How to Create Presentable Retail Packaging

We know that what’s inside the box matters; but what’s on the outside matters, too. The packaging of your items is your first point of contact with customers. It excites, piques interest, informs, attracts, and makes a lasting impression.

Packaging is a fantastic marketing tool for your business. Good retail packaging catches the customer’s eye, communicates your brand’s identity, provides the customer with information about the product or gifts, and protects the item. It speaks for itself from the shelves. 

Putting together presentable retail packaging for your business seems like an overwhelming process. Standing out from competitors while sticking to your brand guidelines takes creativity, research, and understanding of marketing techniques. However, this challenge is worth the impact it has on potential customers. 

Let BoxGenie guide you through creating presentable retail packaging for your business.

What Makes Retail Packaging Different 

Like the name indicates, retail packaging differs from ecommerce packaging. Retail packaging is found in a different set of circumstances and has different needs than goods shipped straight to the customer. Retail gift boxes play a much bigger role in marketing than it does for ecommerce. 

As opposed to ecommerce, retail packaging is often the first time that customers interact with your product. With ecommerce, the customer has already decided to purchase your product by the time they encounter your packaging. Retail, on the other hand, introduces customers to your brand before they buy. 

The goals of ecommerce and retail packaging also differ. Ecommerce packaging needs to ensure that the goods arrive at the customer’s doorstep in one piece. It also needs to create an exciting unboxing experience for the customer. 

Why Retail Packaging Matters 

With all of the work you put into creating a fantastic product, packaging may seem like an afterthought. However, not putting time and effort into the design of your packaging is a crucial mistake. Retail packaging plays a big role in selling your item to the customer. 

In the retail industry, retail packaging is sometimes your first point of contact with potential customers. Customers see the packaging before they see your item. They make decisions based on how you present the item through packaging. 

This is because packaging greatly influences customer behavior. Sixty-eight percent of consumers say that good packaging convinces them that a product is upscale. Seventy-two percent say that the design of a product’s packaging influences their decision to buy it. 

Customers will have a more memorable experience with your product with customized packaging. This creates loyal customers who recommend your products wherever they go. Investing in custom retail packaging pays off. 

When thinking about packaging, you should be sure to customize your:

• Gift wrap
• Ribbon
• Bows
• Tissue paper
• Shopping bags or baskets
• Retail boxes and retail product packaging

Anything that your potential client comes in contact with should be thought of as an opportunity for branding.

Goals of Retail Packaging 

• Stand out – Many markets are oversaturated, so standing out is essential. Your packaging should set your item apart. This can be accomplished through design or through highlighting your product’s unique selling points. 
• Inform about your products – The packaging needs to provide any information about your product that the customer needs to know. Since they can’t open the packaging to actually see and interact with your product, the packaging should provide this information. Explain, instruct, and inform the customer of what they are purchasing and how to use it. 
• Protect your items – While the appearance of the packaging matters, it’s also important that it fulfills its primary role of protecting your items. Choose a sturdy box that will withstand any transport and handling by consumers. Use packaging material that provides the level of protection that your item needs, depending on the circumstances it will encounter. 
• Communicate your brand values – If your brand is committed to a certain cause, has a certain personality, or wants to help customers meet certain goals, communicate this through the packaging. Say these things outright with a quote or testimonial or indirectly through your design choices. The customer will associate these things with your brand and feel they better understand what your brand is.
• Emphasize your unique selling point – What makes your product stand out from those around it on the shelves? The emphasis this on the packaging, whether in words or in how the item is physically packaged. This will help the customer differentiate between your product and the competition. 

Benefits of Customizing Retail Packaging 

Customizing your retail packaging may seem like an unnecessary expense. However, the benefits far outweigh the costs. Packaging is one of the most important factors in a customer’s decision-making process. 

Customizing your packaging allows your item to meet all of the previously listed goals for retail packaging. Your unique spin on packaging helps your items stand out. It gives your business the chance to inform, communicate values, and emphasize your unique selling point.

Customization increases the perceived value of your brand. Customers see how you have taken the extra step and intentionally designed your packaging, so the item must be valuable to warrant that effort. 

Necessary Elements of Presentable Retail Packaging 

• Use the correct box or ready packaging – The box is one of the most important elements of your packaging. Not only does it protect your item, but it is also a marketing element. Using the correct material and size of the box creates a seamless packaging presentation. The size of the box depends on how large the items are and how much room on the shelf it can take up. 
• Incorporate your logo – Incorporating your brand’s logo into your retail packaging is essential. Customized packaging allows you to do this in a creative way. Place it on the outside of the box or incorporate it in a unique way. Incorporating your logo is important for fostering brand recognition. 
• Incorporate your brand’s design elements – You've put a lot of work into creating brand elements – put them to use in your retail packaging design. Focus on integrating colors and artwork in a way that captures attention and stands out from competitors. While brighter colors may sound better, make sure you follow the rules of color psychology and your own branding. 

With retail packaging, what’s on the outside of the box matters most, as customers will not see the inside of the box until they have already purchased the product. You can still be creative with the inside, however. Your focus there would be more on enhancing the customer experience than marketing to them.

• Use eco-friendly materials – Using eco-friendly materials  and sustainable products adds value to your items. Customers are willing to invest in smaller businesses that use eco-friendly products over larger companies. It reflects positively on your business ethics and makes the customer feel good about buying your product. Plus it contributes to the greater good. 

Create Your Retail Packaging 

Retail packaging is an important part of the marketing for your business and your products. Putting together a strategy for attracting customers and making your products stand out can seem overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. You have all of your branding elements already.

Stick to your brand guidelines, but communicate them in a creative, engaging way. Make sure that your packaging communicates all necessary information about your items since customers only interact with packaging before purchasing a product. 

Now that you know how to create presentable retail packaging, you can send your items to the shelves, confident that they will fly right off. 

Sources:

1. Most Americans Say That the Design of a Product’s Packaging Often Influences Their Purchase Decisions | Ipsos
2. How Product Packaging Affects Brand Perception | Business Load
3. The Relationship Between Unboxing Experiences and Customer Retention | Trusted Shops