Even though most of us are familiar with the notion that we should not judge a book by its cover, it’s almost impossible for consumers to buy a product from a business. The condition of the product’s exterior will determine whether it’s worth buying or not, and there are very logical reasons why this is the standard agreement among consumers. If the product’s packaging is not up to standard, the product is probably not quality.
So, even though it can be a bit tempting to skim over the finer details when it comes to product packaging, it’s pretty important to invest time and funds towards ensuring your products are packaged as professionally as possible.
This small businesses guide to professional product packaging delves into some of the more essential details on this subject matter.
Prioritize Your Target Audience
Before you can even get started, it’s crucial to identify your target audience. If you don’t know who you are designing your product packaging for, your packaging solutions won’t be as effective.
Knowing your audience will influence your product’s overall design. For products retailed in-store, you will need to think about things like how the product looks on the shelf while also standing out among competitors. But beyond that, you will also need to consider product packaging solutions that enable customers to receive your goods for e-commerce purchases.
E-commerce orders need to be delivered in secure quality boxes. Opting for custom product packaging in this regard is crucial when insuring orders delivered uphold your brands’ reputation. When considering that a product shipped in a too-large box will be at a pretty high risk of damage, even size is a crucial element when choosing boxes for product packaging.
Minimize Waste
In today’s changing industrial landscape, protecting the environment is everything. Your audience will shrink dramatically if your business does not conform to the new demand for eco-friendly solutions. As we all become substantially more aware of the environmental crisis, sustainability is fast becoming a mandatory standard worldwide. What’s more, younger generations simply don’t want to support businesses that profit from ecological harm.
But beyond that, sustainability always offers the reward of affordability. So, minimizing waste where possible to boast an eco-friendly essence is an excellent way to create packaging that speaks to a large audience and saves your business money at the same time.
While scientists have created green plastics from fish waste, you can also reduce packaging waste by using smaller boxes, shipping orders together, and green packaging providers.
Choose Materials With Care
As mentioned, opting for sustainable packaging materials is quite important. But not just to appeal to your audience, it’s also vital to protect the environment. Furthermore, if you use green product packaging and deliver these items to customers in sizeable single-use plastic bags, you’ll be harming your sales. So, all the elements of the packaging must resonate with sustainability.
With that said, you should also consider other factors when choosing packaging materials. These factors include things like price in relation to your budget, quality, durability, and, of course, the overall visual appeal of the materials.
There are also packaging services out there that will help advise which materials are the most suitable according to the use, product, and brand.
Create Bold Branding
Once you have selected all the materials that will be used to package your product, you will need to move on to branding. Your product’s packaging must boast the company brand in such a way that it compliments the packaging, the product, and your company image.
Bold branding will ensure your products stand out amongst competitors, whether they are sold in-store or online. When it comes to creating striking branding, you must consider the visual elements of branding. These elements include typography, color palette, and others that, if used correctly, create a successful brand image.
For most businesses, relying on professional graphic designers or branding services is a viable solution to create bold branding. However, there are also online tools that can simplify logo creation and other branding elements.
Once you have your branding images created, you must select appropriate labeling that boasts quality. It’s also worth your while to consider extras like tamper-evident seals, primarily if you are retailing food, beauty, or skincare goods. However, tamper-evident seals are used in various industries.
Consider An Unboxing Experience
Recently, the concept of an unboxing experience has become quite popular. And this is likely due to the new popularity of social media marketing and influencers. The unboxing experience can be exceptionally beneficial to startups and smaller businesses looking for ways to retain customers through packaging choices.
Instead of a standard box open, customers experience a few extra surprises while opening their orders. These surprises can be small confetti bursts, a personalized note from the brand, or even an extra unmentioned gift.
Beyond an elaborate unboxing experience, you must also consider what kind of experience your choice of packaging materials gives. For example, if you use box tape that is impossible to remove and your products are enclosed with excessive amounts of box tape, the unboxing experience will automatically be pretty frustrating.
Research Your Competition
To successfully encourage your audience to buy your products, you will need to convince them that your products are worth using in comparison to similar products they may already be using. So, you must do some research on your competitors to know what you are up against in terms of packaging.
Your packaging must stand out against your competition. Even if your products are of higher quality, you must ensure your product packaging carries the essence of quality. Knowing your competitors will also help guide your packaging design as you will have a clear understanding of what types of packaging solutions are popular.
When creating successful product packaging, there are so many details you will need to weigh in, from determining your audience and ensuring sustainability to the budget and choice of materials.
However, investing time and effort in this business area will be exceptionally rewarding. Your product packaging choice will speak volumes about your brand, so be sure to opt for quality and consistency.
