Opening a package received in the mail has a strong psychological effect on the customer. The purpose in e-commerce is to surprise, excite, and reinforce the purchase decision.
The difference between a product that sits on a retail shelf and receiving a package from an ecommerce site is the first interaction with the customer. Opening a package received in the mail has a strong psychological effect. The purpose of the package in a retail store is to attract the customer; in ecommerce, the purpose is to surprise, excite, and reinforce the purchase.
5 Tips for Smart & Cost-Effective Packaging Design
Part of the shopping experience is receiving the package and finding the gift or thank you card. But have you ever thought about incorporating a scent into your package? A surprising voice asking the customer to rate the product? Or something funny that will make your customer laugh?
Be creative, open your mind and think of something that will bring the element of surprise to your package.
Think about whether your packaging can be part of the product or be a complementary product. For baby products — a diaper holder. For a knife — a wooden cutting board. For a makeup set — a stand for brushes. Instead of investing in durable carton, create multi-purpose packaging that provides added value, creates differentiation from competition, and that the customer will not throw away.
Be creative and think outside the box.
Every brand must have a brand language that includes colors, fonts, phrases, and all contours of the brand. Colors have a dominant effect on messages:
🔴 Red — energy, strength, danger
🔵 Blue — confidence and reliability
🟢 Green — environment, nature, growth, health
🟣 Purple — nobility, luxury, mystery
Conduct research before deciding on colors for your brand language — do not choose them arbitrarily.
Improve your customer experience by upgrading your product insert to a QR code. Printed manuals often find their way to the nearest trash bin. A QR code is not only cost effective but presents you as a caring brand. When the customer scans the code, they can go to any website or landing page — tutorials, photos, review requests, discount coupons for next purchase, or additional products.
To help you take your customers' experience to the next level, we have created the MYQRGUIDE system. It allows you to create your own Mini Site with PDF guides (auto-translated to any language), product video, warranty, VIP club, and more. Open a free account here.
The package must protect the product through the whole logistics journey: Factory → truck → ship → truck → Amazon warehouse → truck → customer. If you use a 3PL, add another truck.
Guidelines for choosing the right box:
• How do I prevent the product from moving inside the box?
• What thickness of protection does the product need?
• Which box will minimize product volume (to save costs)?
• Will it survive the entire logistics chain?
• What will give me the best WOW Effect?
💡 Creative Example
When bicycle company Vanmoof wanted to ensure careful handling during logistics, they put a picture of a TV on the packaging. According to the company, it reduced the number of broken shipments by 40%. Sometimes creative design of master cartons (for fragile products) is also worth considering.
A surprise gift box we created for a customer who prepares kits for NBA players
🎁 Our Design Team is at Your Service
Want to design smart and creative packaging that will differentiate you from the competition and your customers will remember? We'll develop new ideas with you and help with branding and graphic design that speaks the language of your brand.
Schedule a Free Consultation