The hidden cost-saving benefits of custom product packaging
Product packaging is an essential component of any business that sells or manufactures a product. It is the packaging that catches the eye of the buyers to encourage sales. The packaging tells consumers everything they know to decide whether to purchase the product. The packaging also protects the product on its way to buyers’ homes. While there are many choices for money-saving, standard packaging, spending a little extra on custom packaging can actually help your business in five essential ways.
Space Optimization: Optimizing the size of your product packaging
The first thing you will notice about custom packaging is the ability to optimize the size of your box. When determining how large to make a product’s packaging, ensure it is large enough to make the product stand out, but still small enough to fit many items on a retail store shelf or for storing in a warehouse. For example, even a simple size adjustment, such as making the boxes just three centimeters smaller, may allow for another row of products onto the delivery van. This in turn provides a great deal of savings in terms of shipping costs.
Brand Recognition: Supporting and reinforcing brand awareness with your consumers
Brand recognition is when a customer can correctly identify a company’s product or service just by seeing the company’s packaging, logo, slogan or other brand collateral. Customizing a product’s containers provides the design flexibility of placing the company’s logo, colors, or other related images directly on the boxes. Customization makes the item instantly recognizable, encouraging people to purchase it instead of considering competitors. The brand’s presence on the packaging also serves to reinforce your branding strategies. That means that even if a potential customer doesn’t purchase your product for whatever reason, he or she will at least see it and recognize it next time.
Five stages of brand recognition
- Brand rejection – When consumers associate a brand with something negative. One of the most common forms of brand rejection in 2020 and 2021 is “cancel culture” where consumers abandoned brands that promoted political views that did not align with their own.
- Brand non-recognition – When consumers don’t recognize a brand either because there is no clear differentiation from competitors or customized branding.
- Brand recognition – When consumers are familiar with a brand and recognize the brand components such as logo, slogan or packaging.
- Brand awareness – When consumers are repeat users of a brand and when given a choice between two brands are most likely to go with the one they prefer.
- Brand loyalty – When consumers return to the same brand over and over again and are not interested in trying any other brand.
Vibrant Packaging: Adding value to product lines through print and design technology
A primary goal with custom packaging is to take your product and ensure it stands out from the crowd. By choosing customization, companies can hand-select everything from size to color to materials to fonts. Many industries, such as the beauty industry, choose a vibrant design option to ensure that their product is the first one to catch the eye of a potential consumer, thereby increasing the chances of him or her making a purchase and boosting sales. On a related note, companies don’t have to pay for any packaging features they do not want, whether that is the use of special materials or colors or something else, such as cutouts. Removing unwanted features saves a company a great deal of money, and can help increase profits.
Product Durability: Preventing product damages and breakages
Recent research shows that poor packaging that results in product damage or breakage accounts for 20 to 30% of product returns. While it is possible to find standard packaging that is incredibly durable, it is sometimes easier to do so with custom options. Durable packaging is essential, as you want the item’s container to be as bright and vibrant and keep the product safe before, during, and after the shipping process. Damaged products won’t sell, but durable packaging prevents damage from occurring in the first place.
Consumer Education: Communicating important product details to consumers
Depending on the product a company sells, custom packaging may be essential for providing sufficient space to explain the item. Think of medicines and health products. Understanding what the product is and how to use it is very important for the consumer. This is particularly important in the case of products that are unusual or can be confusing. By customizing a product’s box, companies can ensure that there is enough room to include a block of instructive text without crowding.
