Cost Effective Custom Packaging Options

There can be many elements of a well-designed branded packaging and unboxing experience! You don’t have to include every single one, however, looking at each element can help you decide which ones deliver the best experience and deliver the most value for your customers. Strategically choosing just a few of these items below can go a long way in creating a better and more memorable experience for your customers.

Let’s take a look at some elements you may want to consider:

Box - The biggest element to consider is the main shipping box. Traditionally, white and brown corrugated packaging options are the most popular, known for being cheap, sturdy, and generally accomplishing the job. While the shipping box is the biggest opportunity to begin creating that “Wow” experience, it can also come at a high price.

Tissue Paper - Wrapping your products in tissue paper adds an extra level of mystery and excitement for the unboxing experience. Some options to consider here are using custom printed tissue paper, which accentuates the brand emphasis and attention to detail, or coloured tissue paper, which is a subtle and tasteful addition to any product. Tissue is both biodegradable and environmentally friendly, and is remarkably cost effective, with low order qualities, custom designs, and efficient production. A wide range of the environmentally considerate, versatile designs achieved with tissue can be seen here.

Mailer - the conventional plastic satchel used by couriers, a cheap and cost effective option but plastic, unfriendly to the environment, and doesn’t have the same premium feel that a box laden with tissue may carry.

Filler - Traditional filler types included styrofoam packing peanuts, foam inserts, air pillows or bubble wrap. Although popping bubble wrap is considered a nostalgic pastime of every single person on the planet, it’s not visually appealing and doesn’t do much for your brand, and is a considerable amount of waste.

Sticker - Sticker can be used in several ways. If you use tissue paper, a branded sticker can be used to seal the tissue paper together or it can also be used instead of custom (expensive) printing on your box as an option to brand it. Stickers are versatile and fairly inexpensive, but can be that additional detail that alludes to a personalised and luxurious packaging experience.

Custom Note - It may be difficult to scale, however, as a startup, a lot can be said for including a handwritten note to customers. It provides a personal touch that alludes to the people behind the brand, avoiding that impersonal, indifferent brand/customer relationship that too often within ecommerce and retail.

Tape - These days you have some options of different coloured tape that can compliment your custom packing and thematic brand colours.

Gift - A small gift can be a great way to surprise and delight customers as well as increase the overall experience. Ryan French, founder of GameKlip added Smarties and Rocket candies to every order. If you search Google for "GameKlip Smarties” you get close to 1,000 results of people talking about their experience. Based on your average order size and margins, consider what small little gifts you can add to enhance the experience of your branded unboxing experience.

Sample - Based on customer profile you may also want to consider including a sample that is likely to cross-sell the customer by introducing them to new products.