Blog For Noob Random thought of a Noob Blogger
As an e-commerce store, you might be forgiven for focusing most of your time and attention on your online presence. However, this focus can be damaging when you are looking to form those vital, long-lasting relationships with customers. In fact, since most of the interactions you will have with customers happen online, this makes the direct exchanges you have even more important.
Your packaging is the first direct, in-person interaction that a customer has with your brand. This means that the quality, design, and branding of your packaging has the power to define customer expectations and your long-term relationship. Even before a customer has seen their product, they have judged its quality on your packaging, so it is vital that you make the right first impression.
Choosing Your Packaging Materials
The first step to designing winning e-commerce packaging is to choose what materials you will be using. There are many factors that go into finding the right materials for your e-commerce packaging; these include:
Weight of the materials
You should avoid using material that is too heavy as this can increase the cost of sending packages. However, using a material that is too light can lead to damages.
Look and feel
Not only will you want to consider the weight and thickness of the material you are using but the look and feel of it too. Using standard packaging materials can make your package look generic but will be cheaper to use.
Purpose
Will your packaging be used only to host an item as it is delivered, or are you planning on individually packaging all products. Packaging parcels and packaging products will require the use of different materials, so it is important to think carefully about what you are packaging.
Remember Branding
Using a high-quality packaging material that is difficult to damage will only get you so far. To ensure you are able to make a memorable first impression, you need to brand your e-commerce packaging.
There are many ways that you can brand your e-commerce packaging. For example, you could get your branding printed onto the packaging materials directly. However, this tends to be a bit more costly, so instead, you might want to use custom printed labels.
Be Sustainable
Consumers are becoming increasingly mindful of sustainability while shopping. In fact, studies have found that the majority of consumers are actively seeking out brands that are trying to become more sustainable.
In the past, e-commerce stores have gained a bad reputation for using unnecessary plastic in their packaging. You should avoid using plastic in your packaging unless it is absolutely necessary. You should also try to use recycled materials that are as sustainable as possible.
Many businesses are now creating schemes that encourage customers to return old, used items to be refilled. You might want to consider ways you can encourage customers to reuse your packaging to further reduce your environmental impact.
Make the Right First Impression
Your packaging is the first in-person impression you will make on your customers. You should try to think of creative ways of illustrating your brand image and making the right first impression on customers to build long-lasting relationships with your brand.
