What Is the Best Packaging for eCommerce?

Why is Custom Packaging Important for a Small Business?

Custom packaging is a way to help businesses grow by merging branding, customer experience, product protection, and differentiation in a unified touch-point.

It has the potential to benefit a business:

• Build strong brand awareness
• Make a good first impression
• Make the product more valuable to the customer
• Encourage repeat purchases
• Support social media sharing
• Ensure products are protected during transport
• Differentiate products from competitors

Build Strong Brand Awareness

Custom packaging business easier to remember. Boxes, bags, labels and inserts have a familiar look if they share the same logo, colors, fonts, patterns and visual style. For instance, if a small skincare brand has a consistent packaging for all their cleansers, creams and serums. The brand can be instantly identified by the customers even without reading the name of the product. This uniformity can prove particularly helpful for companies that sell products online.

Make Your Small Business Look Professional

Packaging is an element of the customer experience. A nice, neat package can convey the notion that a company values attention to detail. This is especially beneficial for startups or small online shops that are competing against bigger businesses. Professional packaging doesn’t have to be luxury packaging. Practical, correct branding, materials, and printing and design can make a large impact without spending much.

Increases Perceived Product Value

How a product is presented can impact the consumer’s perception of the product. Whether it’s a box for candles, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing, food or handmade products, A well-designed box, sleeve, pouch or mailer can make the product more complete and well-presented. While packaging does not guarantee product quality, it can also help to strengthen it. For higher quality items or gifts, this can be a huge factor since it is an element of the purchasing experience.

Creates a Better Unboxing Experience

For online brands, the package could be the first real-world touchpoint with their brand. An ordinary delivery can be made special by a simple thank you card, branded tissue paper, a printed message or an attractive box. The objective should not be to include as many materials as possible. There are several details that work well, and one of them can be more effective than over-packaging. It also has the potential to create a memorable unboxing experience that will drive customers to take pictures of or share their purchases online.

Encourages Repeat Purchases

Attracting new customers is not the only part of business growth. Repeat customers are a source of revenue, too. Packaging can aid retention by creating an overall purchasing experience that is positive. A small insert can say thanks to the customer, explain how to use the product, introduce a related product or send them back to the site. The message should be concise and pertinent. However, packaging shouldn’t be used to make every purchase an advertisement.

Helps Your Products to Stand Out

There are many products that can be sold in competitive categories, especially in many small businesses. Custom packaging provides them another means to stand out in the crowd of their brand. Products may be easier to find in online photos, social media posts, or stores with a unique color palette, illustration, box design, label, or pattern.

The design should be consistent to the product and target audience.

Promotes Social Media Marketing

Packaging can now be a part of the brand’s social media identity. Unboxing photos, videos and product reviews are sometimes posted by customers. These posts can be made visually consistent with the brand by using attractive and recognizable packaging. Including a social media link or just a sharing invitation can help customers locate the company. Businesses should have social sharing as an added advantage and not a definite outcome of marketing.

Ensures Product Protection While Transporting

However, good packaging should have more than just a good appearance. In the case of e-commerce, products can be handled, moved, stacked, and transported before they get to the customer. The selection of packaging should therefore depend on the size, weight, fragility and the mode of delivery of the product. Improved protection can help to minimize damaged products, complaints, replacements and returns. The best packaging combines appearance, protection, weight, size and cost.

Control Packaging/Shipping Costs

Don’t assume that a custom box is expensive. Selecting the right size can minimize waste and unnecessary space. Depending on the shipping company’s pricing model, lightweight packaging can also help to manage shipping costs. Compare the total cost rather than looking only at the price of the box.