In the past, providing this level of brand recognition and customer service through custom packaging was available only to major corporations that sell hundreds of thousands of units a year or luxury brands with high price points. Please visit our website for more information on this topic.

These days, custom packaging has become a trend embraced by a multitude of businesses, from popular subscription services like BarkBox and Ipsy to individual artisans offering handmade crafts on Etsy. Thanks to online platforms that enable anyone to design packaging in 3D and order in smaller quantities, custom packaging is now both accessible and economical for small businesses.

Here's how your business can join this affordable custom packaging movement and enjoy benefits such as enhanced brand loyalty and more secure product shipping.

What is Custom Packaging?

The best way to describe custom packaging is to compare it to the more traditional alternative: stock packaging.

Stock packaging, or standard packaging, is the generic type of packaging that you can pick up at Staples or the Post Office or order online in bulk. These unmarked brown (or sometimes white) corrugated cardboard boxes are easy to manufacture and come in a limited number of sizes and styles. While stock packaging is cheap and makes a lot of sense for personal shipping needs, it doesn’t do much for you if you’re trying to build an ecommerce brand. Customers have come to expect more stylish, refined packaging when they order goods online.

Custom packaging, by contrast, is tailored with the product specifications, the brand, and the end user in mind. The inside of the packaging is designed to fit the product perfectly, while the shipping box itself can be designed to mirror your brand’s colors, display your logo, or even include additional copy that conveys your sense of humor or company values. With custom packaging, the options are limited only by your own creativity and imagination.

The end result of custom packaging? Customers get a memorable unboxing experience, get the wow factor they’re looking for, and are more likely to choose your brand in the future. In fact, according to a recent study by Ipsos, 72 percent of American consumers are greatly influenced by packaging design when they make their purchases.

Top 5 Benefits of Custom Packaging for Small Business

There are many ways that custom packaging can benefit your business. Here are our top 5 reasons for choosing custom packaging for your shipping needs:

1. Custom Packaging Creates a Valuable Touchpoint at an Affordable Price.

Think about how much you would typically spend to put something directly into the hands of a potential customer. Packaging and shipping speed are two factors that can initiate a physical and emotional connection between customers and your brand. Still, there are many companies that readily spend thousands of dollars going to trade shows, handing out pens and other swag — but balk at spending a few cents more per box for packaging for their small business — even though this packaging is going directly to people who have already proven they’re willing to spend money on your products.

Why is this? Many ecommerce sellers don’t fully understand how important quality custom packaging is to the future of their business. A recent study by the GWP Group confirmed that customers relate the quality of the packaging to the quality of the brand, form an initial impression of your brand within 7 seconds, and are more likely to buy from a company again if they like the packaging. In most cases, the initial impression a customer forms will not change without a lot of effort, which means you’ll be spending much more to win and retain customers in the long run if you make a poor impression with your product packaging.

Customers expect great packaging designs. Don’t throw away a golden opportunity to impress and engage your customers for mere pennies on the dollar.

2. Custom Packaging Protects Your Product.

Custom packaging can also be a wise investment because it gives your product the protection it needs. Unlike standard packaging, where any box will do, custom packaging only uses materials that fit the product in terms of size and durability.

Custom packaging gives your product that inner protection to keep it in a fixed position in transit and the outer protection that it needs to remain intact before it gets to the customer. For example, if you’re shipping glass or other fragile merchandise, a custom shipping box that incorporates a rigid cardboard with a foam insert can ensure your products make it in one piece, every time. Hydrogenated water brand, HyVIDA, found that when they invested in a custom packaging solution for their product, they eliminated damage complaints and dramatically improved their reviews on Amazon.

Protective packaging is especially important for small businesses, as inventory is often their company’s largest investment. As a bonus, opting for well-designed custom packaging that fits your inventory to a T can save your company money on package fillers such as bubble wrap, shredded paper, and packing peanuts.

3. Custom Packaging Promotes Customer Satisfaction.

In theory, 100% customer satisfaction is the goal of every product package, but in reality most product packaging leaves customers disappointed, which is dangerous for your brand. According to Forbes Magazine, 60 to 80 percent of consumers do not go back to the same business if their packaging is poor, even if they are satisfied with the product.

Don’t let poor packaging undermine a great product. Instead of losing customers because they feel disconnected from your brand, let Arka ensure that your customers are satisfied by the product and what the product is shipped in.

With the help of a sleek design, visually appealing colors, modern prints, beautiful package inserts, and personalized messages, you can give your customers what they crave and increase customer satisfaction. These personal touches are particularly important when choosing packaging for a small business. Changing consumer shopping habits have led 55% of Americans to make a purchase from a new brand. This is a big opportunity for small businesses to make a big impression on these new customers.

4. Custom Packaging for Small Business Turns Customers Into Brand Ambassadors.

Perhaps one of the biggest (and sneakiest) benefits of custom packaging for small businesses is its ability to turn customers from one-time purchasers into brand ambassadors. This is especially true for ecommerce businesses, since waiting for the package to arrive and then unboxing the product are such a primary part of the customer experience.

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In fact, according to Dotcom Distribution, 35 percent of customers report regularly watching unboxing videos, 55 percent of customers report buying a product after watching an unboxing video, and 40 percent of customers say they’ve shared a picture or video of a product’s packaging before.

That’s a lot of opportunities to get your brand in front of new buyers without spending any additional money on advertising or social media campaigns. When you look at the statistics, custom packaging begins to feel less like an extra, unnecessary expense and more like the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach new customers.

5. Custom Packaging Encourages Repeat Business.

Finally, custom packaging is a great way for small businesses to get customers to return again and again. Selling to an existing customer is so much easier than getting a new customer, yet many companies spend all of their marketing money trying to attract new customers and don’t give much thought to keeping the customers they already have.

Custom packaging can help your company build loyalty over time and earn repeat business not only by making a solid first impression, but also by giving repeat customers something to look forward to. You know this is true if you think about your own favorite ecommerce brands, the excitement you feel when you see the instantly recognizable packaging in your mailbox or on your doorstep, and the pleasure you experience opening a beautifully-presented product.

In addition, creating custom packaging gives you the opportunity to design memorable seasonal or event-based packaging and to include coordinating stickers, tissue paper, packing tape or package inserts advertising an upcoming sale —anything that will help you build a cohesive brand image and forge a highly personalized connection with your existing customers will help you retain those customers.

For these and many other reasons, ecommerce businesses should give serious consideration to custom packaging as a way to create a big impact with a small investment.

If you’re ready to refine your brand, sign up with Arka today. We’ll help you design a box your customers will hate to throw out.

8 Benefits of Custom Packaging Solutions for Your Brand

Are you tossing your products in a cardboard box, stuffing some packing peanuts or paper around it, and sending them off to your customers? While this will get your product to your buyers fairly fast, it doesn't add to the overall product experience. It also creates a significant amount of waste. If you're looking for ways to improve your branding efforts, improve your customer's experience with your product, and protect your product well from shipping damage, all while potentially saving money, then consider custom packaging solutions. Here is a closer look at why custom packaging solutions make sense and the ways they can benefit your brand and your overall efforts to serve your customers well.

What are Customized Packaging Solutions?

Customized packaging solutions are packaging options that cater to the needs and requirements of the product while also improving the customer experience and overall branding efforts for the seller. These product packaging solutions include any container or material used to package or ship a product. This includes everything from the container that holds the product to the labels on the shipping boxes.

To create a custom packaging option, your team will need to work with engineers and designers to ensure your goals are aligned and what solutions will best achieve those goals. Collaboration between different teams can uncover insight from different perspectives on what design will work well for the product. Once a final design is ready, the product will need to be tested in the product packaging to ensure compatibility. The final packaging design can have printed logos, shapes, images, and artwork to help the packaged product stand out. Custom packaging can also make your brand easily recognizable and stand out from competitors on retail shelves. A well-designed package instantly connects with customers while also providing a safe storage option for the product.

Importance of Custom Packaging for Your Brand

If you've been using generic packaging for your products, considering new product packaging can be a good step toward improving your brand's reach. New packaging can often help with new branding goals, giving the product better visibility in a crowded market. Custom packaging gives you a place to show off the creativity of your branding and design team. It also works to protect your product and can lower costs for your team. The package is your customers' first impression of their order with you, and this makes it an important part of your overall sales process.

Types of Custom Packaging Solutions

As you consider the design and implementation of the custom packaging solutions your team needs for your product, consider these options:

Custom Boxes

The right box to pack and ship your products to your customers is an essential part of your business model. When considering custom packaging design, it's important to think outside of the proverbial cardboard box. While cardboard has its place as a packaging solution, you want to imagine something beyond the simple brown shipping box. Consider labeling your packaging boxes with branded artwork or printing your logo on the side. You can also customize the dimensions of your box to fit your product properly.

Custom Containers

Containers can include bottles, jars, or distinct primary packaging for your product. The goal of primary packaging is to keep the product protected until the customer is ready to use it. This is a component where brands have a range of abilities to customize their product packaging, from simple branding with labels to complex custom shapes and systems designed uniquely to enhance the product’s user experience. Shapes, colors, and decoration can all work together to make containers promote your product and keep your brand top of mind.

Custom Product Bags

For items sold in bags, customization is also possible. Bags are a low-cost packaging option, but they can still be customized. Consider printed bags that have your logo on them or bags with cutout windows to make your product visible. Handles help your customers more easily handle their products while closing mechanisms help keep products secure. A matte or glossy coating on the bag makes it look more polished. These types of details can make even a simple bag stand out.

Benefits of Custom Packaging Solutions

You may be wondering why you should invest in custom packaging solutions when you can use regular boxes or bags to store, display, and ship your products. Custom packaging has multiple benefits for your company. These include:

1. Brand Recognition and Visibility

If you want your customers to remember your brand and your products, you’ll want to focus on brand awareness. Custom packaging will help your brand identity through recognizable packaging and also create a sense of value in your company and its products.

When a customer enters a store selling your product, they can see the packaging and instantly equate it with your company. This increased visibility often leads to better sales. If you are shipping your product to your customer, they'll know instantly what it is and who it came from. In addition, you can use your customized packaging to deliver targeted messaging to your core audience, further supporting your branding goals.

2. Improved Customer Experience

When customers recognize your product easily, they develop a sense of connection with your brand. In this way, custom packaging can create a lasting impression on consumers to innately recognize your brand over time.

Not only that, but custom product packaging can enhance the customer experience. It provides the "wow" factor by elevating your product as upscale and desirable. For example, you can design a box that cradles your product and makes it instantly visible from the first moment the customer opens the box. This adds to that positive first impression.

Finally, it makes accessing the product simpler for the customer. You can tailor your packaging to the needs of the customer, creating a package that protects the product while making it easier to get the product out once someone has purchased it.

3. Differentiation from Competitors

One of your primary goals as a business owner is differentiation. You need to stand out from your competition, and custom packaging helps you do this. Products that are housed in custom packages tell buyers they're getting a higher quality, premium product. This, in turn, allows you to charge premium pricing or improve your product’s positioning at your retailer. Overall, the product and experience with that product become more memorable for everyone involved with the right packaging.

4. Protection of Packaging

Custom packaging is often more durable than standard boxes and bags. If your product is delicate, you can create packaging that has reinforcement and closures to help protect the item inside. The material and size of your packaging can also add protection. Custom product labeling can also add a layer of protection, notifying people that the items inside are fragile or need to be handled in a certain direction.

5. Sustainability

Global waste is on the rise, and if companies do not put a stop to it, by 2050, the amount of waste produced will increase by 70%. If your brand is concerned about being eco-friendly, you can choose recycled or sustainable materials for your product packaging. This helps to reduce waste and can improve your sustainable branding efforts. The packaging itself tells buyers that your company is invested in protecting the environment.

Not only can you choose the materials for the product from eco-friendly options, but the overall process of custom packaging reduces waste. Because the box is perfectly fit for the product, you are not using extra materials to fill up unnecessary space and consuming resources to ship the excess, which results in reducing overall waste.

6. Cost-Effectiveness

When your packaging perfectly fits your product, you won't pay extra for shipping boxes that are too large or bulky for the items inside. Your packaging process also becomes streamlined because it's easier to fit items in a custom box. This works together to reduce the cost of your inventory management.

7. Customer Loyalty

The brand awareness that comes from custom packaging helps develop customer loyalty. When customers can recognize the product they love and want to buy, they're more likely to be loyal to your brand, sometimes even for life. In addition, when the packaging makes the product feel more upscale, customers are more likely to return to purchase it again in the future. This adds to the customer loyalty you receive when you invest in custom product packaging solutions.

8. Tailored to Product Needs

Customized packaging can be tailored to the product's needs. You can work with engineers and product packaging designers to create a custom design that presents your product in the best possible way to the buyer. You can then add items like child locks, easy-tear openings, or locking tabs to cater to the specific needs of the product. Protection, presentation, and ease of access are all part of this tailoring as you work to create good packaging that will stand out.

Gain the Benefits of Custom Packaging Solutions Today

With so many benefits, the need for custom packaging solutions is clear. If you want a product that will stand out and impress your customers every time they purchase it, you want custom packaging. Paramount Global offers custom packaging solutions that can suit your product’s needs best. Our team of experts will partner with you to help navigate identifying the best fit for your product and help achieve your packaging goals. From the initial idea to the delivery of your final customized packaging, you will have the expertise of our team on your side. Contact us today to learn more about our custom packaging solutions and how they can help your brand impress your customers, protect your products, and stand out from the competition.