Once upon a time, people bought goods and appliances in anonymous, plain and boring packaging. Very often, this packaging went straight into the bin, especially in the days before we all recycled, and was promptly forgotten.
Nowadays, however, we all have more…stuff…to buy and more varieties and brands of stuff to choose from. We also demand a more engaging and stimulating experience when we get home with our purchases or when we’ve waved the delivery guy off and we finally get to open up our new treasures.
All of this means that companies of all kinds, if they sell things to people, have to compete harder and harder for their market share and to maintain their customers’ loyalty.
Your packaging is your first point of contact with the customer
Whether it’s visual, as someone browses the shelves or scrolls through your listings, or physical, as someone unwraps or unboxes their purchase, your packaging is the first contact you have and you have to make it count.
Interesting packaging keeps people thinking about you for longer
Rather than just unfolding and ripping your packaging and throwing it away without thinking, creative packaging makes your customers think about you and your brand for a few seconds as they enjoy the experience of unboxing. Those few seconds are vital for cementing engagement and loyalty.
Premium packaging makes it 50% more likely that a first-time customer will come back to you in the future and this effect is enhanced if the product itself is also premium or at the higher end of the market.
Using a creative product packaging design adds extra value to the experience of acquiring your product and also makes it more likely that your customers will share their experience with their friends or followers, either online or in person.
You can use your packaging to show off your green credentials
Using recycled, reclaimed or novel packing materials also increases engagement and interest. Most people are now aware of the reasons for recycling and if your products make them feel virtuous, then your customers will only love you more. If you use rigid bamboo fibre packaging, for example, then your customers might repurpose it for storage.
Up to 90% of consumers reuse or repurpose boxes and bags after they’ve unwrapped the item, so increasing the ways in which they can use your packaging can only help. Compostable packaging is also attractive, as lots of people have taken up gardening during lockdown and many will carry this new pursuit on into the future.
Boldness sells
The more attractive your packaging is, the more people it’ll attract (obviously). Bright, quirky, unusual, ergonomic…all of these qualities will lead to consumers looking at your products for longer. Around a third of the purchase decision-making “uses” packaging, so the more you can influence this third, the better.
Your packaging isn’t just packaging, it’s part of the whole experience. If your brand is nurturing and friendly, then your packaging should reflect this, whereas if you’re looking for edgy customers, you should make your packaging stand out and make a definite statement. Your product packaging should make browsers and consumers think “This is me!” when they come across your brand.
Creative packaging can be free advertising
Nearly half of the UK’s consumers would, if the packaging is quirky, interesting or attractive enough, share the experience of unboxing online with their friends and followers.
These shares and videos are essentially free advertising and if you have a few customers who have a wide reach, then you’re reaching them as well, without spending a penny! Rather than paid-for advertising, which is often ignored or even blocked, these word-of-mouth recommendations and unboxing videos are usually welcomed by friends. Even better, people will often ask their friend questions about the product behind the packaging – what could be better for you and your goods?
To see our range of packaging, click here.
