How Important is Packaging in Marketing a Product?

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Packaging is just a way to protect your product right?

After all, the inside is what really matters.

If this is your approach to packaging as a business owner, you might be setting yourself up for failure.

Packaging plays a vital role in marketing not only your products, but your brand too.

How important is packaging in Marketing a product?

According to an infographic by The Paperworker, 52% of consumers say they would likely return to a business for another purchase if they receive products in premium packaging.

90% of consumers reuse their product packaging boxes and bags after purchase and 40% would share a photo of packaging if it is interesting.

With these numbers, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of packaging when it comes to marketing.

Not only does it offer your products the protection it needs during the distribution and sales process, but it also plays a vital role in attracting new potential customers.

With unboxing videos experiencing a sort of renaissance online, packaging has become your brand’s very own portable billboard.

For many customers, the unboxing experience is arguably the most exciting thing about purchasing a new product.

Your product packaging design should never be an afterthought. It should be treated as a key component in your marketing strategy throughout.

Ask yourself; how do you want your customer to feel when they open your product? Packaging plays a large role in answering that question.

Here are 4 reasons why packaging is important in marketing a product:

Creating Shelf Impact

There are thousands of products on the market and chances are there are thousands of products similar to yours.

According to The Arka, one-third of customers’ decision making is based solely on the product packaging. This is why your packaging will make the biggest impact on driving sales.

It’s all about first impressions. Your packaging is the first thing customers interact with both instore and online.

That’s why differentiating your product from the rest starts with your packaging.

It’s there to dress up your products for the shelves. With generic packaging, you may run the risk of not appealing to new customers.

These are often seen as bad quality products since the packaging doesn’t fit your product perfectly and looks boring and unoriginal.

Using quality custom packaging for your products is the way to go.

You’re able to communicate the brand narrative, speak directly to your customers, and it lets your product shine bright in the rows and rows of your competitors’ products.

Employing a strategic package design is important in creating brand awareness.

Again, your package becomes your portable billboard. So, use this to highlight your logo and communicate meaningful information through graphics and typography.

Let your creativity run free on the front of your packaging and appeal to your target market.

Your brand’s packaging should be easily remembered amongst all the noise of your competitors through your package design choices and be interactive for your customers.

This works the same way for e-commerce.

While your customers cannot interact with your products first hand before purchasing, your package should still be shining bright in their shared mailrooms with premium packaging and designs.

Make your package easy to find, memorable, and user friendly.

While the benefits of using packaging that isn’t visually appealing or eye-catching are not having it stolen from your front door or your mailroom.

It also decreases the chance of it being purchased, to begin with.

You kind of want your package to be so appealing that people’s curiosity gets the best of them.

Communicating a Message

While your packaging can act as a portable billboard for your brand, it’s also a great way to speak directly to your customers.

The front of packaging is called the ‘facing’.

This is where your portable billboard comes into play, it’s function is to showcase your brand and draw attention to your product, while setting your brand apart from competitors.

The message you are trying to convey on the front should be short and impactful.

In other words, make it simple and easy to memorize.

The back of the packaging acts as an information zone for your product. It establishes the dialogue between your product and the customer. Due to consumer demands, the back of the packaging can be quite clustered with information, so make sure to make it clear, concise, and organized.

Your packaging can communicate key information such as;

• Price 
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Warnings
• Government regulatory information

While this may seem mundane and unimportant to marketing, keeping full transparency with your customer base actually builds strong brand credibility and shields your customers from any disappointments, while making them feel safe.

This also means being fully transparent and proud about your product’s benefits.

For example; Does consuming or using your product save your customer time or money? Tell them that on the packaging!

This way you’re directly speaking to and engaging with your target market while differentiating from any other competitors your customers may be seeing on the shelves.

If your packaging is missing information that your competitors are providing on their packaging, then this can put your product at a disadvantage, so stay well informed on your competitors’ packaging designs too.

Give your customers the full story, and answer any questions on your packaging before they even have time to ask them.

Creating a Better Customer Experience

While many companies spend a lot of time on the design and conceptualization of their product, packaging often comes as an afterthought rather than a priority.

The fact is, packaging is an important part of the customer experience today.

Especially with e-commerce taking the throne in the retail world, customers are more likely to turn to online reviews by other customers who have already purchased your product.

When a customer unboxes your product, it should evoke a positive emotional response or sentiment.

This is highlighted through unboxing videos on YouTube that showcase people’s obsession with experiencing and interacting with not only the product but mostly the packaging.

According to The Packaging Company 40% of online shoppers say they are more likely to share a product image or video on social media if the packaging is branded and interesting.

60% are more likely to share a photo of a product on social media if it has gift-like packaging rather than your traditional brown box.

This means tailoring your packaging designs to your online customers can further drive sales of your product.

Premium packaging communicates the quality of your product to your customer.

While rigid packaging can get damaged quite easily, it offers a luxurious look and feel to your products that will make your customers feel spoiled.

However, this can also be achieved by using folding carton too, due to its versatility in options for prints and finishes.

Furthermore, using foam inserts also adds to the luxurious feel of your packaging and adds another level to the customer experience as well as protection to your products.

Indirectly communicating with your customers through your packaging materials tells them more about the quality of your product, brand and narrative.

This heavily plays into the overall experience – and the experience begins with your packaging.

If your packaging creates a memorable experience for users, your customers may even want to hold onto the packaging and start a collection!

Discover how PakFactory’s Anfield Shop Subscription box made a lasting impression on customers who even started collecting the subscription boxes.

Building a Brand Narrative

We’ve moved away from more traditional marketing techniques like ‘our product is the best, that’s why you need it’.

Marketing has become more intricate with Millennials and Generation Z taking on bigger roles in the marketplace.

Just telling your customers your product is the best is no longer enough. Your customers want to know;

• Why is your product the best?
• Who created the product?
• How was the product created?
• Why was the product created?
• Where was the product created? 

Why do customers want to know? Because everyone loves a good story.

Brand storytelling is important to evoke an emotional reaction while also informing your customers about your product and business.

While it may seem beneficial to be as descriptive as possible about your brand’s story, it’s best to keep it simple and meaningful.

People love a narrative that captures their attention, and the best way to do that is through a portable billboard, your packaging.

Brands should be striving for authenticity and building a genuine connection with their customers to enhance their brand narrative and outreach.

Speaking directly to your customers through your package design plays into your marketing and sales pitch for your customers.

Using copy, typography and design elements on your packaging can reflect your brand narrative while also making a memorable impact on your customers, both online and offline.

There is a lot of unnecessary noise in the online world.

Therefore, it can be difficult for brands to really showcase their brand narrative, especially in the day and age of e-commerce.

This is why your packaging materials are very important in telling your brand story.

Custom packaging allows you to personalize your products and really speak directly to your customers to enhance your brand story.

Consider using thank you cards, customers’ names, stickers, and labels to really personalize not only your packaging but your product too.

This plays a crucial role in building a brand narrative amongst your customers and allows you to build a loyal customer base.

Technology has constantly been developing and changing the way industries work; the marketing and packaging industries are no exception.

Technology has enabled packaging to become more interactive for customers and more convenient in brand storytelling.

Through the use of QR codes on smart packaging, you are now able to tell your brand’s story in even more detail by the simple click of a button.

Your customers are able to scan the packaging and discover additional information about not only your product but your brand’s mission, values, and story.

This is a great engagement tool for your packaging as you’re able to keep it sweet and simple on your physical packaging but go above and beyond through your QR code.

Furthermore, augmented reality is starting to gain a lot of attention in the marketing and packaging world.

Using imagery and movement, your customers are able to get a better feel for your product and brand by simply viewing it through their phone cameras.

A great example of this is Jack Daniels’ Augmented Reality.

Through a simple download, customers are able to view different Jack Daniels bottles in a whole new world that plays into their brand narrative and tells a compelling story.

This is a great way to add to the feel of your product and brand beyond just your packaging designs.

Packaging plays a key role in marketing today, customizing and adding personalizations are crucial to telling your brand story!