If you own a business that sends parcels to customers, it’s important you offer a unique packaging experience that they’ll love. Read on to find out how.
Your product’s packaging is like a first impression–it’s the first thing your customer will notice when they receive your product. In fact, 7 out of 10 customers consider packaging design as a factor when choosing to purchase a product. So, it really is all in the packaging.
Having attractive packaging for your products fosters brand loyalty. This means that your customers will purchase even more products from your company in the future and that they might even tell their friends about you.
Don’t know where to start when it comes to packaging? Here’s how you can ensure a unique packaging experience for your customers:
Basics of Awesome Packaging
There are a few basic things to cover before you start creating branded packaging. Below, you’ll find everything that great packaging has in common.
Proper Labels
First, your packaging must clearly tell your customer what’s inside the box. If it’s not labeled properly your customer can get confused, especially if they order multiple products.
Sturdy Design
Most importantly, a product’s packaging should protect it from any damage during shipping. Yes, your package should have a unique design, but its durability shouldn’t be compromised.
Relates to Your Customers
Your customer should be able to relate and establish a connection to your packaging. Before designing a nice package, consider what design your customers would like to see for your product.
What Goes Into Creating Unique Packaging?
Now that the basics are covered, we can get into the elements that should be included in your packaging. You don’t have to use all of these items, but you should choose ones that work well together and fit the image that you’re going for.
Package Type
What type of package do you want to ship your product in? Choose between boxes, bags, or mailers. Your package type should be determined by what your product is, and how fragile it is.
While it’s true that white or brown corrugated retail boxes are reliable and they don’t cost much, they’re too plain for a package that’s supposed to catch someone’s attention. Other attractive package options are more expensive, but they’re usually worth it.
Cushioning Material
It’s common to open up a package stuffed with styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, air cushions, and foam inserts that are used to protect the product. Unfortunately, most of these options aren’t very attractive to your customers. Try using crinkle paper or wood wool for a more classy look.
You could also wrap your products with tissue paper. Using colorful or custom tissue paper can make your product much more exciting to reveal.
Stickers
Custom or branded stickers are perfect for creating unique brand packaging. Maybe you don’t have enough funds to afford a box with your brand on it–in this case, having branded stickers could be a cheaper route. If you do decide to wrap your product in tissue paper, consider securing the tissue paper with a custom sticker.
Marketing Materials
Don’t forget to include a business card or some other sort of advertisement when you pack your product. Your business cards should be lighthearted and eye-catching. When your customer receives a card with your web address and contact information, they’ll be more likely to remember your brand.
It’s also a good idea to add in a small newsletter that supplements your brand and products. If possible, consider including a personalized thank you note, as well as specific instructions for your product.
Small Gift
Depending on what item a customer orders, you might want to add in a small sample or an additional gift that relates to their purchase. If one of your customer’s orders soap include a free sample of a different type of soap. This way, your customer will become familiar with another product that they may want to buy from you.
Tape
Tape holds the whole package together, but it doesn’t have to be generic clear tape. Buy colorful or printed tape to make your branded packaging really stand out. Some websites even offer custom tape that’s tailored for boutique branding and more.
Packaging Costs
You’ll have to determine your packaging costs by how expensive your product is. Expensive products give you a little more room to spend on your packaging materials, as higher prices make higher shipping expenses seem fairer to your customers. Similarly, you’ll need to increase shipping costs on heavy or fragile items with certain packaging needs.
You should always include the packaging costs in your product’s price. No matter whether your shop is online or in a physical location, you’ll need to add in the expenses that will never change–this can include boxes or tags.
Shipping rates should cover your packaging’s cost. Choose to make your shipping price a simple flat rate that includes extra packaging costs, or make particular prices for each product.
This is completely up to you–figure out what would be best for your customers and go from there.
Be aware that your shipping rates can change based on your packaging materials. A larger, bulkier item will result in higher shipping prices. Make sure that each packaging material added actually contributes to your product and brand, instead of just costing extra money for no reason.
In order to save money on shipping, there are some services that offer discounted postage that you can print from home. If you’ve always dreamed of printing cheaper USPS shipping labels and avoiding a trip to the post office, then read more here.
The last thing you’ll want to consider is the length of time it’ll take you to prepare your packaging. Having to avoid adding in your cute packaging materials because of time constraints means that you’ve just wasted materials and sacrificed successful branding. Before you decide on packaging, ensure that it’s something you can do consistently.
Start Packaging
Ditch your styrofoam peanuts and regular cardboard boxes. Opt for unique packaging that’ll make your product memorable. The next time a customer receives your product in a nice package, you can feel confident that your customer will share their awesome experience with others.
If you’re looking for more tips to improve your well-being, head over to our lifestyle blog.
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