Customer Loyalty: Packaging for Repeat Business

Customer retention is one of the most important assets of your business. While one-time customers are great, repeat customers are what help build your brand and create a community. Whether you run a small business or a budding startup, it’s your loyal customers that will keep coming back when you release new products. 

You might be wondering, “What does packaging have to do with customer loyalty?” Let us take you through exactly how packaging and repeat business go together. 

Why Do Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Matter?

Retaining Existing Customers Costs Less Than Customer Acquisition

In full-funnel marketing, one of the most expensive parts is the wide net your business must cast to raise customer awareness. You might have the coolest business in the world, but it’s getting your audience to understand that’s the trick. 

Paid marketing and the different types of customer acquisition strategies can be costly, and most of those funds are put toward potential customers. A strong retention strategy can get you more bang for your buck.

Once you have an exchange with a customer, they are more likely to return to your business. If they have a good customer experience with a retailer, buyers will feel more comfortable returning to what they know than risk trying something new. Marketing to current customers is cheaper than marketing to potential customers. Foster the relationship you have with your current customers, as it will pay dividends in the long run. 

It’s Easier To Do Business With Loyal Customers

Think about happy customers like loyal friends. When you go to dinner with someone you know and trust, the conversation flows, and you don’t have to work as hard because you know each other. When you grab dinner with a brand new acquaintance, you’ve got to small-talk a bit and ask questions to get to know them. Customers, both in-store and online, are the same way.

Once you know a customer, you can keep track of their preferences and cater to their needs. You can offer them things you know they’ll enjoy. When you have a new customer, it takes time to grow that relationship. Keep your loyal customers around.

Loyal Customers Become Brand Advocates 

Influencer marketing has become a huge asset in marketing strategy. But what if you could acquire free influencers? Well, you (sort of) can! 

Loyal customers are more likely to advocate for your business through word-of-mouth because they believe in your brand. They will tell their friends in person, but more importantly, they will post on social media. No matter how big or how small their following is, every share and tag matters. 

If you want to focus on building customer loyalty and turning your customers into promoters, consider adding a customer loyalty program or referral program to your business model. You can set up a reward program that gives your loyal customer base an incentive for referrals, repeat purchases, and more. 

How Do You Create Packaging for Repeat Business?

Make Your Packaging a Part of Your Brand

If you make packaging part of your brand, your audience will come to expect it and welcome it as a perk when they choose your business. 

How To Make Packaging Part of Your Brand

When something is a part of your brand, it means it fits in with the rest of your messaging. It’s an asset that is synonymous with your company. When incorporating packaging into the seam of your brand, here are some pieces to consider:

• What are the major values of your brand?
• How can the packaging serve your community and show inclusivity?
• If you and your audience value eco-friendliness, how can you commit to sustainable packaging?
• How can your choices in packaging contribute to your brand’s overall aesthetic?

How To Build Customer Loyalty to Your Brand

Once you’ve made the choice to use packaging as part of your branding, it’s time to grow your brand by establishing a following. One of the biggest tools you can use to establish a following is to have consistent, quality social media that speaks to your audience. 

Five tips to grow your social media following include:

1. Create relevant, meaningful, and authentic posts that cater to customer needs
2. Consistent, frequent posting at optimal times
3. Nurture community through communication (follow-backs, reposts, positive call-outs)
4. Surprise and delight consumers with a consistently positive experience; give them incentives to keep buying
5. Stay in tune with the audience and evolve with their needs; listen to customer feedback and observe key metrics

Ultimately, anything you can do to build an emotional connection with your brand through social media will boost brand loyalty and customer engagement. Massive brands like Apple, Amazon, and Starbucks know the power of an emotionally resonant social media presence. While it can cost a significant amount of money to grow your social media presence, it can be a key part of your customer loyalty strategy.

Make Your Packaging Collectible With Its Uniqueness

If you can create unique packaging, there’s a chance it will become more than just a package — it will become a collectible. 

When customers receive a beautiful package that can be repurposed for another household use like a plant holder or miscellaneous container, they will love that you’ve provided them with a sustainable, multi-use collectible.

Make Unboxing a Delightful Experience

Unboxing has become an experience that customers look forward to. The social media craze has turned unboxing into more than just a box cutter and some bubble wrap. Now, customers love participating in a whole experience. 

In order to make this happen for your customers, begin from the outside in. Think about how customers will open their packaging and make every step count. 

The process will go something like this:

1. Customer’s first impression of the package’s appearance
2. What the customer will see once they open the package
3. The appearance of contents’ arrangements (custom inserts, merchandise placement, etc.)
4. Ease of use of removing the product from the packaging 
5. Overall impression of the unboxing experience from your brand

Remember that your customers have the potential to become ambassadors. If your customer has fun with the unboxing experience you provide them, they are more likely to share it with their social media followers. And if you have a customer that shares? Repost them! Nurture that community. 

Include Free Swag With Each Purchase

Everybody loves free swag. This goes in the “surprise and delight” category of customer relationships. 

Free swag doesn’t have to mean giving expensive merchandise away. It can simply mean stickers, keychains, or other cost-effective items. 

QR Codes

If you aren’t comfortable giving away free swag to everyone right off the bat, give customers the opportunity through the use of QR codes. 

Say your customer orders a product and in their package, you include a QR code that says, “Scan for a surprise!” You can design the code to take them to your website and a perk of “free gift with next purchase” or “enter the code at check out to secure your free swag.” What matters is that they are using the code and returning to your eCommerce store or mobile app. 

QR codes are proven to: 

• Promote products and services
• Encourage repeat purchases and increase the customer lifetime value
• Grow audience and decrease churn
• Help you collect phone numbers and email addresses
• Allow for customer data-driven decision making

Packaging for Returning Customers

Showing your repeat customers that you value them can be communicated through custom packaging. From hand-written notes to custom box inserts. It’s the little things that will set your brand apart from the rest. 

No matter how big or small your business is, you likely collect data on your customers — even if it’s just email addresses. When you see a repeat email address come up, go the extra mile to customize the packaging for that customer. It will make them feel special and encourage them to continue choosing your brand. 

Conclusion

Box Genie knows that people love packaging. Continue your effort in making packaging a part of your brand to promote customer loyalty and brand awareness. Remember, if you need help with your custom packaging options, we’re here. 

Sources:

The Value Of Investing In Loyal Customers ⎸ Forbes

5 Ways QR Codes Boost Social Media Marketing ⎸ LinkedIn

Packaging Inserts Ideas: 7 Ways to Increase Customer Loyalty ⎸ Shopify