Is Custom Packaging Worth it for Retailers?
In the past, a great product could often sell itself with little emphasis on the packaging. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Custom packaging is an important part of attracting customers’ attention and selling products. Retailers can take advantage of the custom packaging services to get the packaging that their products need to stand out from the competition. Here is a look at why custom packaging is a good investment for retailers.
Telling Stories
Packaging can be used to tell stories as much as the products themselves. Through packaging, companies can relay the values of their brands, such as quality, design aesthetics, story themes, and more. It all depends on the application of those themes to the packaging.
For example, Snickers tells stories through its packaging. On every pack of Snickers, you can usually find a word printed instead of the traditional Snickers logo. The story is in the word chosen for each package. People often look for specific words or try to find their name when they choose their Snickers bar. This is the type of packaging that embraces the company’s story of being a treat that everyone can enjoy.
There are many ways to tell stories through packaging. The key is understanding what story you want to tell. Every company has a unique brand and story that they can use to have a greater impact on customers. Custom packaging services make it easy to create unique packaging that represents a company’s brand and makes every product feel like a great investment for the customer.
Creating Experiences
When people think of packaging, they don’t think of packaging that they immediately throw away. So many products are packaged in uninspired packaging that people don’t think twice about it once it is gone. Custom packaging gives you a chance to give customers a better experience.
Apple is a good example of creating experiences through packaging. Apple spends a lot of time and effort creating packaging that is as much a part of its brand as its products. However, the biggest impact comes from the unboxing experience. People are ecstatic when they unbox Apple products because everything screams quality and choosing the best product available. Its packaging provides a tactile and visual experience that is exciting because they highly value the product. A big part of that is the quality of the packaging since Apple chose materials, weights, printing methods, and colors that are distinctly Apple and bring people into Apple’s lifestyle before they even get to the product itself.
If you want your packaging to be memorable and an extension of your brand, design it so that it is an experience in itself. Make sure that customers experience the core values of your company before they even get to the product. Use custom packaging supplies to show your customers value even though they are not likely to keep the packaging. You’ve got it right when customers start to rethink throwing away the box that their product came in because it feels like it should be a part of the product.
Defining Brands
Companies that use custom packaging to the fullest extent are the ones that use packaging to define their brand. The product is what is most important, but how it is delivered is just as impactful. For example, consider receiving a diamond ring in a carefully crafted box with cleanly printed lines, a unique color, and a bold but classy finish, or in a plain cardboard box. Which is more likely to make you excited before you even know what is in it? Which one would you be more excited to give to someone you love? The custom box wins nearly all of the time because it makes a statement all on its own.
This is exactly what Tiffany & Co. (the jewelry company) does with its signature boxes. Nearly every product that Tiffany & Co. sells is presented in a Tiffany Blue and white outer box with a high-quality black felt-covered jewelry box inside. People get excited by the box because they know where it is from just by how it looks. Tiffany & Co. spent a lot of time and effort creating packaging that is so engrained with its brand that it holds its own value to people. This is the kind of engagement that can sell products just through the company’s brand recognition.
The design of your packaging does not have to be complex, but it can be as desirable as your products. Design your packaging as if it is a product. Give it a unique style that only your company can provide. This will make your packaging an important part of the experience of buying your company’s products.
Educating Customers
Perhaps the most common but also overlooked ways of engaging customers through packaging is by designing it to educate customers. The packaging is more than just a protective measure to keep products safe. In many ways, customers learn more from the packaging of a product then from any other source. If your company does not have a massive marketing budget like Apple, your packaging is the way to convince customers to buy your products. By including the right information in the right way, you can help customers understand your products while convincing them that it will help solve their specific problem.
Nikon is great at this method of packaging. Most people do not understand the differences in camera lenses before they go to buy them. They just know that they want a lens that is designed to do one specific thing. To find it, they have to read the packaging to see what they do. Nikon capitalizes on this by providing the right information in a technical but accessible way, and most of its packages include pictures that demonstrate what the lenses do. Customers can quickly understand the capabilities of the product before they use it, buy it, or even choose the one that they want.
Any product can have packaging that teaches customers something. The key is identifying what customers want to know and making it an important feature on the package. It will make it easier for customers to make informed decisions and to choose your product over another brand.
Custom Packaging is Easier Than Ever
Creating custom packaging supplies for your products is easier than ever with custom packaging services like npn360. Our packaging solutions are simple to implement and easy to use, making it possible for any company to design and buy custom packaging supplies. Our team can also help you design better packaging. Contact us today to see how we can help you grow your business.
