Packaging: enhance your brand with this key tool

Packaging is the packaging that contains the products that are marketed. This packaging is not limited to protecting items: packaging has become a powerful marketing tool. Keep reading this guide to get the most out of it!

What is packaging: meaning

Packaging is an anglicism that we use to refer to the packaging of a product. It is the paper, box or bag that contains the item.

Its basic objective is to protect the product while it is in the warehouse, exposed in gondolas or being transported. However, beyond these operational aspects, there is much more!

First of all, it is a crucial tool in both offline and online sales. In the case of a physical store, the packaging is the customer’s first approach to the product. The items compete on the shelf for the customer’s attention and, based on what they observe, the person will decide to buy one or the other.

In , this first approach is virtual because the person accesses the product through an online store, a marketplace or social networks. The packaging comes into play at the stage when it is sent to the indicated address. It will be the first thing the client will have in their hands.

In both cases it is the product’s cover letter (and, with it, the brand) and this is where we move on to the second key point to fully understand what packaging is.

It is an element with great potential to implement marketing, advertising and branding actions. Packaging is capable of capturing more and new customers, retaining them, increasing sales, generating brand recognition and strengthening positioning.

So far we have seen the meaning of packaging, now we need to go deeper. Although it is used as a synonym for container or packaging, there are some differences between these terms. We are going to know them in the next section so that you can identify each one.

Types of packaging

There are different depending on whether it is the packaging, package or container. In addition, each product may require different packaging to be distributed and transported.

Primary

The primary packaging or container is what is in direct contact with the product. It guarantees its hygiene, protects it and prevents it from being damaged or contaminated with other products.

If we are selling chocolates, for example, it would be the paper that covers them. In some cases, the primary packaging cannot be separated from the product because it is its support, for example, a glass of coffee.

Secondary

It is the element that contains and covers the packaged products, that is to say that the secondary packaging groups the units of the primary. In the case of chocolates, it would be the boxes or bags that bring them together.

In its design you will see the brand logo, its aesthetics and the information that the client needs to consume the product. For example, nutritional information or care contact.

Tertiary

This is the top deck that carries the products. It is the most resistant and its primary function is to protect the items so that everything arrives in perfect condition.

It can be the boxes that transport trucks with merchandise, or the bags that people carry and contain purchases. In both cases, these are elements that circulate and, therefore, logos are also included, because they are more occasions to promote brand recognition.

All types of packaging are an opportunity to add value to the product, reflect the identity of the brand and deepen its recognition. Read on to understand how to do it!

Objectives of packaging in e-commerce

Packaging can be both functional and communicational.

In the first case, the focus is on the operational: protecting the product for sale during handling and distribution. In the second, product information (such as date or ingredients) is key and marketing strategies come into play.

The design of these papers, boxes or bags can be aimed at capturing customers, attracting their attention, retaining them and much more! Let’s see everything we can achieve through packaging.

Protect the shipped products: take care that they arrive at their destination in good condition.
Transmit information: provide data about the product, its ingredients. These will depend on the type of product to consume.
Attract new customers: studying what you would like to receive, you can think of packaging designs, fonts, colors and sizes that will captivate them.
Build customer loyalty: by bringing original proposals to your packaging, you will provide an original, different shopping experience. This increases the chances of staying in the memory of your consumers, which promotes more purchases later.
Do branding: highlight the packaging to promote it and deepen its recognition.
Differentiate yourself from the competition: being more creative than other businesses will ensure a place in the memory (and hearts) of your customers.
Disseminate additional information: either about the brand, its purpose, products related to the acquired one, or about events that you are organizing, promotions, upcoming launches.

Have you seen how many possibilities open up when we think about what packaging is and everything we can do with it? And there are still more!

How to do the packaging design?

There are two main aspects to take into account when designing the packaging of your products: its structural and graphic design.

Structural design

We have already seen the key points about what packaging is, in terms of materials. To develop these boxes, bags or papers and ensure that they are useful, operational and functional, it is necessary to consider:

The type of product you are going to carry.
transportation requirements.
Its size, shape, weight and level of fragility.
The nature of the product and its presentation (for example, if it is liquid or solid).
Behavior under certain circumstances such as incidence of light, changes in temperature, humidity or pressure.
Resistance to compression, in case it must be stacked throughout the logistics chain.

Graphic design

If we think about the graphic design of the packaging so that it is an excellent transmitter of the visual identity of the brand, we must take into account:

The inclusion of the logo and to deepen brand recognition.

Other decorative elements such as illustrative images of the product contained in the packaging.
Clear and orderly organization of the information to be included.
Respect the color palette of your business branding.

Packaging as a marketing tool

We continue to go through all the points about what packaging is and, as you can see, there is a lot of room to implement commercial actions!

It is an exceptional space where you can implement marketing strategies and provide a unique shopping experience. Next, we bring you ideas to take advantage of packaging as a tool to generate more sales:

Discount coupon on the next purchase: since they have chosen your brand, invite them to continue shopping! Promotions are effective strategies to increase sales in your business.
Print a QR code to scan and direct wherever you want! In these codes you can include any type of link and this opens up endless possibilities.

You can bring your customers closer, take them to other sites of interest in the field, spread star content from your networks or even share a music playlist on Spotify.

Invitation to subscribe to your : boost your e-mail marketing strategy by increasing your subscriber rate.
Include the essential data of your business: from your logo and slogan, as we already mentioned, to you and social networks. It is information that may seem obvious but, perhaps, some users do not know.

More and more businesses pay attention to the packaging of their products because they understand , both in online and offline commerce. Therefore, we invite you to try these strategies, you will see how much value they add to your brand!

8 tips for designing unforgettable packaging

The time has come to share with you key ideas and tips so that your business packaging makes a difference. Grab the attention of your customers with these tips!

Multiple function. In addition to captivating your customers with the aesthetics of the packaging, you can offer packaging that has a later use.
In this way, you add value to yourself and people continue to remember your brand because they take advantage of the packaging you gave them, for example, for decoration or storage of objects.
Coherence between packaging and brand values. For example, if it is a brand that defends the environment, it is essential that you work with a .
Colorful, eye-catching and attractive design. As we have seen, it is not a simple container for the products to distribute them. The design of these boxes, bags or papers is a space of opportunity for marketing.
Human relationship and closeness. Including phrases like “Thank you for choosing us”, “I’m here”, “Enjoy it a lot” or “See you next time” you create a warm bond with the user.
Creative packaging. Take the opportunity to test your originality and provide a unique experience. We bring you 15 to work on this point.
Packaging customization. It allows the product and the brand to stand out from the competition. You can do it with stamps, stickers or decorative tapes.
Attention to the psychology of color. Each color palette generates different sensations in users. Take advantage of it to transmit sensations through the design of your packaging.
Curious facts about the brand, the products or the industry in general. Sharing a fun fact about your business or what you do is an original way to get closer to your customers.

💭 If it matches the tone and voice of your brand, you can include it in your packaging. So your customers generate a closer relationship with your business and its mission!

How to create custom packaging

In all commercial action, personalization is a powerful tool. According to the , there was an increase of more than 64% in searches with terms like “for me” or “custom” during the first half of 2021.

To give an example we can think of a campaign of . Including the name of the recipient in the subject of the email considerably increases the opening rate

When it comes to packaging, the same thing happens! Boxes or bags with custom designs are highly valued by customers.

At Starbucks, for example, the user’s name is written on the coffee cup to identify it. This makes each container unique and helps to strengthen a quality bond with the consumer.

Including the recipient’s name is an option, but we know it can be too time-consuming, depending on the volume of your sales. You can also:

adjust the packaging design according to the product you are shipping;
toggle according to the category of purchased items;
have boxes of different sizes and shapes depending on the purchase made.

In short, the main idea is to connect with the user, link the customer with the brand to generate a relationship of…