Want to stand out from your competition? Want to generate some positive buzz and brand loyalty? One great way for ecommerce businesses to achieve this is through custom packaging that enhances the customer experience.
You have heard of the saying good things come in small packages. Well, for ecommerce businesses the thinking is good things come in custom packages.
Making your packaging something more than just an afterthought and necessity to get your products from warehouse to customer can increase customer retention and also get your customers talking about your products in their circles of influence. Who does not want free word-of-mouth advertising for their brand?
Why Does It Matter?
One of the big disadvantages of running an ecommerce business over traditional brick and mortar style business is that you really never get to make a personal face-to-face connection with customers. You have to be creative and connect with them in other ways, and if you do so, you can still create an experience that your customers will remember and tell their friends about.
It’s no secret that companies who focus on customer experience have a higher satisfaction rate among their customers, which helps to increase brand loyalty.
From the moment a customer hits your website, their customer experience begins, and you want to continue to wow and excite them right up through when they receive their order and begin using your product.
Do you want them to receive just another plain brown cardboard box in the mail or do you want to give them a package that is custom branded and tells them the moment they see it that their order from you has arrived? This is an especially important part of the customer experience for subscription box services.
Designing a Unique Custom Packaging Experience
Choosing the right box is one of the first steps in designing your custom packaging.
You can go with a standard shipping box, but to make your brand stand out, it may be better to go with a folding mailer style box or a custom folding carton.
These sort of folding boxes can add to the experience and make a customer feel like they are opening a gift.
Once you have your packaging selected, then it is time to decide how you are going to design it, both inside and out. This is another area where you can really make your brand stick out. There are tons of stories of companies building a recognizable brand this way.
Gateway Computers famously did this with their cow designed boxes in the 90s.
It doesn’t have to be something quite as unique as the Gateway boxes, but you can create something that when your customers see the package on their doorstep, they know exactly who it is from.
Once the packaging is selected, you want to focus on the unboxing experience. As soon as your customers open the package, you want to make sure it is an experience they will remember.
You can add simple lightweight options that will not impact your shipping costs like personalized notes, samples of other products you sell, or flyers with special promotions.
Then think about how your products are laid out in the package. How are you drawing their eyes to what they ordered? What else are you including about the product? Can you put tips or instructions about the product printed on the packing materials?
Packing Up
Custom packaging can play a big role in enhancing your customer experience which will grow brand loyalty and recognition. It’s something that can cost a little but add a lot.
