Customization has become such a vital part of the ecommerce experience that it’s no longer a nice to have – customers expect it. Consider the customer experience when a shipment arrives at an ecommerce shopper’s front door. Though the main goal of a logistics service is ensuring products arrive on time and intact, presentation is also key in ecommerce fulfillment.
In a world full of products, many with similar features and functionalities, customization helps brands stand out. Brand packaging, specifically, has emerged as a top strategy for companies that want to build a loyal customer base. How a company decides to ship their goods is now almost as important as what they’re sending.
Those that use generic packaging materials miss a valuable marketing opportunity that can go a long way toward improving the customer experience and building loyalty. There is a tactical difference between receiving plain padded mailers or brown corrugated boxes versus custom branded packaging that is clearly intentional and designed with care.
Ecommerce retailers may shy away from custom packaging and branding thinking it’s not a scalable offering, but it absolutely can be. Full-service fulfillment operations offer kitting solutions that handle assembly and shipment at a cost-effective price point that can ultimately support a customer-driven supply chain strategy. Kitting services are one of the many benefits a warehousing and fulfillment center can offer for brands that wish to expand their presence through their packaging design. It helps brands increase order size and inventory variety, in addition to increasing production cycles and customer response times.
Even if products aren’t bundled together in a single curated package, brands can explore numerous ways to improve the ecommerce experience from the moment a customer’s package arrives. Here are three additional ways custom branding and packaging helps delight, attract, and retain customers.
Make It Memorable
One of the biggest benefits of custom branding and packaging is that it makes the unboxing experience memorable for customers. The extra attention to the way a product arrives at a customer’s front door is no longer a nice-to-have value add, but rather a significant influencer when people decide to make a purchase. One survey revealed 72% of Americans agree the design of a product’s packaging influenced their purchase decisions.
Delighting the customer by enhancing the unboxing experience doesn’t mean slowing down the operational flow or making it more expensive. There are existing services and established processes, like kitting, to maintain the efficiency, accuracy, and creativity of producing custom packaging on a regular basis. Futher, there is a custom branded packaging solution for every budget.
There is always an opportunity to add branding even in a subtle way. Elements can be as small as customized tape featuring a brand’s logo to a fully specialized box with an accompanying mini-magazine or a personalized note elaborating on the products. Other ways to enter the custom packaging space are with elements such as:
- Postcards
- Stickers
- Colorful tissue paper
- Confetti or glitter
- Brand colors and/or logo on the box or envelope itself
Giving due attention to branded packaging enhances the perception of a brand and adds to the overall ecommerce experience. Consumers take everything into account when making their purchasing decisions, and customization can lead to brand loyalty, which can ultimately be revealed through customer analytics like purchase frequency and lifetime value.
Make It Shareable
In addition to making shipments memorable, customizing brand packaging also makes it shareable. When the presentation is photo-worthy, it increases the odds of free promotion via social media through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Ecommerce retailers are investing in improved product packaging to please their customers but also to entice new ones. Whether this is achieved by how brands package their products, create a subscription by curating several products together, or a hybrid of both, how it’s presented visually should elicit a positive emotional reaction by the customer.
Making branded packaging shareable means getting creative with colors, fonts, textures, and other custom design elements to help improve brand visibility and recognition. A beautiful design makes customers feel like they are receiving additional value from the products they’ve purchased, deeming it a worthy investment.
In addition to the visual appeal of custom branding, an increasing number of consumers are focusing on the environmental implications of packaging as well. Considering the advantages of green logistics, more and more brands are touting sustainability as a core pillar of their business operations and fulfillment strategy. Brands that have shifted to eco-friendly packaging options better align with the values of today’s customers and maintain a competitive edge as a result.
Make It Convenient
One of the biggest draws of custom brand packaging is convenience, particularly when it comes to subscription boxes. Companies can design packaging to perfectly fit their products versus relying on generic cardboard box containers. This helps to reduce packaging costs as well as shipping fees when products are bundled together in one shipment.
The subscription box industry has grown from $2.6 billion in 2016 to over $10 billion in 2021 with curated subscriptions being the most popular. These contain items the seller picks which often include exclusive products that help personalize the offering even further. It also allows brands to introduce new products and test them with a smaller audience before releasing them to the general public. Brand visibility and market research can often be achieved in the same process.
When people find brands they love, they are willing to talk to others about it online, in person, with friends, and with fellow shoppers. Packaging is a reflection of a brand, and a talking point for loyal customers. What do you want yours to say?
Flowspace is here to provide customized fulfillment solutions, including custom kitting offerings, for ecommerce brands. Find out how we can help you set your brand up for success. Get in touch today.
Sources:
- Ipsos. Most Americans Say That the Design of a Product’s Packaging Often Influences Their Purchase Decisions.https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/Most-Americans-Say-That-the-Design-of-a-Products-Packaging-Often-Influences-Their-Purchase-Decisions
- ReadyCloud Suite. These Subscription Box Statistics For 2021 Will Inspire You To Start Your Own. https://www.readycloud.com/info/subscription-box-statistics-for-2021
Written By:
Allison Champion
Allison Champion leads marketing communication at Flowspace, where she works to develop content that addresses the unique challenges facing modern brands in omnichannel eCommerce. She has more than a decade of experience in content development and marketing.
