I have to get something off my ample chest… Packaging. Don’t flick on just yet.
For me, shopping is never just about the thing itself. It is the whole sensory experience. What you see. What you touch. How it feels in your hands. The website as a shop window. The bag you carry home. The box that lands on your doorstep. All of it needs to work together and feel considered.
That is why this year I am pouring so much love and energy into the Slow Squirrel website, Instagram and newsletters. To make everything cohesive. So you recognise my brand. So you trust spending your money with Squirrel. But one thing I hope Slow Squirrel has always done, right from the very start, is get the packaging right.
Packaging matters. Massively.
When a Squirrel order arrives, or when you walk away with a bag in hand, I want it to feel special. Not just what is inside the box, but the entire moment of opening it. Because you are not simply buying an object. You are buying an experience.
Every order is wrapped by me, by hand, as if I am giving a present from my heart to yours. The tissue paper, the ribbon, the stickers have all been carefully chosen. Not on a whim, but with thought and research. I use grosgrain rose pink ribbon because I hope you will reuse it. Pass it on. Wrap another gift with it. The boxes are good quality because I want you to reuse them, not throw them away.
This January I did some research with retail brands I admire, not wholesale, which is a completely different world. I bought items from several of them and spent good money. And honestly, I was staggered by how those parcels arrived at my house. Some came from fulfilment centres, which large brands absolutely need, and I completely understand that. We all know fulfilment centres can produce beautifully wrapped parcels when the intention is there. Some came directly from brands themselves. Yet the experience, in many cases, felt disconnected from the beauty and care shown on their websites.
It made me question myself for a moment. Am I mad? Have I lost all sense of perspective?
But the answer is no.
I will not change this. Even if some competitors choose a different route. Even if it costs more. Even if it takes longer.
If you order from Slow Squirrel, your order will be wrapped beautifully. Whether it is a gift for someone else or a gift to yourself. Wherever possible, as much of your order as I can will be wrapped in tissue. Some things simply cannot be wrapped. A basket, for example, looks worse when wrapped. Believe me, I have tried. But please know the intention is always there.
The shopping experience begins the moment you open the door of a shop or click on a website. You are spending your hard earned money, and I believe that deserves care, time and attention right through to the very last detail.
Right. I will step off my soapbox now and go and wrap some orders.
Lots of love, and thank you for listening. 🐿️🤍
