LNER pilot their ‘gift-wrapped service’ on Wednesday the 15th of December on select trains operating between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.

London North Eastern Railway‘s (LNER) festive initiative sees professional gift wrappers wrap customers presents.

Passengers travelling in standard class can access the service by scanning a QR code at their seat and a staff member will then collect their gifts before returning with them beautifully wrapped and ready to place under their Christmas tree.

The service offers a range of traditional wrapping paper or a special ‘Azuma’ design which includes LNER’s state of the art bi-mode trains.

The ‘gift-wrapped service’ is complimentary and uses LNER’s ‘Let’s Eat – At Your Seat’ app which was first released in July 2020 and sees food and drink delivered directly to customers seats.

The wrapping service will be piloted on select trains on Wednesday the 15th of December with a possible wider rollout as Christmas approaches.

The service came to fruition as LNER research revealed that millions of Brits struggle with gift wrapping, with one in four receiving criticism from their poor packaging, and one in five admitting that they don’t feel they have the necessary talents to wrap a gift as they would like to. This information is not surprising as the research also revealed that gift wrapping is the third most stressful part of Christmas, with Christmas gift shopping and making Christmas dinner taking first and second place.

A considerable rise in people planning to travel to see friends and family is expected this Christmas.

The same period in 2020 saw 47% fewer people travel, however, that figure is expected to increase to almost 64% for 2021.

Other than driving, rail travel is anticipated to be the most popular mode of transport with 17% of British people planning to travel by rail for their Christmas travel plans with figures rising to 34% for 18 to 24-year-olds.

Danny Gonzalez, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at LNER commented:

“This fun wrapping service highlights how we can use mobile technology to enhance the on board experience for our customers. We’re able to offer bespoke services on specific trains which customers can enjoy with a simple scan of a smartphone.

“The idea was born out of our innovative ‘Let’s Eat at Your Seat’ delivery service, which has saved customers from travelling to and from the onboard café during the pandemic. It’s been a huge success, so we see that delivery via smartphone is here to stay and is just one of the many ways we’re using technology to make people’s journeys more efficient and enjoyable.”

Simon Wigzell, Chief Wrapper at Let’s Get It Wrapped commented:

“We’ve wrapped gifts in some unusual locations before, but never onboard a train! We know that a lot of people struggle with gift wrapping, so hopefully this service provides a bit of help for people travelling this Christmas. There’s nothing quite like placing a beautifully wrapped gift under the tree, for someone you love.”