Guest Blog: noissue for Peoplevox
As the last step of the sales process, packaging can often be an afterthought for businesses.
But in a world of plain shipping boxes and mailers, thoughtful packaging is what makes your product stand out from the crowd.
Custom packaging provides an opportunity to take your brand’s story through from the online into the offline world. It’s an important touchpoint where your customer has their first ever in-person experience with your products.
Given e-commerce sales are expected to reach more than $6.5 trillion by 2023, putting a little bit of time and consideration into the way your parcels are presented can make a world of difference in building customer loyalty. Here’s why:
1. It rewards people for their spend and loyalty to your business.
Thoughtful packaging can play a part in loyalty programs and is one way to give top-tier customers a superior shopping experience and make them feel like VIPs. By giving your most loyal customers a curated retail experience through custom-designed packaging, you are rewarding them for their spend and encouraging them to continue to shop with you to receive these perks in the future. Win, win!
2. It’s linked to the ritual of gift giving and all the feel-good emotions that come with this.
A study by Wundermann has found 88% of consumers want to engage with brands that set new standards for customer service, and one of the easiest ways to do this is through thoughtful packaging. Creating a retail experience that feels special and tailored uniquely to customers taps into the excitement and anticipation you’d feel unwrapping a special present on your birthday or a holiday, while making the end product all the more memorable.
3. It creates an unboxing experience that helps with referrals.
If you’re using the internet in 2020, chances are you’ve heard what an unboxing experience is. It’s when someone unwraps or unboxes a package from a brand and documents it via video or photos. Unboxings tend to resonate with people as content because they’re a genuine review that provides an informative look at a product for others and helps speed up their purchasing decisions. According to Dotcom Distribution, nearly half (40%) of online shoppers would share an image of their purchase on social media if it came in branded packaging.
Ready to get started? Here’s how five steps brands can follow to create packaging that builds loyalty.
1. Get clear on the needs of your packaging.
@thekindcurator
First things first, decide what you want to accomplish out of your packaging before you begin to compare different materials.
In 2020, packaging fulfils a lot of different needs for brands. It can show off your brand identity to the customer for better recognition, create a memorable unboxing experience, or demonstrate your brand values.
In order to achieve this objective, as a first step, ask yourself these questions:
– What is my budget?
– What packaging materials am I interested in using? (Mailer bags, tissue paper, stickers, tape, cards, stamps)
– Do I want to use sustainable materials?
– How do I want the packaging to be designed?
– What do I want the effect of this packaging experience to be on the customer?
These will help you form a clearer picture on what packaging is best suited to your needs.
2. Select the packaging materials that can best help you achieve this.
@haveaniceday
When it comes to packaging materials, all are not the same in terms of the needs they fulfil.
Illustrated tissue paper is great for creating a beautiful unboxing experience, while custom cards are better for text and provide an opportunity to share a founder’s story or a thank you note.
Packaging materials also vary by cost, too. If you’re budget conscious, custom tape or stickers are a cheap and cheerful way to show off your brand’s personality and liven up a plain box or mailer.
Whatever packaging material you choose, have the customer’s end experience in mind and work backwards from there.
3. Get creative with your design.
@emillieferris
The way you design your packaging will help your brand tell its unique story, so it’s important to choose a packaging provider that lets you customize its look and feel. This includes design features such as colors, texture, logos, illustrations, symbols and copy.
Look out for a user-friendly design platform that allows you to play with a range of options, such as a variety of colors and patterns. And if you’re not that confident in the creative space, there’s always the option to connect with an expert illustrator who can come up with a design for your packaging. Good packaging providers will help do this for you.
The more individual your design, the better, as it ensures your packaging will have a custom look that’s completely tailored to your brand.
4. Think about sustainability.
@ma.crochets
Even if you as a business haven’t paid much thought to it, consumers are increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of packaging. A study from Traackr found that from 2018 to 2019, there was a 100% increase in hashtag mentions such as “#wastefulpackaging” and keyword phrases like “too much packaging”.
Making an effort to reduce your environmental footprint by opting for eco-friendly packaging will reflect favourably on your business with customers and make them feel good about their spend.
There’s a bunch of sustainable options on the market now when it comes to packaging, from compostable mailer bags to eco-friendly tissue paper and water-activated tape.
What’s great is you don’t have to take an all or nothing approach to sustainability. Start small by thinking about how many layers of packaging go into each of your shipments and where those layers end up. If even just one of those layers can be recycled, composted or reused, that's a step towards eliminating unnecessary waste.
5. Make the experience feel as personalized as possible.
@peach.and.polly
When it comes to customer experience, there’s nothing that’s more effective than making the moment feel unique to that person, so think about any thoughtful finishing touches you can add to your package.
This could be a card featuring an image of you and a thank you note, a discount code to go towards their next purchase, or a small freebie to show your appreciation.
Anything that helps to uplevel your unboxing experience and make the customer feel valued will ensure they will stay a fan of your brand for years to come.
We hope this leaves you inspired to think about how you can craft your packaging. Putting thoughtful consideration into each step of your packaging process means you will elevate the customer experience and in turn, engage shoppers and win their loyalty.
Elly Strang is digital editor at noissue. Do you need help creating custom packaging for your unboxing experience? noissue lets you design your own branded tissue paper, stickers, and tapes. Simply upload your design, logo, or illustration, and we'll do the rest. Learn more about our personalizable packaging options here.
Leave your Comment Here