When operating an online storefront, your ability to make an impression on customers can be limited.
Brick and mortar locations benefit from interior design choices and product arrangements that convey a sense of personality. If you want to leave a lasting impression on digital consumers, you need to get creative with effective, memorable packaging.
In the age of constant tracking, monitoring and waiting for deliveries to arrive, consumers treat unboxing like a ritual. When their order arrives, the packaging you choose can solidify this ritual as the culmination of their excitement and anticipation. However, ineffective and boring packaging can lead to frustration and buyer’s remorse.
To help you take your ecommerce business to the next level, helping enhance the customer experience and making a memorable brand impression with every package, let’s look at what ecommerce packaging is. We’ll cover strategies you can use to cultivate the excitement your customers feel when ordering and then unboxing.
What Is Ecommerce Packaging?
Simply put, ecommerce packaging is the container that you use to send your product to a consumer after they have placed an order online.
Depending on the type of product that you sell, your packaging options can range from small envelopes to large, protective boxes. When deciding on how to ship your orders, it’s important to select a container that is the correct size, cost-effective, and durable enough to protect the items during transit.
Why Is Ecommerce Packaging Important?
Ecommerce packaging isn’t just important because it ensures that your deliveries arrive safely and on time; it’s also a unique opportunity to engage with your customers. While effective marketing and sales teams can get prospective buyers to click “Order Now”, it’s the packaging that makes the physical first impression.
Your packaging is an extension of your business and should be used as an opportunity to excite and engage customers. After waiting days, or even weeks, for an order to arrive, consumers want a gratifying unboxing experience. If your packaging creates an enjoyable, memorable moment, then the customer is more likely to order from your store again.
Beyond just selecting the most utilitarian option, when designing a packaging experience, you have an opportunity to project your brand’s identity and create a memorable experience for the buyer.
While packaging may seem like a mundane aspect of doing business in an increasingly online world, it presents you with a chance to make a lasting impression on your customers and differentiate your products from your competitors'. That experience connects your business to your customers, helping you build relationships and keep them coming back.
What Are Your Ecommerce Packaging Options?
Before you can decide on the best way to create a unique unboxing experience, it’s helpful to learn about the different options you have when selecting ecommerce packaging.
While you may be limited by the size, dimensions and weight of your product, experimenting with different designs can help you arrive at the most effective choice.
Corrugated Boxes
Corrugated boxes are the most common type of retail product packaging. This durable, lightweight option is a great choice for companies that value the use of recyclable materials and don’t want to break the bank.
While the humble corrugated box may not spark excitement in all who behold it, many companies find success through effective branding and interesting interior designs. To create an interesting box design, you might want to explore folding options that produce dramatic opening mechanisms. It can also be helpful to work with a professional designer who can transform the traditional brown exterior into an eye-catching work of art that displays your brand.
Envelopes and Bags
Envelopes and bags are best used for small, durable products that don’t require a lot of protective packaging. These small parcels are strong and easy to store, so they are a great option for ecommerce businesses that don’t have large storage facilities.
Many envelopes and bags are available in eco-friendly materials, so they can be a great option for businesses that sell environmentally friendly products. They also present you with an opportunity to include unique branded designs on the exterior. For a truly personal message, working with experienced printing operations can give you the option to include the buyer's name or business as part of the design.
Padded Mailers
If you sell small items that require more protection than a typical envelope provides, padded mailers are a great option.
These packages are typically packed with shredded paper or bubble wrap to provide extra durability. If you want to design a memorable unboxing experience using padded mailers, it’s a good idea to use dynamic, eye-catching designs on the outside of the package For example, you could design a package that matches your brand’s colors or logo. When working with eco-friendly packaging, you can include text on the exterior that tells the buyer where the material used to create the mailer came from.
Custom Packaging
Custom boxing options are some of the most effective tools for ecommerce packaging. These containers come in all shapes and sizes and can be designed to match your brand’s identity.
When working with custom packaging solutions, you have the option of printing a design on the exterior, as well as creating a unique interior arrangement. These options work well when you can design an unboxing experience that feels luxurious, smooth and unique to your company. These packages look great in unboxing videos and can inspire viewers to purchase an order for themselves.
Take Your Ecommerce Packaging to the Next Level Today
With so many options available for ecommerce packaging, it can be hard to decide on the solution that fits your brand. To make a lasting impression with your ecommerce packaging, you may need to do some research. Creating an amazing unboxing experience involves understanding the buyer’s motivation for choosing your product and how they want to feel when they use it.
If you’re selling an eco-friendly product, then your packaging should be eco-friendly as well. Designing a packaging solution that mirrors your product’s unique characteristics can reinforce your company’s message.
If you’re selling a high-end, luxury item, you want your packaging to also feel luxurious. You wouldn’t ship a diamond ring in a bland, brown box. You’d want a smooth, suede case with a dramatic opening motion that draws the eyes towards the gleaming stone mounted in the middle.
Maintaining your business’s identity through every stage of the buyer’s journey is essential. Ending that journey with a memorable unboxing is an excellent way to leave a lasting impression.
If you want to learn more about how you can improve your ecommerce strategy, contact the team at GO2 Partners. Our experts have improved the digital operations of businesses across the country. Let’s see what we can do for you.
