Packaging: The Critical Bridge Between You and Your Customer
For too many companies, packaging is often seen as an afterthought. Looking to keep costs down, they often include minimal packaging without thinking about how this may affect their product perception down the line.
High-quality product package printing and artwork are one of the 'hidden secrets' of a successful product. From our offices here in New York City, the heart of advertising, we've seen plenty of great products fail on store shelves because they couldn't grab enough attention. In highly competitive markets, or those with an excess of parity products, packaging is often one of the only things that can make a product stand out.
After all, packaging is about more than simply holding your product. It can have a significant psychological effect on buyers, as well as adding to their perception of the product's value.
The Many Ways Great Product Package Printing Makes an Impact on Buyers
1 - Stand out on store shelves.
There's nothing in the world that cannot be purchased somewhere in New York City, and that means it's extra-difficult to actually get noticed among all the other products. While more customers today are willing to research even minor purchases, there are still plenty who won't even look at the back of a box unless they're suitably impressed by the front.
When a customer in a shop will have dozens or hundreds of products at any moment competing for their eyeballs, truly catchy and unique packaging is a must-have.
2 - Give buyers confidence in their purchase.
In many ways, product package printing is like adding clothing to your product. Just like most people are going to trust someone in a well-tailored suit ahead of someone slouching in a hoodie, buyers are far more likely to trust a product in high-quality packaging. Elements like printing quality and materials construction are noticed by many buyers. If the box looks or feels cheap, they're likely to assume the product inside is cheap as well.
Conversely, if the product package printing is beautiful and feels nice to interact with, that impression will carry over to their first impression of the product itself. It's an instant bonus for your customer satisfaction.
3 - "Gimmicks" bring more perceived value.
Packaging doesn't have to merely be a container intended to be thrown away and forgotten! There are many ways to add value to a product via its packaging, with minimal extra expense.
Just as a few ideas:
- Go green. Simply having packaging that's 100% eco-friendly is often a selling point on its own. A majority of consumers even say they're willing to pay more for eco-friendly products.
- Build the packaging with slightly higher-quality materials, so that it can be used as a long-term storage case.
- Make your packaging repurposeable, for DIY and cost-cutter types. Even if you don't change the package, add a list of suggestions for how to reuse it.
Customers are buying your packaging along with the product, so that makes the packaging itself a good target for up-sells and value-added features.
4 - Add tactile and physical appeal.
Anyone who says that product package printing is dead must not see how starved people are for tactile experiences that don't involve tapping mindlessly on a piece of glass. As more advertising and marketing has moved online, it's cut those brands off from an entire range of human interactions and sensory experiences. It's why many major brands still see great success from catalogs: That tactile experience matters to many customers.
The same can be true of your packaging. Making it feel unique and interesting an often have a psychological effect that's as least as powerful as its visual appeal. Likewise, mechanically interesting packaging with folding elements and smaller nested packages to open adds a level of direct engagement that "tap here to download" can simply never match.
5 - Get noticed on blogs and unboxing videos.
Meta-marketing is increasingly powerful, and there are plenty of online outlets about product boxes and packaging which can be powerful brand-drivers. In fact, just in the last year, views of unboxing videos on YouTube have increased by 57% along with a 50% increase in uploads, with tens of millions of separate videos.
Likewise, blogs such as LovelyPackage and thedieline are widely viewed by consumers as well as industry insiders, making them great for any brand featured. (They're also a good source of inspiration for your own packages!)
Great Packaging Truly Pays For Itself
Great product package printing and artwork should be seen as a marketing investment, and it's a powerful one. When the buyer is there in the store, holding it in their hands, the look and feel can easily become the deciding factor in their purchase.
With thirty years of product package printing experience in New York City, Sheer Print Solutions has the knowledge and the skill to deliver top-quality printing, marketing, and packaging. Contact us today for a free consultation.
About The Author
Craig Sheer
Craig Sheer is the owner of Sheer Print Solutions, located in Soho, NYC. We are the proven leader for affordable, high-quality Digital and Offset, and Large Format Printing in NYC. Sheer Printing Solutions is your single source for solutions to all your printing, binding, warehousing and fulfillment needs.