Specialty retailer finds new ways to bring joy amid pandemic, creating long-term solutions
Special to the
Opelika Observer
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Party City has remained focused on continuing to make it easy to share joyful moments of togetherness, despite being apart. Quickly adapting to help families thrive in an at-home environment has allowed the nation’s largest specialty party goods and services company to innovate and impact operations moving forward.
“Our goal during this time is to make life a little easier for customers, in ways only Party City credibly could,” says CEO Brad Weston. “We believe you should never miss a chance to celebrate life’s moments, big or small. Many of the new products and services will benefit our customers long-term, and we’re excited to continue evolving them.”
Curbside and Same-Day Delivery
The introduction of contactless curbside pick-up and same-day delivery ensures that birthdays, milestones and family gatherings go on.
Party City now provides same-day delivery across nearly 50 markets, which is free for orders over $35. Even with the largest of “mom-mobiles,” Party City customers often want more balloons, but are limited by the size of their vehicles. With fleets to handle celebrations of any size, and same-day service guaranteeing fresh balloons, Party City offers a convenient solution to deliver a great party.
Curbside and same-day delivery options are now available in more than 775+ locations and will ultimately include all stores. Orders placed online by 2:30 p.m. are available for same-day service, still with nationwide shipping for items not available in-store.
Party City has already reopened 725 retail stores – or about 85% – for in-store shopping across the country, following state and federal guidelines. All stores are expected to be re-opened by the end of June. To check store locations and hours, visit stores.partycity.com.
Banish Boredom
What started as a means to survive social distancing, Unbox the Adventure themed kits provide an easy and safe solution to the initial quarantine boredom – from movie night to game night. With the kits’ popularity and extended restrictions, Party City expanded curated selections to include birthdays, graduation, Mother’s Day and more.
Looking ahead, Party City has developed summer-themed kits and also plans to build upon the concept to offer parents summer-camp-like activities, given that many traditional camp programs have been cancelled.
Together Apart
With sustained isolation and countless parties and holidays “cancelled,” Party City identified further opportunities to celebrate life’s moments.
The Party Cancellation Hotline invited users to submit a loved one who had a celebration cancelled, with winners selected weekly to receive a curated surprise. With more than 60,000 entries, winners across the country range from wedding anniversaries and baby showers to birthdays and a middle school graduation.
Party City’s Virtual Party Kits and step-by-step party guides also made it easy to plan and host virtual parties. Recognizing that throwing virtual parties was a new concept and customers craved tips and ideas, the brand invested in helping to create unforgettable moments from driveway drop party favors and drive-by parade checklists to free interactive themed activities and more.
As celebrations change, the experts at Party City are helping customers reimagine experiences in a way that is relevant for the times. The company is applying pandemic learnings to strategize for traditional holidays and milestones that may look different indefinitely. Whether it’s virtual summer camp fun or “Trunk or Treat” Halloween, Party City won’t let a moment of joy pass by uncelebrated.
For more information or to plan a celebration, visit www.PartyCity.com.
About Party City:
Party City Holdco Inc. is the leading party goods company by revenue in North America and, we believe, the largest vertically integrated supplier of decorated party goods globally by revenue. The Company is a popular one-stop shopping destination for party supplies, balloons, and costumes. In addition to being a great retail brand, the Company is a global, world-class organization that combines state-of-the-art manufacturing and sourcing operations, and sophisticated wholesale operations complemented by a multi-channel retailing strategy and e-commerce retail operations. The Company is the leading player in its category, vertically integrated and unique in its breadth and depth. Party City Holdco designs, manufactures, sources and distributes party goods, including paper and plastic tableware, metallic and latex balloons, Halloween and other costumes, accessories, novelties, gifts and stationery throughout the world. The Company’s retail operations include approximately 875 specialty retail party supply stores (including franchise stores) throughout North America operating under the names Party City and Halloween City, and e-commerce websites, principally through the domain name PartyCity.com.