From small businesses to large retailers and everyone in between, memorable, and customized packaging is everything. As consumers continue to gravitate towards online shopping, companies must find new ways to augment their products and deliver personalized experiences that leave customers feeling positive about the retailer — without having to enter a store.
Below, we’re exploring how businesses can use packaging to their advantage to leave favorable and lasting impressions on their customers.
A new frontier for advertising
Last year, non-store retailers took nearly 62% of all retail e-commerce sales in the third quarter of 2023, as reported by Pew Research Center. What this tells us is that you don’t even need a physical storefront anymore to sell goods. Another thing the data reveals is a great opportunity for businesses to utilize a new medium for advertising: packaging.
With packaging, customers gravitate toward familiarity
It’s certainly not a new concept: when shopping online, the packaging sends a message. Most people are familiar with the Amazon box. Whether it appears as an arrow or a smile, you know exactly where it’s from when you receive a brown package with the familiar font and logo mark.
Consistency keeps ’em ordering
Consumers pay attention to details, including the look and feel of how their purchases arrive — using a consistent color can improve brand recognition by 80%. Custom shipping materials and mailers that match your brand can elevate your products with a cohesive shopping and packaging experience that helps enrich customer satisfaction.
From smartphone, to doorstep, and back to smartphone
Your shipping materials present an incredible opportunity to enhance the entire experience of receiving your product. With something as simple as a QR code, connecting packaging presents new opportunities for those who mail goods. Some retailers are utilizing connected packaging, the transforming of regular packaging into a digital experience, by scanning, tapping, or pointing with their devices to provide a whole new way for brands to connect with customers
How to find packaging that checks all the boxes
The rise of online purchasing means businesses must find shipping methods that satisfy many consumer requirements, including post-opening. On top of wanting a social-media-worthy unboxing experience with elegant materials or customized mailers, customers desire sustainable packaging options, including curbside recyclable mailers.
Oh hello, pretty
There is something delightful about getting an order you have been waiting for. It’s even better when the shipment is beautifully packaged. Your customer wants a thoughtful experience worth sharing on social media. As HubSpot puts it, “attractive and resilient packaging generates positive word-of-mouth (free advertising, yay!).”
Seek out sustainable materials
Consumers care about the environment and the impact of their shopping. According to McKinsey, 43% of consumers say environmental impact is an extremely or very important packaging characteristic when making purchasing decisions, and in some cases, they will even pay more for sustainable packaging.
Consider right-sizing your packaging
You may have caught the jokes about someone ordering something small only to receive it in a comically large box — the memes abound. An overlooked area of packaging is right-sizing, and this is one area where retailers have an opportunity to refine their shipping practices to better meet customer expectations, decrease waste, and even better protect products en route.
Many ways to customize packaging, and PAC can help
Whether you want your mailers beautifully branded, perfectly sized, or super sustainable — or all of the above — PAC can help you deliver lasting impressions for your customers and just about everyone along the mail stream. Visit our website today to learn more about how PAC’s packaging solutions can fit the unique needs of your business.
