Custom made black cardboard packaging with print on inside and air tag holder

The Importance of Packaging

Top 5 Reasons Packaging Is As Important As Your Product

A company differentiates their product or service from their competitors through their identity and their brand storytelling. Standing out from the crowd requires all touch points the consumer has with your brand to be special and memorable so they choose you over someone doing something similar. This extends to packaging which represents a unique opportunity to create a positive and memorable experience.

We’ve collated 5 reasons we think packaging is as important as your product and why you should be mindful with what you’re exposing your brand to.

1. Packaging helps define your brand, so make sure it works for you and your product.

Your carefully crafted brand identity and values will be the result of hours you’ve spent in workshops and thinking to determine what your brand values are. You’ve briefed agencies to design your website and stationery, but have you considered all of your packaging to be consistent too?

Packaging helps reinforce your brand identity by continuing your brand story. By staying consistent to other channels of communication and visual prompts, customised packaging can lead your consumer to further believing in the brand values. Those values could be super-luxe or that caring for the environment is your mission or it could be outdoorsy, braves the elements and practical.

An example of customised luxury packaging is a jewellery brand might choose small velvet drawstring bags for jewellery to be transported in but also for the consumer to store the product in once it has been purchased. Another option could be branded boxes with a presentation filler to display the item. It might then be packaged in an outer bag and branded shipping bag.

Packaging that can strengthen your brand identity

Other ideas to strengthen the brand identity through packaging can include brand consistent stationery, website design and colours, other more specific branded packaging ideas such as customised and printed boxes, stickers, business cards, post cards included in the parcel or branded ribbon and tissue paper.

2. Packaging creates a unique customer experience so make it stand out.

We’ve seen an uplift in the number of e-commerce businesses requiring extra touch points for consumers to really get a feel for their product and have stand-out from competitors. It’s essential that each touch point a consumer has with the product is indicative of the brand values and continues to educate the consumer around the brand story and to encourage repeat purchases through great experience. If your product arrives damaged in shoddy packaging, then your customer experience is beginning negatively. Not to mention it affecting your bottom line both positively (encouraging repeat purchases) and negatively which involves the cost of replacing items and the time involved.

Opening a parcel or unboxing a delivery is an assault on the senses and still sends adults into a child-like sense of anticipation, thrill or exhilaration. It’s also a great social media tool that is accessible to all brands.

Doing a quick search on YouTube will illustrate this unboxing phenomenon that leads to 132,000 results. Take a look on Instagram #unboxing offers up 1.8M posts of people opening up products. From shoes to toys, hampers and jewellery.

Chanel (See Mrs_Lindh) 16.1k followers and 4k views on opening a Chanel box which is beautifully branded, customised ribbon for great presentation. Once the box is open, tissue paper surrounds the product inside, which also includes a branded bag to keep the shoes in when not in use.

YouTube / Instagram ‘unboxing a product’ figures found that only 11 percent of customers are completely satisfied with packaging today. Their top concerns include packaging that is hard to open, excessive packaging, damaged packaging, non-recyclable packaging and ugly packaging.

Packaging ideas for a great unboxing experience

Easy to open boxes, with tear off seals create a sense of theatre when opening a box. Printed messages on the inside of a box with instructions or a greeting are personal and inviting which help with the unboxing experience. Multiple layers that make the opener feel like they are opening a present is another option. Personalised tissue paper or a reusable zipped pouch is a nice touch.

3. Packaging has a positive or negative environmental impact, so you need to make that choice.

No one wants to be part of that or to have their brand associated with the damage caused by thoughtless packaging. If you can ensure your customised packaging is recyclable or reusable, then you’re ticking boxes that should be an essential part of your company credentials.

The impact of plastic on our environment is no longer up for debate. Surfers Against Sewage claim that about 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic ends up in our oceans, not to mention the 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste generated.

Recyclable branded packaging is another branded touch point opportunity but also a space for your customer to see that your products have been packaged responsibly. A compostable individual bag that perhaps previously might have been plastic, can be upgraded to a bag that can be used in a compost caddy and broken down with food waste and not impact the environment negatively.

Ideas for environmentally friendly packaging

Reusable packaging can include printed drawstring bags to ship your product in but also protect when the product is not in use once it’s been bought by your customer. Brands that choose this option include Hill & Friends and Veuve Clicquot. A branded dust bag with customised draw cords is a great way to protect the contents as well as provide an ongoing reusable packaging solution.

Another benefit of reusable packaging can be for returning unsuitable items. If the bag or customised box that the customer receives their order in can be use to return unsuitable items then this is a great benefit for your brand.

4. Cost reduction is a consideration for branded packaging and affects your bottom line

Retailers are now charged based on shipping volume, rather than just weight. That means dimensional as well as weight considerations should be taken into consideration when choosing your customised packaging.

Couriers implement this because excessive packaging can affect vehicle volumes so retailers should be very aware of how they use packaging as well as the void fill. Branded custom packaging should not be the only consideration, therefore optimising your custom packaging can mean cost savings.

Custom packaging to support your customer experience

Cost effective custom packaging can include fabric bag packaging in various styles such as fabric drawstring bags, fabric envelopes or fabric zipped pouches for packaging. Other ideas include printed boxes or folding cartons.

5. Packaging can create a point of difference and make you stand out from your competitors.

Unique packaging is an opportunity to connect with your customers that could be a disaster for you commercially if you don’t pay attention to it. If your product arrives in the same packaging that your competitors are using and you’re not making the most of your potential brand standout through packaging with a strong visual identity, then who will your customer remember? Your brand or theirs? You’re relying on only the product to be the point of stand out.

Creating great stand-out with customised packaging

Branded packaging bags for repeated use or to store the product in.
Customised external shipping boxes, we can print these for you or supply labels for each one to be sealed with to add that personal touch.
Printed cards to be included when the product is packed pointing people back to your website, include a discounted offer for their next purchase as well as thank you for choosing your brand.
Customised tape comes in various options, choose paper tape that is recyclable and can be printed with your contact details, logo and web address.
Printed ribbon is a lovely touch for wrapping products up either with or without tissue paper (which can also be printed!), it offers that exciting experience of unwrapping a present.

What can we do for you?

Wurlin are specialists in bespoke bags, packaging and customised merchandise. Progressive and flexible, we work with creative agencies and brand owners to diligently explore concepts and develop custom branded solutions. Experienced in sourcing products with a global supplier reach, we are trusted partners to clients for innovative manufacture, structured project coordination and international distribution.