When you think about products made by Apple or Tiffany & Co., youre just as likely to envision the brands iconic packaging as the product itself. We can all name brands that have gone above and beyond to create a memorable unboxing experience through presentation and packaging.
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In the past, providing this level of brand recognition and customer service through custom packaging was available only to major corporations that sell hundreds of thousands of units a year or luxury brands with high price points.
Now, it seems like everyone is getting in on the custom packaging game, from subscription services such as BarkBox and Ipsy to artisans selling handmade goods on Etsy. Thanks to web platforms that allow anyone to design packaging online in 3D and order in small batches, custom packaging has become accessible and cost-effective for small businesses too.
Heres how your business can get in on the affordable custom packaging revolution and reap benefits like greater brand loyalty and more secure product shipping.
The best way to describe custom packaging is to compare it to the more traditional alternative: stock packaging.
Stock packaging, or standard packaging, is the generic type of packaging that you can pick up at Staples or the Post Office or order online in bulk. These unmarked brown (or sometimes white) corrugated cardboard boxes are easy to manufacture and come in a limited number of sizes and styles. While stock packaging is cheap and makes a lot of sense for personal shipping needs, it doesnt do much for you if youre trying to build an ecommerce brand. Customers have come to expect more stylish, refined packaging when they order goods online.
Custom packaging, by contrast, is tailored with the product specifications, the brand, and the end user in mind. The inside of the packaging is designed to fit the product perfectly, while the shipping box itself can be designed to mirror your brands colors, display your logo, or even include additional copy that conveys your sense of humor or company values. With custom packaging, the options are limited only by your own creativity and imagination.
The end result of custom packaging? Customers get a memorable unboxing experience, get the wow factor theyre looking for, and are more likely to choose your brand in the future. In fact, according to a recent study by Ipsos, 72 percent of American consumers are greatly influenced by packaging design when they make their purchases.
There are many ways that custom packaging can benefit your business. Here are our top 5 reasons for choosing custom packaging for your shipping needs:
Think about how much you would typically spend to put something directly into the hands of a potential customer. Packaging and shipping speed are two factors that can initiate a physical and emotional connection between customers and your brand. Still, there are many companies that readily spend thousands of dollars going to trade shows, handing out pens and other swag but balk at spending a few cents more per box for packaging for their small business even though this packaging is going directly to people who have already proven theyre willing to spend money on your products.
Why is this? Many ecommerce sellers dont fully understand how important quality custom packaging is to the future of their business. A recent study by the GWP Group confirmed that customers relate the quality of the packaging to the quality of the brand, form an initial impression of your brand within 7 seconds, and are more likely to buy from a company again if they like the packaging. In most cases, the initial impression a customer forms will not change without a lot of effort, which means youll be spending much more to win and retain customers in the long run if you make a poor impression with your product packaging.
Customers expect great packaging designs. Dont throw away a golden opportunity to impress and engage your customers for mere pennies on the dollar.
Custom packaging can also be a wise investment because it gives your product the protection it needs. Unlike standard packaging, where any box will do, custom packaging only uses materials that fit the product in terms of size and durability.
Custom packaging gives your product that inner protection to keep it in a fixed position in transit and the outer protection that it needs to remain intact before it gets to the customer. For example, if youre shipping glass or other fragile merchandise, a custom shipping box that incorporates a rigid cardboard with a foam insert can ensure your products make it in one piece, every time. Hydrogenated water brand, HyVIDA, found that when they invested in a custom packaging solution for their product, they eliminated damage complaints and dramatically improved their reviews on Amazon.
Protective packaging is especially important for small businesses, as inventory is often their companys largest investment. As a bonus, opting for well-designed custom packaging that fits your inventory to a T can save your company money on package fillers such as bubble wrap, shredded paper, and packing peanuts.
In theory, 100% customer satisfaction is the goal of every product package, but in reality most product packaging leaves customers disappointed, which is dangerous for your brand. According to Forbes Magazine, 60 to 80 percent of consumers do not go back to the same business if their packaging is poor, even if they are satisfied with the product.
Dont let poor packaging undermine a great product. Instead of losing customers because they feel disconnected from your brand, let Arka ensure that your customers are satisfied by the product and what the product is shipped in.
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With the help of a sleek design, visually appealing colors, modern prints, beautiful package inserts, and personalized messages, you can give your customers what they crave and increase customer satisfaction. These personal touches are particularly important when choosing packaging for a small business. Changing consumer shopping habits have led 55% of Americans to make a purchase from a new brand. This is a big opportunity for small businesses to make a big impression on these new customers.
Perhaps one of the biggest (and sneakiest) benefits of custom packaging for small businesses is its ability to turn customers from one-time purchasers into brand ambassadors. This is especially true for ecommerce businesses, since waiting for the package to arrive and then unboxing the product are such a primary part of the customer experience.
In fact, according to Dotcom Distribution, 35 percent of customers report regularly watching unboxing videos, 55 percent of customers report buying a product after watching an unboxing video, and 40 percent of customers say theyve shared a picture or video of a products packaging before.
Thats a lot of opportunities to get your brand in front of new buyers without spending any additional money on advertising or social media campaigns. When you look at the statistics, custom packaging begins to feel less like an extra, unnecessary expense and more like the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach new customers.
Finally, custom packaging is a great way for small businesses to get customers to return again and again. Selling to an existing customer is so much easier than getting a new customer, yet many companies spend all of their marketing money trying to attract new customers and dont give much thought to keeping the customers they already have.
Custom packaging can help your company build loyalty over time and earn repeat business not only by making a solid first impression, but also by giving repeat customers something to look forward to. You know this is true if you think about your own favorite ecommerce brands, the excitement you feel when you see the instantly recognizable packaging in your mailbox or on your doorstep, and the pleasure you experience opening a beautifully-presented product.
In addition, creating custom packaging gives you the opportunity to design memorable seasonal or event-based packaging and to include coordinating stickers, tissue paper, packing tape or package inserts advertising an upcoming sale anything that will help you build a cohesive brand image and forge a highly personalized connection with your existing customers will help you retain those customers.
For these and many other reasons, ecommerce businesses should give serious consideration to custom packaging as a way to create a big impact with a small investment.
If youre ready to refine your brand, sign up with Arka today. Well help you design a box your customers will hate to throw out.
What have the discovery of the New World, online dating, and customized product packaging got in common? Well explain.
Most scholars agree that what today we call globalization began with the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to what was then The New World. Not only was that journey an extraordinary feat of human endeavor, but it altered the world economy forever. Shortly after, and throughout the period of the 16th to the 19th centuries, Europe enjoyed a huge boom in trade with Asia and the Americas. International shipping brought new goods into Europe and enough money to the New World to finance the beginning of what is now the USA.
A similar revolution in trade has taken place, albeit less dramatically, in our own time. And thats the Internet revolution and the rise of e-commerce. It would be hard to overstate just how much modern business continues to be shaped by digital technologies and global communication. One things for sure, theres no going back, and the markets are not only bigger but also far more competitive than in any moment in our history.
So, what does this little history lesson have to do with your business and custom boxes? The short answer is, everything. You see, in todays hyper-competitive marketplace, businesses big and small need to do everything possible to stand out from the crowd, and make their brands bold, recognizable, and well-known. As youll also know, the focus of much modern marketing is on the consumer experience.
So, how do you do this? Well, there are several ways. But one of the simplest, most cost-effective, and powerfulwhich is a winning combination in our opinion!is the box you ship your goods in. To compete today, you need to think inside and outside the box. Literally. Lets dive a little deeper into this, becausefor a relatively modest investmentit could make a huge difference to your brand visibility and your bottom line.
Not convinced that a box need be anything more than a container for moving stuff in? Well, lets take a look at the stats. Our opinion means nothing. But the numbers dont lie. Here are a few salientand we think, excitingfindings from Nielsen. Nielsen, remember, is the acknowledged global leader in commercial data collection and consumer behavior analysis.
Close to a 6% increase in sales and brand recognition just because you have a better box. Its worth reading the whole report, but lets point out another fascinating finding: the well-known brands with poorer packaging were out-performed by less well-known brands with cool custom boxes. In short, boxes matter. Boxes make a difference. Boxescustom printed boxes at any rateboost business.
This is especially true if you sell online. You might be exclusively e-commerce or have physical premises along with an online store, but if you sell online, then a significant portion of your customers only contact with you will be the package that the delivery guy drops off at the doorstep. Think of it like online dating.
After youve been chatting and exchanging messages with a potential partner online for a while, you think you may be a good match, youve established trust, and youd like to meet up in real life. So, your date turns up to take you out. Which is likely to make the better first impression: the guy or gal who jumps down from the bus and slouches up the drive in worn out Keds, ill-fitting pants and a gravy-stained T-shirt, reeking of cheap liquor; or the guy or gal who steps down from an Audi R8, smartly dressed, smelling sweet, and smiling?
The box is the first impression your customer gets of your brand real live. So, make sure that impression is a good one. How you package your goods speaks volumes about how much you value your products and how much you care about your customers. And believe uswe know because we design and print a lot of custom printed boxes every daythat if you dont take care of this, your competitors will. A custom box means youll make a good first impression and boost your chances of getting a second datemeaning good reviews and repeat custom.
The benefits of custom printed boxes dont end with good looks. There are so many other advantages. Lets take a look at the most important right now.
Product damage in transit accounts for significant annual losses to many businesses that ship goods. Custom printed boxes are more robust than their generic, mass-produced counterparts. And you can include custom cardboard box inserts as part of the design. Inserts keep your products safe and snug, while also offering multiple opportunities for further brand messaging.
Lets face it, whats more fascinating than a plain, brown, cardboard box? Thats rightalmost everything! A custom printed box gives you the chance to emblazon your brandingyour logo, your colors, your slogan or taglineon all your products. Inserts can include discounts and offers, also branded, and drive traffic back to your storesonline and offline, alike.
According to Google, unboxing videos grow in popularity year on year. More people watch unboxing videos than major TV shows. Heres a few more findings to consider:
Go check out a few unboxing videos, not only on YouTube, but on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media. Youll notice that all the most popular and effective videos feature products in well-designed, branded, custom printed boxes. While its obvious that several influencers receive incentives from companies to review products, many moreand there are billions of videosare spontaneous shares from happy, satisfied customers. Thats the most powerful kind of advertising there is. And its free.
Few customers these days want to buy nothing more than a basic, functional product. Market research and consumer psychology show that people buy into an image, a brand, a sense of belonging. They dont just want your product. They want an experience. And a beautiful box gives them that.
We saw right at the outset the kind of boost to profits just making your boxes prettier can produce. Compare those figures with the average returns1% and lowerthat you get when you invest in a poster campaign, buying advertising space on websites, blogs, magazines and newspapers, or investing days and dollars in social media promotions. Youve got to send boxes anyway. Its a no-brainer to make a small added investment in a custom printed box when theres the potential of such significant returns on so many fronts: brand recognition, visibility, customer loyalty, repeat buying, customer advocacy, free ongoing promotion, and more.
If we havent persuaded you by now that theres real potential in investing in custom printed boxes and packing, we maybe never will. But whether youd like to look into your options in more detail or you still have your doubts, talk to us. Were friendly and we have literally decades of experience helping businesses just like yours to plan, design, and print successful custom box campaigns. If it didnt work, we wouldnt still be in business. Get in touch today for a no-obligation quote or just to chat through the possibilities. Wed love to help you.
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