They say Christmas comes earlier every year – and amid a global pandemic, brands and consumers are certainly planning ahead in a bid to avoid further disruption.

This holiday season will be like no other, and with just five weeks to go until the big day, brands’ festive plans are getting into full swing. The pandemic has forced retailers to rethink almost every aspect of selling products throughout the holiday season, from when to start marketing Christmas gift sets to anticipating how much consumers are likely to spend on presents.

Traditionally, the busiest shopping day in the run-up to Christmas is the Saturday before the big day itself, but this year it may not be possible for shoppers to leave things to the last minute. According to CNBC, some brands say the cut-off for guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery will be as early as 15 December, so they can cope with the expected deluge of online orders.

Speaking to Digiday in October, direct-to-consumer sock brand Bombas confirmed that it was planning to run its holiday ads earlier this year (in 2019, it waited until mid-December to run its week-long campaign), while sister publication Glossy reports that a number of brands are considering running holiday promotions for at least eight weeks, in a bid to catch consumers when they are ready to spend.

We already looked at how consumers are likely to want to buy with brands that already offer brilliant unboxing experiences, but another factor that's going to play into decision-making this Christmas will the unique bundles and services on offer that are tailored towards festive gifting. Here are nine brands doing interesting things around gifting.

Thingtesting is a database of internet-born brands. We’re building the un-sponsored corner of the internet where consumers can come together to talk honestly about new things. Read more about Thingtesting here.

Create a free account so you can make your own lists, whether that’s because you love them or because you want to try them.

Feedback? Yes, please.