What’s a box? It’s more than a cube of cardboard. Or it can be. We show you how to turn your product packaging into your most powerful marketing tool!
As one of the world’s most trustworthy and international online offset printing companies, we’ve helped customers all around the world to develop and produce superb print-based products of every description; from books of every kind (obviously!) to board games and jigsaws to tarot cards, packaging and a lot more. But this post isn’t about us. It’s about you.
More specifically, given that most of our customers have commercial aims, what we can do to help you sell your printed products through the packaging. Whether you’re selling books, games, cards, calendars, or anything else, at some point it’s going to go out into the world in a package, right? Well, let us show you how you can turn your product packaging into a powerful marketing tool.
What’s in a box?
What is packaging for, do you think? Well, yes, it’s there to contain and protect your products while they’re in transit, sure. But it can be so much more than that. If you think of your product packaging just as a way to protect goods while they’re on the move, you’re probably missing a trick.
Well-designed packaging can help build your brand, improve customer satisfaction, and — this is what we’ll talk about right now — do a lot of marketing for you, too. How you package your products deserves your attention, as it can boost your sales and give a good return on investment. And the first thing to realize is that your packaging doesn’t need to be restricted to a basic box. There’s nothing wrong with boxes, of course, but did you know how many ways we can make boxes and what difference that can make to your product visibility and sales?
How many kinds of boxes?
How many types of packaging boxes are there to choose from, do you think? Well, with our fully customizable service and expert structural paper engineers at your back, the answer is almost an infinite variety. But if you’d like to consider even just our basic packaging offers, how about:
- Tuck end boxes (straight, reverse, hang tab)
- Tuck top snap lock bottom box
- Tuck top auto bottom box
- Seal end box
- One-piece tuck top box
- Gable top auto bottom box
- Bag box
- Corrugated boxes
- Telescope boxes
- Rigid boxes
- Collapsible rigid boxes
- Display boxes
- Magnetic closure boxes
- Kraft boxes
- Packaging sleeves (okay, these aren’t boxes, but they can transform a plain box into a thing of branded beauty)
So, don’t let anyone tell you that a box is “just a box”. And then there’s the option to add packaging inserts into the mix. Inserts can be structural — such as cardboard, fabric, or plastic shapes made or molded to create a snug fit for your products — or inclusions such as catalogs, thank you or gift cards, brochures, instruction booklets, consumer surveys… anything you want that fits in the box.
So, as they say, think outside the box. And remember that all these great box shapes and styles and inserts are printable surfaces. That means that they can all be branded and used to communicate your marketing messages. And what that means is that a well-designed custom box can do a lot of pre-selling, up-selling, and post-selling for you. Interesting, right?
The marketing potential of your packaging
To make the most of your product packaging, you need to think of your packaging as a vital part of your marketing strategy. With a little creativity and for only a small investment, you can turn your packaging into a vehicle of communication, advertising, entertainment, and promotion for your brand, and for other products and services you offer. Branding boxes and packaging is a relatively new thing and began with the rise of online businesses and small-scale entrepreneurs willing to exercise a little creativity to stand out in a crowded marketplace. It’s now a must for any forward-looking enterprise, online or offline.
Ever seen an “unboxing video” on social media?
But your product packaging isn’t just a portable billboard. It can be personalized to each customer, which might well get a photo of it shared on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, or other social media. A good package even has the potential to go viral — we’ve seen it happen multiple times — carrying your brand message to millions of new potential customers. You can’t really manipulate that, but there’s no doubt that investing in branded, market-focused packaging increases the probability of it happening.
Boxes with all the feels
Your packages are potentially so much more than just boxes. Everyone represents multiple opportunities to send clear and emotion-provoking messages to your customers — and anyone else who sees them either in transit, on arrival, or even after disposal — messages about your brand’s ideals and values. An eco-product company might choose a design made of recycled Kraft paper in natural colors that speaks of a simpler, barefoot lifestyle of which their target customers may dream. A brightly colored box with branded cartoon characters may be the thing for a company selling children’s toys or clothing. Or a plain black box with a single gold logo may speak of an exclusive, luxury lifestyle product.
Boxes on a budget
Now that might sound costly. And, yes, you can invest significantly in your packaging if you’ve done your market research and you know that you’ll get a good return on your investment. But branded packaging needn’t be expensive. Several smaller companies who work with us (dozens of our clients have been active on our books for decades) base their packaging on plain, off-the-shelf boxing solutions to which they simply add a printed box sleeve or a branded sticker or label. Such sleeves and labels add very little to the cost of production and can communicate special offers, describe the product, or even link to social media, mailing list subscriptions, and more by using QR codes customers can scan with their smartphones.
Get inside the box!
The outside of the packaging is only one dimension. I know we suggested — using what has now become something of a cliché — that you should think “outside the box”. Well, think inside the box, too!
Remember we talked about inserts and inclusions? While they can be custom-made and get as fancy as you like, there are plenty of inexpensive solutions, too. A simple thank you note for a gift item, colored tissue paper, a dash of scent, or an added gift, even just a standard discount card for a next purchase, can make all the difference. Receiving and opening the box or package should all be part of the customer’s experience and give them a positive benefit, which creates an associative emotional bond with your brand.
So, we hope this has been helpful to you and that we’ve opened your eyes to the creative marketing opportunities we can offer you with your packaging. Because we know how powerful this can be; that product packaging is a genuine opportunity to get creative and reinforce memorable emotional links between your brand and your customers. A package may be seen by hundreds or thousands of people offline and thousands or hundreds of thousands online. It should also stick in the customer’s mind and encourage future engagement. So, your boxes, envelopes, bags, and other containers are not just protective layers (although they should be both robust in transit and easy to open at the customer end) but also a powerful opportunity to enhance the customer experience, build brand loyalty, and boost sales.
Talk to us!
What’s not to love? You can find out more by visiting our dedicated page all about Custom Packaging Products. Or if you’re ready to explore how we can help or ask for a quotation for your custom packages, get in touch. One of our in-house packaging experts will be delighted to help. Well, that’s a wrap!
