Packaging isn’t just for storage and transport. It has a profound impact on brand perception and sales, as effective packaging presents, communicates, and protects products:
- Present: Packaging is often the first impression customers have of a product, and the right blend of design, materials, and finish can help products stand out
- Communicate: Packaging tells your brand story and explains how your product benefits customers. It can elicit emotion and earn trust
- Protect: Packaging prevents breakage and tampering, protecting your investment
Packaging is an extension of your product and brand, a tool for differentiation. The right packaging strategy can even minimize costs and increase sales. When customers compare similarly-priced products, they typically choose the product that looks and feels the best – and they’re often willing to pay more for products that present better.
With that in mind, here are six ways to grow your business with innovative packaging.
1. Consider the Customer Experience
If you’ve ever seen product unboxing videos on YouTube, you know the customer experience begins the moment they lay eyes on your packaging. Consider the customer experience and how they should feel as they open the box and unpack their products:
- Do the materials and finish lend a pleasant, on-brand, tactile sensation?
- Is the box easy to open, or is it difficult and frustrating?
- Does the box need to be reclosable or tamper-evident?
- Are the contents neatly organized and presented, or haphazardly tossed in?
Attractive, intuitive, easy-to-use packaging fosters positive customer experiences and influences brand perception.
2. Envision the Display
Great packaging motivates sales in retail environments. Think through how your products will display and consider the following:
- Retail requirements: Where will your packaging display? In aisles, endcaps, or near point-of-sale checkouts? What do retailers require for each type of display?
- Size and shape: With smaller packaging, you can fit more products on the shelf, minimize material, and potentially lower cost. Larger packaging, on the other hand, might command more attention. Standard shapes are easy to stack, while unique shapes can differentiate your brand
- Material and finish: The right blend of materials and finishes not only look fantastic, but they also feel good in customers’ hands, significantly influencing perception and sales
- Unique features: Custom closures, embossing, windows, and other unique features can help packaging stand out and sell the products within
- Brick-and-mortar vs. ecommerce: Packaging needs to display just as well online as it does in stores. Consider how your packaging will present on websites and in social posts
3. Product Compatibility and Protection
Packaging should protect its contents during transport, so consider the best shape and size to ensure your products arrive at their destinations unbroken. Extra space and inserts can offer additional protection, especially if there’s a chance delivery drivers will toss your packages from box trucks onto customers’ porches.
Packaging should also be compatible with its products. For example, frozen products likely need moisture barriers. Heavy products often require strong materials and sturdy box types.
Avoid the risks of cheap packaging vendors. Before partnering with us, one of our customers bought snap lock candle boxes on Alibaba. The packaging was weak, and the candles kept falling out. We designed a carton that fit snugly against the candles to prevent slippage and offered two closure options: a modified snap lock that would lock tighter and keep candles in place even when shaken, and an auto bottom for the ultimate bottom strength.
It is beneficial to have your packaging tested. Make a list of package and product requirements and have an independent lab conduct the tests. Common packaging tests include:
- Vibration: Tests how packaging holds up to various vibrations experienced during transport
- Drop: Tests how packaging withstands impacts, such as dropped boxes
- Compression: Tests packaging strength when compressed or crushed
- Accelerated Aging: Simulates the long-term effects of aging on packaging materials to predict their lifespan and performance over time
Storage is another important consideration, as packaging can crack when opened after sitting folded in a dry warehouse for long periods. Ideal storage conditions vary by material, but 72 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% relative humidity are pretty standard.
4. Choose Sustainable Packaging
Sustainability is an important factor for many businesses and customers. Choose high quality, eco-friendly packaging such as folding cartons. Some common materials include:
- Solid Bleached Sulfate (SBS): Premium bright white paperboard with excellent printing properties often used in food, cosmetic, medical, and other applications
- Coated Natural Kraft (CNK): A clean, natural, “eco-friendly” looking material combining the strength and durability of natural kraft paper with a coated surface that allows for a smoother, more consistent printing surface
- Coated Recycled Board (CRB): Recycled paperboard material with a coating for enhanced printability and an extra layer of protection. Generally, a natural or off-white color
Sustainability encompasses more than materials. It also includes production, so it’s best to work with eco-friendly packaging partners who have in-house recycling processes, follow energy savings practices, and are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
5. Identify Manufacturing and Cost Efficiencies
When you understand packaging manufacturability, you can identify ways to save money on premium quality packaging. For example:
- A customer came to us needing boxes for seven different types of candles at 500 quantity each
- Printing 500 boxes for seven different types of candles was certainly doable, but it would have resulted in a high unit cost
- We recommended making a single, windowed box that would allow unique candle scent labels to display through the window
- With this strategy, there was only one carton version on our end, so our customer avoided the numerous set up charges and took advantage of a lower unit cost
This example illustrates why it’s important to focus on the bigger picture or total impacted cost – not just the standard price per unit – to create efficiencies that save money.
6. Leverage Your Packaging Partner
A lot goes into developing the right packaging strategy, but you don’t have to go it alone. Local packaging partners offer end-to-end support to ensure your packaging presents, communicates, and protects – regardless of quantity.
Small businesses and boutiques would be wise to choose a strategic partner that makes them feel seen and is willing to do short runs, as many smaller companies do not have the resources of larger corporations. You don’t need a full-service agency; all you need is a packaging partner who has the knowledge and resources to bring your napkin drawing to life.
Even larger companies that have their own die lines can benefit from strategic partners, which can assist with material decisions and manufacturing efficiencies.
No matter what size your company is, be sure to avoid purely transactional companies and choose a partner that has a discovery phase in which they work to understand what you want to achieve before they furnish a quote. Expert guidance and outstanding support are invaluable for companies that want their packaging to present beautifully, communicate clearly, and protect their investments.
