For small businesses online, a simple step can mean magnitudes for their customers. When it comes to product packaging, people now expect extra. The more customized it is, the better. In this article, we’ll see why your eCommerce business needs custom packaging.
Of course, would you want to receive a brown carton box filled with bubble wrap and a copy of the invoice stuck on the sides? Or would you rather receive a well-designed branded box with a personalized note just for you?
Online businesses need to ramp up their retail packaging to win customers and stay competitive. With 2.14 billion buyers online all over the world, companies are heading onto a battlefield. If they don’t have a competitive edge, they’re likely to drop out of the playing field entirely.
So why should businesses start sprucing up their packaging? Check out these clear-cut reasons and start applying them to your biz.
Protect Your Products: Business Custom Packaging
A packaging’s primary purpose is to hold and protect the product inside. With e-commerce businesses, it’s all the more important to secure their products, so they withstand the logistics and arrive at the customer’s doorstep intact. You don’t want customers complaining that their purchase came in damaged or leaking!
While there are many generic boxes you can put your products in, not all of them will fit every product, especially those with unique shapes and sizes. In such cases, customized packaging is the way to go.
Make an Impression
You always see Expectation vs. Reality memes circulating the internet. Don’t let your business be the butt of the joke!
According to Ipsos, 72 percent of Americans purchase a product because of its packaging design. That says a lot! From a marketing perspective, a well-designed package makes up a product’s first impression. And you know what they say: first impressions last.
Make your product packaging count. For e-commerce businesses, it’s more important to create packaging that stands out from a sea of brown boxes. Whether a business’s branding is more minimalist than loud, there are plenty more ways to create a stunning design that embodies its brand.
Build Brand Awareness
Speaking of branding, product packaging is also an excellent way to boost brand awareness. With tons of brands popping day and night, it’s more challenging for small businesses to stand out and be top of mind among their audience.
Have you ever seen brands go “viral” or people claiming they’re “Apple people” or “a Nike type of guy”? That’s what happens when businesses invest in improving their branding.
A noteworthy brand isn’t afraid to show some personality through their marketing and advertising efforts. And for most businesses, they achieve this by creating a branded product packaging that lets their personality shine through.
Elevate the Customer Experience: Business Custom Packaging
Unboxing videos are booming on YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms these days—and for good reason. Customers spend more time researching for a product online before hitting the Buy Now button. With more intelligent consumers, brands need to be more creative and strategic with how they box their products.
Aside from getting custom packaging for their products, online brands can also include clever ways to boost the unboxing experience:
- Offer rewards. Brands can include freebies or discount coupons on the customer’s next purchase. It will also encourage repeat customers.
- Drop a handwritten note. Modern consumers are now more concerned about personalization. Adding a short yet sweet note of thanks will go a long way.
- Use the appropriate infills. Recyclable infills like Kraft paper and packing peanuts made of corn are more sustainable and look more aesthetic than your regular bubble wrap.
Make It Sustainable and Functional
Did you know? Around 32 percent of all plastic packaging is not collected—not to mention, plastic takes hundreds of years to degrade. As more and more consumers choose the eco-friendly route when purchasing their products, so should sellers when packing them.
Packaging doesn’t always have to be made of paper or cardboard, especially if you need to pack food, skincare, and personal items.
In the retail, food, and fashion industries, they wrap products in resealable packaging. Resealable bags keep the food fresh without consumers having to eat it all in one go. Plus, they also keep clothing items clean and sanitary.
Reduce Shipping Costs
The problem with pre-made packaging is that it’s challenging to find one that matches all products. The worst case is that businesses pay for the extra weight or length and width due to the excess packaging.
On the other hand, tailoring packaging to their product will take out that extra weight or size and ultimately save heaps in shipping costs. The difference may not seem much, but this goes a long way for e-commerce businesses that process deliveries each day.
The Takeaway: Business Custom Packaging
Allotting your efforts in product packaging may seem like an extra step, but it’s a necessary one. We are now in a time where consumers are more informed and more conscious of their purchase decisions. As business owners, it’s time to kick it up a notch, ride with the trend, and take that necessary step to reach success.
