Product packaging is the first direct impression an online brand can make on a customer. It’s the first thing that can truly grab your customer’s attention in the best and worst ways possible. However, most brands overlook this all-important step in a customer’s journey and fail to use custom product packaging to build their online brand.
Custom packaging can essentially help you increase your brand recognition in a highly competitive market. It can become a core tenet of your customer service – a plus point that separates you from the run-of-the-mill online brands in your industry.
Here’s everything you need to know about custom product packaging and how you can use it to build your online brand:
What Is Custom Product Packaging?
Custom packaging is essentially bespoke branded product packaging that helps your business share its brand story while selling your products. This type of packaging has various layers, including the initial wrapping material, branded labels and tags, packaging inserts, and the final box you use for shipping your product. The design opportunities for customized packaging are truly limitless. However, to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the design possibilities, you should stick to relatable, memorable packaging that highlights your brand value.
How Custom Branded Packaging Can Help You Build Your Brand
Here are some ways in which custom, branded packaging can help you build your brand:
Sends an Excellent First Impression
There are no two ways about it – custom packaging sends a solid first impression to buyers. It helps convey that you care about your brand and want your buyers to have a memorable customer experience. Your package must be branded and eye-catching to increase the likelihood of the buyer visiting your website and purchasing your products again. Moreover, high-quality, branded packaging reassures buyers that the product will not disappoint.
Enables Seamless Brand Recognition
Brand recognition plays a significant role in developing a customer’s trust. If you send your products in recognizable branded product packaging across the board and consistently, you will eventually develop brand recognition. A customer will know the package is from your business without even opening it. It enables customers and potential buyers to spot your products and associate the packaging with trustworthiness and recognition.
Sets You a Cut Above Your Competition
Ideally, you want your online brand to stand out among a sea of competition. That’s the only way your target market will gravitate toward your products. Adding a bespoke element to your product packaging will help you present your brand differently and more thoughtfully than your competition.
However, it’s crucial that you don’t opt for extravagant packaging that comes across as gaudy; it might put your customers off buying your products. Instead, stick to your brand values and customize your go-to designs and packaging style to offer your buyers something different and more personal.
Tells Your Brand Story
Branded product packaging can help you share your story with the world. You can add your brand’ persona and values to your packaging. For instance, if adopting sustainable practices and promoting eco-friendly products is one of your core brand values, you can use eco-friendly packaging to reflect that. Your packaging can send a direct message that you practice what you preach. Moreover, you can create and share your brand story along with your packaging to make your brand more relatable and worthy of your customers’ love.
Aids Brand Value
Custom product packaging makes the customer feel valued, which in turn helps them value your brand. It makes them realize you believe in putting in effort for the customer, making you a memorable online brand. Moreover, bespoke packaging makes your product and brand Instagram-worthy, a considerable aspect of digital promotion. Your customers will be likelier to put up your beautifully packaged product on their Instagram stories than a product that came in poor packaging.
How to Create Custom Product Packaging
When designing custom packaging for your products, you must consider multiple elements and invest in high-quality packaging supplies to create a memorable packaging experience for your buyers. Here’s everything that goes into bespoke branded packaging:
Main Packaging Material
The first step to creating your branded product packaging is to consider the container you will use for shipping the product. Depending on the product your buyer has chosen, you can use a shipping bag, poly bag, or box.
Corrugated cardboard boxes are a great packaging option as they are affordable, durable, and lightweight. However, if you’re worried they will not create a memorable first impression, you can use your brand’s label to decorate them. Alternatively, you can look for biodegradable packaging options, such as compostable mailers.
Weather-Resistant Packaging
While it’s essential to choose product packaging that speaks to you, ensure your choice is also weather-resistant and can protect your products from in-transit damage. After all, an impressive first impression will do you no good if your products cannot live up to the expectations and malfunction or break during shipping.
To protect your products from rain, hail, snow, dust, and other weather-related issues, use top-quality weather protection in your package. You can wrap your products up in brand-labeled insulated shipping boxes, cold packs, and cool shield bubble mailers or box liners.
Custom Brand Notes
If you’re a new brand looking to make your name in the market, handwritten or personalized notes can be a nice touch you can add to your custom product packaging. While handwritten notes might be tricky to scale, you can create a template from printed notes with your signature and a custom message to your buyers, thanking them for purchasing your product and giving your brand their love. A genuine note of gratitude will go a long way in helping you establish yourself as a brand that values its customers.
Another Layer of Packaging & Fillers to Ensure Product Safety
Another great way to ensure your products do not break or get damaged during transit and create an air of mystery around your product is to use fillers inside your packaging. You can use single-faced corrugated rolls, bubble wrap, industrial packing peanuts, foam inserts, Kraft paper, colored paper, etc., to pack and hold your product in place. Moreover, you can use tissue paper to add a final protective layer to the packaging. After all, protecting your product matters when you’re trying to establish your name in your ecommerce industry.
Promotional Stickers & Business Cards
If you have the budget, you can include cute promotional stickers for your brand and business cards in your customized product packages. You can also use a branded sticker to seal Kraft or tissue paper to secure your product. If you would rather use tape for that purpose, you can throw in some stickers with the product to appreciate the customer. Just ensure the quality is top-notch to cement a positive impression.
Similarly, you can throw your business card in your branded product packaging. It’s an affordable way to promote your business, especially if you send an influencer a PR package. You can also send a small newsletter or any short printed material that sends a positive brand message to your consumers.
Packaging Slips & Labels
Once you have packed your product for shipping, you must add a packaging slip or label to ensure the product gets to the intended destination safely and securely. For instance, you can use labels that tell the shipping company the contents of the boxes are fragile. You will also need the packaging slip to slide in the shipping information.
While packaging slips and labels are standard shipping practices, businesses do not consider them as branding opportunities. You can capitalize on this opportunity as an online business and use branded labels for custom product packaging. Moreover, you can customize the slip to read your brand name for effective promotion.
Image Title: A Thank You Card
Alt-Text: Custom product packaging
Image Description: A person holding a small thank you card
Image Link: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-thank-you-card-7310209/
Bespoke Tape
Another part of creating a branded packaging experience is using custom tape. At this point, you must ask yourself if you’re going overboard with the branding. However, if you have skipped some of the steps mentioned above, such as using custom slips, you can surely invest in colorful tapes in your brand’s color palette. Alternatively, you can get packing tapes with your brand’s name. Ensure your chosen tape is of premium quality to keep your packaged product safe.
Educational Leaflet
If your business sells products requiring how-to manuals or DIY instructions, you must include an educational leaflet in your package. After all, you want your customers to understand how to use your product quickly and efficiently. Sending a small manual with precise instructions will make your buyers see you care about your customers’ needs. It also builds your brand’s value and trustworthiness.
Add a Gift or Sample
This last step is for businesses with the budget to go above and beyond in customer service. When packing your products for buyers, you can add a sample or gift to show appreciation for them. It could be something you want your buyers to buy in the future. Just be mindful to choose a product your customer will be interested in buying.
The Bottom Line
As an online brand, you must consider all aspects of customer service for designing custom product packaging that can help elevate your brand. Customized, branded packaging will help you win over your customers and establish your online business as a reputable name in your industry.
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