we have the proper license or use rights for every aspect of our business.”
A Novel Concept: Christmas Crates
“For 2021, we are offering our four themed Christmas Crates,” Tamara Fisher notes. She continues, “Many of the ornaments are designed and made specifically for the Rockwall Christmas Company. Due to logistics, materials shortages, and shipping cost surges we had to limit our designs and stock for this year.”
The idea for Rockwell Christmas Co’s signature crates stems from the realization that a memorable Christmas takes work: planning, choosing decorations and shopping. “We wanted to take some of the toil out of the holiday season so that families had more time to enjoy the holidays and each other,” Tamara Fisher explains and continues: “A vision started to form around one of the most cherished activities of the season: coming together as a family to decorate the tree that will serve as the “heart of the home” through all the special days in December. We wanted to deliver this experience in one easy step.”
What’s in the Christmas Crate?
Each crate is set around a predetermined theme, containing over 100 hand-picked decorations. Themes are inspired by Christmas Carols and include ornaments designed and made by the Rockwell Christmas Company. It should be noted that Christmas Crates do not contain a tree or Christmas lights.
The company places shoppers at ease with a generous refund policy, allowing shoppers to claim a full refund when cancelling their pre-order or regular order at any time prior to shipping. Reservations can be cancelled for a full refund until November 1st and crates are shipped under insurance via UPS Ground.
The company uses a variety of shatterproof materials, ranging from metal, acrylic and resin. Rockwall Christmas Company backs their decorations with a 5 year replacement policy. The customer only pays for shipping for replacement of a damaged decoration. “Our goal is to select materials which provide a beautiful and long-lasting experience,” Tamara notes, highlighting the company’s commitment to quality. She continues: “In providing beautiful and memorable Christmas experiences to our customers, we are guided by our core values of honesty, kindness, loyalty and helpfulness.”
The Takeaway
While parcel carriers are adjusting to another busy season, it would seem that the far-reaching effects of the pandemic had some positive consequences as well, allowing for local family-run companies like Rockwall Christmas Company to flourish.
