If you’re a startup brand with a product, your packaging is incredibly important. As we go into why your packaging design and branding are more important now than ever before, you’ll see why it’s a worthwhile investment.
You can partner with a die-cutting company, for example, to make sure every detail of your packaging is distinctive, compelling and perfect.
Why Does Packaging Matter?
If you get a product with beautiful packaging, you might not even realize it, but it can change your entire perception. If you’ve ever gotten an attractive package, it can change your assessment of what’s inside right off the bat. Poorly done packaging on the other hand, is going to negatively shape your opinion, even if the product ends up being great.
There was one study that found around one-third of decision-making from consumers is based only on the packaging. A separate study found 94% of first impressions relate to design.
Consumers are incredibly discerning because they’re bombarded with so much advertising and marketing every day, so packaging gives you that unique opportunity to speak to their senses differently.
Packaging influences how customers will interact with your brand, and it can help you set your brand apart from everyone else. You can also use it as a source of information, and it’s a driver of brand recognition.
Your customers can create memories of your product based only on your packaging.
If you’re an eCommerce brand solely or primarily, you have to think about how you can form deep connections with your customers, even without the in-person experience. The packaging gives your customers a way to connect with you. They can feel like they’re receiving a gift, and in a survey, 40% of shoppers said they’d be somewhat more likely or much more likely to purchase from a company again if they got their product in premium packaging.
The Technical Considerations
Packaging isn’t just valuable from a branding standpoint—there are technical considerations too.
For example, great packaging will keep your product protected. The last thing you want is your customer receiving something that’s broken, damaged, or has gone back due to insufficient packaging.
Branding Tips
When you’re a new brand, you want your packaging to tell a story that ties into the rest of who and what you are.
Outside of your website or perhaps social media, your packaging is your first touchpoint for most of your customers. You are setting the tone for what they’re going to experience, and you also want to offer them a sense of confirmation in their decision to buy from you.
Something else to think about here—customers want to feel like they’re getting a lot for their money, and premium packaging can signify that.
A few specific things to keep in mind:
- Form follows function when it comes to packaging. You should have three big goals. First, your packaging is functional. Then, the second goal is for it to protect the product, and the third is that it aligns with your brand’s aesthetic. Don’t let yourself for example get so caught up in the aesthetic that the packaging doesn’t actually protect your product.
- By the time in your business where you’re planning the packaging, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want to convey with your brand, but you might need to refresh yourself with this when you design your packaging. Think about what makes you unique, how your products have the potential to impact the lives of the people who buy them, and where you see your brand not only now but in the future.
- Don’t overdesign your packaging. This is a big one—no matter your brand aesthetic, err on the simpler side if possible. If you go too crazy with your packaging, it’s going to be overwhelming to your customers. You want something that’s going to resonate, and that feels well-thought-out and not chaotic.
- We mentioned this above, but you want to invest in your packaging since it is pertinent to your overall branding.
Finally, when you have perfect packaging, along with creating connections with your customers, you might be able to use it as part of your social media campaigns. Unboxing videos from influencers are incredibly popular on platforms like Instagram right now.
Strangely, people spend hours on YouTube watching people open their mail, so there’s something to it. When you have brand ambassadors, have them start their introduction to your product with the unboxing to build suspense and show people what they can expect when they purchase from you.
