The Importance Of Packaging In Sustaining Brand Story

If your company sells a physical product, your customers will receive a unique experience just by engaging with what you have to offer. Your brand, therefore, is something tangible they see, touch, smell, and possibly even hear and taste. And one of the most important factors of this customer journey is the packaging your product comes in.

Product packaging should be carefully and thoughtfully planned out. This includes the package material, its design, and everything that goes inside it. It’s a grandiose presentation of what you’re selling, and who you are as a company. First impressions are extremely important. They form in milliseconds, before logic can even kick in, and they can remain even after the facts arrive.

Think outside the box

The outside of a package is much more than simple brown cardboard these days (unless you’re Amazon). Brand colors, logo stickers, patterns, images, eye-popping package shapes and textures, even interactivity (unique flap locations) all speak to how your brand immediately conveys itself to the customer. How do you want to come across?

Your package is also the first thing a new customer sees. It’s as if you’re saying ‘hi’ to them for the very first time. Their handling, and unboxing, of your product is a brand new experience for them that’s unique to your brand, and your brand alone. No other company can create this moment. How you tell your product’s story as they journey through opening your package will speak volumes about your company. What message do you want to send to them?

Amazon’s brand is about speed, reliability, and stock. Boring, sure, but they own retail shipping. So what is your brand about? What is its personality? That’s how your packaging should look.

Think inside the box

Similar to a wrapped gift, the mystery of what’s inside a package is exciting. It can build anticipation (even when you know the contents). So the inside should contain much more than just the product and some bubble wrap!

Consider: tissue paper, unique filler material, stickers and promos, free samples, your business card, colorful packing slips, a unique receipt, a thank you note, special instructions, and other one-of-a-kind printed materials.

The consumer

The next generation will receive everything in the mail. Their lives are already lived online, on multiple platforms, and shared with millions of people 24/7. Your packaging can affect their lives, and their followers. Your reputation, and their customer loyalty, all depends on what they see and feel when engaging with your product.

The more you impress them, and the more they impress their friends socially, the more they will return to your brand. Studies show that it’s cheaper to cater to returning customers than it is to find new ones. Another study shows that 52% of consumers are likely to repeat a purchase if they receive premium packaging.

Messaging on, and inside, a package is a tool that can enhance the customer experience. It’s a way to engage the customer by encouraging them to read your copy, share the experience on social media (bragging), and exponentially promote your brand message without even meaning to do so. Your logo is on your package, right?

Conclusion

Your packaging is just as important to your brand as anything else is. Unpacking the product is just as important for your customer as them seeing it is. Packaging is about adding value by exceeding your customers’ expectations. It can bring people such joy. Yes, a cardboard box can bring joy! And unboxing is a ritual, it’s near-theater.

You are packaging your brand, and they are opening your brand … and that connection is very, very special.

Want to make a good impression on your clients? Let us design your packaging!