How your product looks and appeals to your customers is vital. Whether you are an ecommerce business or a brick-and-mortar, you have invested considerable time in your product, and often packaging can come as an afterthought. However, investing in and utilizing more creative packaging can help not only your sales, but your brand as well.
Here are just a few of the things that creative packaging can do for you:
- It tells your customers who you are. Your packaging is your means of communicating with your customer. This can be accomplished through its shape, color or text. If it is unique, it will more aptly convey who you are and what you do.
- It is attractive. Anything that can help your product stand out from the competition is a good thing. If you have creative packaging, your customers’ eyes will be drawn to your product first and most likely entice them to actually pick it up and look at it; a particularly important feature in a crowded marketplace.
- It keeps your product in their hands longer. If your packaging is unique, chances are your customers aren’t going to pick it up and just set it back down. Instead they are going to look at it, feel it, examine it, read it. The longer you can stay in your customers’ hands and engage them, the more likely you are to convert a purchase.
- It makes you memorable. If your packaging stands out from the rest, your customers will remember it. As customers continue to perform more research before selecting a product, a memorable experience is more likely to lead to a purchase, if only because your items stick out in their minds.
- It promotes your business. Quirky configurations, text or colors can ultimately help promote who you are, reinforcing your brand perception and building a coherent image. Unique packaging is an opportunity to extend the reach of your marketing to the betterment of your product and your market presence.
- It can reduce waste. If you are thoughtful about your packaging, you may even be able to come up with a way to make it use fewer materials. With less material involved, your company can save on overhead while working toward an environmentally friendly image in the process.
How to Make Your Packaging Unique
With many benefits made possible through distinctive packaging, it’s hard to conceive of a reason why your company shouldn’t consider an innovative design. The one challenge that remains is how to truly separate your wrapping from your competitors’. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Start by telling a story. If there is space for text on your packaging, consider including a bit about your business. Explain succinctly who you are, why you do what you do, and what sets you apart.
- Make it an interesting shape. Think about what your product is and how it will be used, and craft a package that is out of the ordinary. For example if you are selling coffee, consider something other than just a plain bag such as a cardboard to-go coffee cup.
- Include a little something inside. The outside of the package isn’t the only way to be unique. You can slip something inside your packaging too. A small treat, a toy, a silly quote, a fortune. Anything to set you apart.
- Make it feel unique. Texture can be an important part of the experience when shopping for a product. If your packaging feels different when your customer picks it up, chances are they will remember you.
While it can seem like a cumbersome process to design creative packaging, it can really be a lot of fun and provide you with some great advantages in the long run. Separate your company from the competition with distinctive and identifying packaging, and your profits and customers will each see the benefit.