Online business owners often consider the products they ship and their packaging to be two separate entities. The product is what the customer wants, and the packaging is just meant to be recycled.
However, a well-designed package or shipping container can complement and enhance a product, making a business seem more human and, ultimately, more relatable to customers. To give you some inspiration, we’ve highlighted five successful online businesses that use creative packaging to up their game.
1. Talvo Designs
Danielle Montalvo founded Talvo Designs in 2014 to offer lifestyle products for men in their 20s and 30s. When coming up with the packaging for bow ties, Danielle wanted to create a package that would give customers an experience as exciting as wearing their bow tie for the first time.
Eventually the company settled on a simple two-piece cardboard box with custom stamps made for the logo and product information. When we asked her whether this packaging improved her business, she said, “Our new packaging has drastically helped with sales, especially at trade shows. It gives a high end feel to our product, and our online customers love that they can keep the boxes to store their bow ties.”
2. Thelma’s
Thelma’s was launched in Des Moines, Iowa, a few years ago by Thelma’s great granddaughter, Lana Lewis. She started delivering warm cookies in the Des Moines area, and they became an instant hit in the winter. When summertime came around, she realized that ice cream sandwiches were the way to go. Soon, Lana began shipping cookies and ice cream sandwiches cross country.
While the cookies taste delicious, the real treat is the way they arrive — in a brilliantly oven-inspired box. There’s no better way to get that fresh-from-the-oven experience!
3. Nawi Kids
Nawi Kids was founded by Nas and her friend Whitney when Nas saw an opportunity to bring a change to the apparel and toy manufacturing world. All of the Nawi Kids toys are stuffed with recycled plastic bottles, and each creation is constructed within a 10 mile radius of the shop to reduce carbon emissions.
Naw Kids packaging consists of an adorable bag that is not only creative, but also reusable! Moms and dads alike use the packaging from their Nawi Kids products to store kid-friendly items such as snacks, crayons, toiletries … you name it.
4. Dollar Shave Club
Dollar Shave Club is a Venice, California-based company that delivers razors and other personal grooming products to your doorstep for just a few bucks a month.
The company prides itself on its humor and attention to detail, which is clear in the company’s packaging. The mailer is kept minimal and no-nonsense, with the company title and slogan on the front. And while the humor continues inside the box with a suitable-for-framing postcard, the razors are still packaged effectively to keep the razor blades free from shipping damage.
5. eCreamery
Ice cream enthusiasts Becky App and Abby Jordan founded eCreamery in 2007 in Omaha, Nebraska. Whether they’re meeting orders online or in-store, they create each flavor in a small batch process and then hand pack and label it.
And it’s not just their ice cream flavors that are innovative. Creative packaging also keep their customers coming back for more. Each pint of ice cream can be designed with different colors, sayings and quotes for that personal touch. And when it comes to the shipment packaging, Becky says, “The fun and whimsical packaging of the cooler adds to the recipient’s excitement of receiving the ice cream. ‘Delicious delivery! Open immediately!’ labeled on the outside of the box adds to the fun of seeing something special on your doorstep.”
About Endicia
Endicia is a leading provider of internet-based postage services that make it easier and more affordable to ship parcels through the U.S. Postal Service®. We know that shipping can be complex and our goal is to simplify your shipping operations so you can focus on doing what you do best. Visit us at www.endicia.com to learn more.