We have all ordered a product on the Internet! When you received it, what did you think? Nice? Damaged? In perfect condition? Personally, I like my product to be in a solid package but also with the brand's logo, with a personalized scotch tape or in a cardboard box with the logo or patterns printed on it. I think it has its charm! It's even more fun to find it in the mailbox and open it.
Anne-Laure Compain
Packaging is the wrapping of a product. To explain simply, for a piece of jewelry such as a ring or a pair of earrings, the packaging is the case that encloses the jewelry.
We must not forget that the packaging strongly contributes to the act of purchase of a customer. Indeed, in store, the customer will not see the product all the time, he sees its packaging. The packaging must therefore be attractive, explanatory, descriptive and captivating.
Here are two examples of packaging that are totally opposite to each other:
Example 1: a bottle of perfume
The packaging of a perfume is not the cardboard box but the bottle! When a person enters a perfumery, he will see a multitude of different bottles of perfume. These bottles are packaging! And, it is also thanks to these bottles that the customer will buy or not the perfume. For a perfume, the customer sees the final product, its packaging and its box.
Example 2: a packet of chips
For a packet of chips, it is quite different from the perfume. Indeed, at no time we will see the product. The customer has in front of him a paper bag. The buying process is different. What will catch the customer's eye is the image of the chips, the taste and the brand awareness. These three elements must be attractive, appealing and make the customer hungry. By the way, why chips are sold in plastic bags filled with air and not in cardboard boxes? ...Good thinking 😉
Come on, I'm telling you! "In fact, in a bag of potato chips, there is not only air, there is 78% nitrogen, an insulating gas that allows the chips to stay crisp and not break.
Protecting the product
Here we are talking about protecting the product from breakage during handling, either in the warehouse or during delivery or once in the store shelves.
Preserve the product
The packaging allows to preserve and protect the product from cold or heat. Or, if we take our example of potato chips, it prevents the product from spoiling.
Distribute
The packaging must have a practical shape for the customer to hold, to store on the shelves and to pack in cartons for transport.
Attract
The customer must be able to quickly identify the brand and the type of product. The packaging must reflect the brand's graphic charter and the appropriate colors for the type of product. Attract + seduce = trigger the purchase
Inform
The packaging is used to give information to the customer: marketing and mandatory information such as the bar code, the composition of the product, the origin, the advice of use and conservation or the added value of the product (organic, label)
Helping the customer
The simplest example is the food industry. The packaging must be ergonomic to fit easily in the cupboards or in the refrigerator. Also, the packaging must be pleasant to the touch and must not be too heavy.
Positioning
The product's packaging, through its shape, colors and graphics, will present the brand's positioning and personality. The customer will then be able to choose the right product and the right price thanks to the packaging.
Make a lasting impression
A package that is pretty or that gives a nice experience when opened will mark the customer's mind. Indeed, he will be able to share this experience on social networks and thus make people talk about the brand.
Reusable / recyclable
Today, consumers are more and more concerned about the Planet. Packaging must be easily recyclable at home. Another alternative is packaging with a deposit for the brand to recycle it.
This is the packaging that is in direct contact with the product. If we take our example of perfume, the packaging corresponds to the glass bottle.
The packaging is located around the packaging. The packaging allows to give marketing and commercial information to the customer. It is the packaging that the customer sees 95% of the time. In our example of perfume, the packaging corresponds to the cardboard box that contains the bottle of perfume.
The customer is very rarely, if ever, confronted with this packaging. It is the cardboard boxes that contain all the products or the covers that cover the transport pallets.
An eco-responsible packaging is a packaging that will respect the environment while protecting the product. And this, in a sustainable way. An eco-responsible packaging has to be, at choice :
In 2020, a study was done in France by YouGov. It showed that 86% of the French think that the packaging of a product has an impact on the environment. The French are also ready to pay 0,22€ more for a product in order to have an eco-responsible packaging.
Last point about eco-responsible packaging, and I think you can imagine, for a brand that sells organic, vegan or natural products, eco-responsible packaging is a must! The customer will not understand if he sees a plastic or polystyrene packaging. There will be no link between the packaging and the brand values.
Why is custom packaging so popular these days? Simply because brands are more and more concerned about their brand image and they want to be closer and closer to their customers.
A simple example is that of Pokawa which adds, for each order, a small handwritten message! Some may say it's not much, but on the contrary it's huge! It's a small attention that takes 20 seconds to the brand to do but that will satisfy the customer and make him want to order again.
Creating a customized packaging according to a brand will allow it to better differentiate itself from the competition and to feed its network by word of mouth.
Nevertheless, before a product reaches the final customer, it has to pass through many places such as the transport platform, the deliveryman's hands or the store shelves.
Another point, having a personalized packaging allows to create and reinforce the link between a brand and its customer. This is even more important for an e-commerce! Indeed, the packaging is the only physical contact that exists between the e-commerce and the customer, so when opening the package, the customer experience must be perfect!
A personalized packaging becomes a real means of communication! Whether it's in a store window or in storage warehouses and even with carriers! A package passes through many hands before arriving on a store shelf or at the customer's home.
If in a physical store, the packaging will attract the eye and trigger the purchase, on an e-commerce it is different. The packaging will provide an emotion after the purchase, when he receives his package and unpack it. If the experience is positive, it will make them want to order again or share this experience with others. The packaging then becomes a way to build customer loyalty.
And, on the contrary, using a simple cardboard box without any personalization or of poor quality can damage the brand image and make the customer disappointed.
When the customer receives his parcel and the packaging and the opening experience are exceptional then he will be more likely to share his experience on social networks than if the parcel is "banal".
As we can see on the Google Trends curve, the topic of unboxing interests customers in France. Also, on social networks like Instagram or Tiktok we can see many videos of people and influencers who share their experience of unboxing.
Depending on the product you want to pack, some packaging will be more suitable than others. Indeed, for a bottle of wine, you need a solid and reinforced packaging to avoid breakage. Whereas for a piece of clothing, a simple rectangular box is sufficient.
To pack clothes or fashion accessories, you can think of a small cotton bag to protect the product, all packed in a nice rectangular box.
The paper bag is perfect when you have a physical store. It is the first means of communication of a store! The paper bag offers an important visibility to new customers as soon as they leave the store. If you have an e-commerce, paper bags can be useful if you are doing a special event in a city where you will sell your products, and therefore, put them in a paper bag for the customer to walk with.
The disadvantage of the paper bag is that people don't necessarily recycle it. This is why the cotton bag is preferable, even if it is more expensive. The cotton bag is also more durable over time!
The pouch can have two uses, either as a packaging or as a wrapping. For e-tailers, the pouches are very practical. Often made of kraft paper, they can be used to securely ship small items, often fashion, lingerie or jewelry. Finally, the pouches generally have an adhesive strip for a secure closure.
The alternative to the kraft pouch is the box made of recycled cardboard or not. The box is perfect for shipping shoes, clothing or any other product that needs a hard and solid packaging.
When a brand opts for personalized packaging, it must think about their costs when setting the price of its products. Indeed, depending on its size, a package can cost from 0,10€ to 5€ per unit, or even more!
Also, we must not forget that today many carriers such as La Poste or Relay Colis charge the price of shipping according to the destination of course, but also according to the size of the package. We therefore forget about large packages, otherwise the shipping costs will increase by about 20%.
This is also the chance that custom packaging provides, you can make it the size you want. Your package will be the perfect size for your product. The packaging will protect the product perfectly because it will not "wander" in the package.
A product package must be made for mailing or for sale in the store. So let's review these two options.
For e-commerce that generate a lot of traffic and have a real logistics, everything that concerns packaging is managed by two people. The e-commerce manager will guide the creation and purchase of packaging. While the logistics manager will take care of all the handling around the packaging.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of websites where you can order personalized packaging. On it, you can personalize your packaging with your colors, your logo or with geometric shapes or images.
I hope that you have realized the importance and impact that a personalized packaging will bring to your e-commerce. It is the first contact your customer has with your brand, so you must make this moment memorable, attractive and simple!
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Anne-Laure Compain
Anne-Laure Compain
Anne-Laure Compain
