They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but the fact remains that the packaging for your product is the first thing people notice. Packaging may also make or break their purchasing decision. More importantly, the packaging can help sell the product even when you’re selling it online.
The impact of packaging goes well beyond the color scheme and buzz words printed on the outside of the box, which is why you’ll need to be creative and find ways to make your packaging stand apart while keeping production and shipping costs low. Let’s learn why smart packaging is so important for creative e-commerce stores.
Lower Logistical Costs
E-commerce companies are shifting from the practice of wrapping a product and putting it in a plain box to ship it to putting products in branded boxes. By investing in branded corrugated boxes, you’re guaranteeing the product is protected during shipping. This means fewer things are returned because they were damaged in shipping, and fewer items are returned to the warehouse because they were lost in the shuffle. There will be fewer demands for refunds, too.
Flexible packaging can also protect the product while taking up less space. It will also lower storage and shipping costs. Services like The Packaging Lab allow you to create custom packaging online in minutes and have it ready to try almost immediately. Shifting from boxes you stuff inside boxes to branded flexible packages that fit inside almost anything allows you to ship in the most economical package available.
Enhanced Branding
Branded boxes and other forms of custom packaging increase the branding of the product as well since the company name is seen by everyone who handles it. Furthermore, the customer knows when your order has arrived instead of seeing one more box on the front step.
More advanced package engineering like in-mold label graphics can help your products stand out even more. Others like embedded smart codes could help you link products to multimedia experiences like interactive recipe books, or instructions on how to properly recycle or dispose of the item when they’re done with it.
Keeping Up with the Customer’s Expectations
Smart packaging helps you keep up with your customer’s expectations. If you ship your product in a standup resealable pouch, your customers will appreciate the convenience. You’ll also gain points with consumers if the new packaging is frustration-free when they open it. When you use less material in the packaging and shipping of your products, you can advertise the fact that you’ve made your product more sustainable as well.
Adding functionality or improving performance is equated to higher quality. For example, a hybrid package that combines flexible and rigid materials could result in a package that stands up by itself on the shelf while remaining easy to ship in a densely packed crate when sent to retailers. Or you could shift to more secure packaging that’s less likely to leak or let in air, extending its shelf-life.
It is probably time to update and upgrade your brand’s packaging, so take the time to do it right. Investing in the right packaging will improve your profit margin as well as customer loyalty.
