Over the last ten years, e-commerce and online shopping have grown dramatically. Physical stores have quickly become the less preferred shopping method, but in the rapidly growing e-commerce world, packaging remains a vital part of the shopping experience.
E-commerce and shipping still offer businesses the opportunity to showcase their products and brand identity through packaging. Having a product for sale is only half of the battle, as you also have to stand out from the competition and prove that your product is the best – something typically highlighted and emphasized through packaging. But before we look deeper into why customized packaging helps your products, we must begin with the basics.
What is Custom Packaging?
Custom packaging is as its name suggests. It is a customized box to communicate important brand information to your customers. These boxes usually feature a combination of patterns, colors, themes, designs and special finishes like foil stamping, spot UV printing, and embossing.
Displaying your brand identity, protecting your product, and grabbing the consumer’s attention are just some examples of how packaging benefits the product it contains. So, With e-commerce taking the throne as the most preferred way of shopping, let’s delve into the eight ways custom packaging can benefit your product.
Why is Custom Packaging Important?
Protect Your Products
A prime example of how packaging benefits your product is the protection of the product itself. Packaging’s primary function is to hold and protect the product inside, ensuring it remains intact during transport from the logistics chain to the manufacturer before finally reaching the customer.
While countless premade packaging options are available on the market, they will rarely, if ever, perfectly fit your product. Customized packaging is designed and specifically made to fit your product perfectly.
A premade stock box often features different dimensions than your product, leading to damage during shipping and unhappy customers who will likely not want to purchase from your company again. With a customized package specifically designed to hold your product, any fragile contents contained within will be protected during shipping and delivery.
Keep Your Customers Safe
Although the main purpose of packaging is to keep your product safe, it is equally important to keep your customers safe.
When shipping or transporting food products, displaying important information about your product, such as best-before dates, ingredients, allergens, and nutritional value on your packaging, is standard practice. Furthermore, for non-food products, it is just as important to list product ingredients and any toxic or harmful substances that your product may contain to ensure the package is handled with care.
Listing any toxic or harmful ingredients in your product and being fully transparent builds a loyal customer base that wholeheartedly trusts your brand. Mentioning any potential dangers linked to your product also helps your brand avoid harming first-time customers and gaining a negative brand reputation.
Custom Brand Packaging Builds Awareness
Brand awareness is the most prominent example of how packaging benefits your product. The package that holds your product is the easiest and most efficient way to show off your brand and use it to advertise and build brand credibility.
Custom brand packaging that shows off your brand, your message, and your distinct style is one of the most effective ways to stand out from your competitors and ensure that you stay in the minds of consumers. There are hundreds — if not thousands — of competitors, so you need a custom package explicitly designed to encapsulate and differentiate your brand.
With social media gaining more and more significance in building your brand identity, having unique and eye-catching packaging can potentially gain exposure for your brand through platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and more.
Packaging is the first impression new customers will get of your brand. The more unique your packaging is, the more likely new customers will post an unboxing of your products, further increasing your brand awareness.
Custom Packaging Grabs Consumer’s Attention
From a marketing perspective, custom packaging is one of the fundamentals of capturing customers’ attention. Tailoring your packaging to fit, represent and elevate your product automatically gives your brand and product a higher degree of credibility. As mentioned earlier, the packaging is often the first thing potential customers are exposed to. Therefore, using your packaging to make an excellent first impression is vital to gaining new customers.
Consumers often decide solely on the packaging when making a purchase decision. A national study by the Paper and Packaging Board and IPSOS in 2018 shows that 7 in 10 consumers agreed that packaging design influences their purchasing decisions.
Although having a great and effective product is crucial to the success of a brand, packaging is the next step to elevating your brand and gaining credibility as a company. A good visual representation of your brand and product is the backbone of effective marketing. Having attractive designs for your packaging helps your brand stand out from the competition and make a memorable impression.
For eye catching packaging designs check out our post on packaging design trends to look out for in 2023.
Creates a Memorable Experience
Digital marketing has quickly become the most effective and prominent marketing strategy. Social media has become a significant platform for brands to promote their products and services. However, you must rely on your customers to get the most out of social media.
Unboxing videos have exploded in popularity through Instagram stories and YouTube content. Customers, especially those deemed as influencers, will post videos showing off new products they may have purchased.
If the packaging holds unique, luxurious or quirky design traits, customers and influencers will feel more inclined to document their real-time reaction through an unboxing video. These videos capture and promote the real-time customer experience and allow you to take note of any improvements to the packaging or product design you want to make in the future.
Customer experience has quickly become prioritized through online platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. In turn, custom packaging has become the primary form of communication for brands because it is virtually impossible to display how a product smells or feels.
Therefore, creating memorable and unique packaging that provides valuable customer experiences will ensure that your brand makes an impression on the customer and any potential customers closely following these unboxing experiences.To understand why posting the unboxing of your products on social media benefits you, read more about why unboxing videos are great for your business.
Functionality and Practicality
A custom package that is both practical and functional is the ultimate one-two punch to help your product stand out from your competition. A perfect example of this is resealable packaging.
The food industry has seen a massive trend in resealable packaging to maintain shelf life, freshness and flavor. With custom features like resealability, customers are far more likely to repurchase items for their functionality and practicality. Resealable packaging eliminates the commitment to finish all the content in a package in one sitting, creating a sense of convenience and freedom for a customer.
Furthermore, resealable packaging has highly benefited the fast fashion industry, especially now when customers primarily shop online. Resealable packaging has allowed online clothing stores to accept returns. It has also allowed customers to try on clothing in the comfort of their homes without worrying about being unable to return them.
Resealable packaging is just one innovative custom packaging idea that solves an issue and allows your product to stand out from the sea of competition.
A More Sustainable Product
Consumers have notoriously become much more environmentally conscious regarding their carbon footprint and how they choose to live their lives. Therefore, eco-friendly solutions to packaging are vital to the success of your business.
A recent study by the EPA shows an almost 100% increase in recycled packages in the past 20 years – because of this, eco-oriented packaging has gained a lot of popularity.
With the rise of the ethical shopper, more sustainable packaging has shown to be more profitable for brands. According to Survey Monkey, 1 in 3 consumers opt for more eco-friendly options, and 35% of respondents would purchase a more expensive product if it is environmentally friendlier than a cheaper alternative.
Let’s put it simply: the more eco-friendly your product and packaging are, the more attention-grabbing, desired, and respected they will be in the eyes of loyal and potential customers.
Check out 18 sustainable packaging ideas of 2020
Reduced Shipping Costs
Our final reason for why custom packaging benefits your product is the reduced shipping cost. Surprisingly, custom packaging can be much more cost-effective than premade packaging.
One factor that isn’t as apparent when considering custom packaging is that it could save you substantial money on shipping. This idea is especially true if you have a small or lightweight product. As stated previously, with standard, premade packaging, you rarely find a box that perfectly matches your product. Because of this, you will end up paying for the extra weight caused by excess packaging.
With a package specifically tailored for your product, you will have no extra weight added, saving you on shipping. Though the postage and delivery cost difference may seem like little on a single package, as a business, you will be shipping products frequently, saving a significant amount in the long run.
Check out our blog for custom packaging tips on how to save money and time.
Get Started with Customized Packaging
Custom packaging is a fundamental aspect of brand identity. Packaging is crucial in establishing your credibility, sustainability, consumer experience, and loyal customer base. Packaging is more than just a box; it holds the secrets to brand and business success.
If you have questions or want to continue your journey into custom packaging, contact one of PakFactory’s product specialists today!
