Making a statement with Custom Packaging
Thanks to the Internet, almost every product a customer could want is available at the simple touch of a button. E-commerce has revolutionized the way customers purchase their goods. Rather than visiting brick and mortar stores, more and more people simply buy their goods online and pick them up in packages on their front doorsteps.
While in the past, businesses made a good first impression on customers by creating displays in their stores that reflected their brand, today it’s more challenging than ever to differentiate your brand online. That’s where custom packaging comes in handy.
The first tactile impression of a business’ products may be the packaging it arrives in. While a package could be as simple as a cardboard box that carts a product from point A to point B, it could also be an opportunity for your business to make a statement about who you are and why you’re better than your competitors. If you think custom packaging is a waste of time, here are four reasons you might want to reconsider.
1. Whether we like it or not, first impressions matter.
According to a study by Google published in 2012, the average customer develops an opinion about your brand in around 50 milliseconds. Once that first impression has happened, it’s difficult to change a customer’s mind. Not impossible, of course, but difficult. You don’t want to waste marketing power cleaning up a bad first impression. Rather, take the time now to make the first impression good. If the first impression of a newly purchased product is the box it arrives in, then customize that box to reflect your brand.
2. Custom packaging makes your product look top notch.
If you ordered an expensive gourmet meal, you’d probably want your money back if the waiter served it to you on a paper plate with plastic utensils. You might question the quality of the restaurant. You might even wonder if the meal is any good. Similarly, you wouldn’t mail a fine gift or quality product in a banged-up cardboard box. On the contrary, you’d package it carefully in a nice box branded with your company logo, perhaps even creatively arranged with tissue paper or stamped with relevant slogans. Even if your products are less expensive, consider how much finer they’ll look when packaged according to your brand. For a low cost, a custom package improves your customer’s impression of your products and overall business.
3. Customers share pretty packages.
Whether we like it or not, social media is everywhere these days. Mailing a product in a cardboard box works just fine. But if you mail it in a pretty package, a colorful container, perhaps, or a box with tissue lining, many, many customers are likely to photograph your product in the box and share it with a pretty filter on Instagram or Twitter or even Facebook. In other words: simply taking care with your packaging could lead to free advertising!
4. It’s unnecessary and unexpected — which feels like a treat.
All that said, nobody expects custom packaging. No customer will be upset if they simply receive their product in a cardboard box. The thing is: you can use this to your advantage. By mailing your products in a custom package, you’re giving your customers an unexpected treat. You’re going above and beyond for them, and they will reward you for it with loyalty and, best of all, more purchases.
Need help?
Safeguard understands the importance of showcasing your brand. Your local advisor can help you make a good first impression, give us a call to get started.