When it comes to running a successful business, it goes without saying you need to impress your customers. This can be hard at the best of times but even harder if you’re selling online and posting products out. Contrary to the idiom ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, your product will almost certainly be judged by its packaging.
You’ll only get one opportunity to make a good first impression and your packaging will be key to making that first impression count!
Want to make sure your packaging stands out for all the right reasons? The easiest way is to utilise printed packaging. Print can be customised by adding logos, artwork or branding. You can even take this one step further by personalising or changing your packaging to suit the season or occasion.
Attracting the right consumer is also an integral part of your marketing mix so the packaging needs to send out the right signals. If you’re selling a luxury product your packaging will need to convey this, perhaps by using more elaborate print techniques or ‘bells and whistles’ such as thermography, spot UV varnish or foil blocking to create that ‘high-end’ look.
Creation of a personalised, ritualised experience for your consumers will give the impression of exclusivity that’s highly desirable and sharable on social media. According to Dotcom Distribution, 40% of online shoppers would post on social media if their delivery arrived in beautiful branded packaging so it makes sense to capitalise on this influencer-led phenomenon.
Increasingly customers purchase products after seeing an unboxing video and want to have the same experience; #unboxing has attracted more than 1.5m posts on Instagram alone. Delivering a good experience will help your product and brand name have positive connotations in the mind of your customer and encourage further shout-outs on social media.
To create this memorable unboxing experience the box can’t just simply be an ordinary box. It has to be YOUR box.
Whilst the outside of your box is important, you’ll need to consider the inside too. This is particularly important if you’re selling a fashion item when internal print, messaging and personalisation will be key; every print surface counts when delivering your brand message and should be utilised in full.
So, in summary, never underestimate the power of packaging in carrying your product into the hands of eager customers. Consider opportunities for your brand, product and how you can tie the two together. Make every part of the unboxing experience count… it’s not just about what’s inside the box, the outside’s quite important too!