How to Use Custom Packaging as a Marketing Tool
While packaging is often viewed as a business consumable, custom packaging can be a great marketing tool to showcase your brand, your values and key messages…
Effectively leveraging marketing channels can help a business generate sales and leads. In this day and age, many businesses focus on digital channels – like web, SEO, PPC and social media. And while online marketing strategies do a lot of heavy lifting, offline channels shouldn’t be overlooked. Traditionally, when you think offline, you think press or outdoor campaigns, but have you ever considered packaging?
The packaging your business uses is often the most significant piece of self-owned media in your marketing arsenal. Are you making the most of it?
In this article, we’ll consider how packaging can go beyond transporting goods from A to B, review the marketing opportunity the unboxing experience presents and a whole host of ways you can use custom packaging as marketing tool.
Measuring the marketing impact of custom packaging
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
Packaging – more than just a container
We’ve all been there – that feeling when you’ve been shopping online and you finally get the “Out for Delivery” update. Waiting for your purchases builds anticipation. But how do you feel when it arrives?
Packaging isn’t just a box or a bag – it’s the first physical touchpoint of your brand. It creates a lasting first impression and if it’s a disappointing one, or the packaging hasn’t done its job properly, and an item is damaged, it can be an impression that puts a consumer off ordering again.
At Macfarlane, our yearly Unboxing Survey highlights that a positive unboxing experience, which includes branded custom packaging, can encourage your customers to buy again. With this in mind, it’s important to make your packaging count.
Branding begins at the box
Making use of custom packaging, be it a box, bag or reusable container, presents an opportunity for you to reflect your brand identity. From colours, fonts and tone of voice used in on-packaging print – your packaging can speak volumes about who you are as a business.
It can also help extend your brand consistency. It begins with a consumer Googling for product through to landing on your website, then items being delivered to the door safely and then finally, the primary product packaging itself – how do you want to make your customers feel?
Take the packaging Apple uses – its minimalised boxes reflect its sleek, high-end image. You can achieve this too – through both your shipment packaging and your primary packaging.
Unboxing as a marketing opportunity
Not only can packaging reflect your brand, it’s also a great marketing opportunity. The online unboxing phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down. There are millions of videos across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Share-worthy packaging can help you generate organic, user-generated content (UGC). This can be a valuable tool, expanding your audience reach and influencing sales. As mentioned, our own research shows that a positive experience can encourage repeat purchases for 56% of UK consumers.
In addition, special limited-edition packaging can be used for PR packs, which are often posted to millions of influencer followers, creating even more buzz about your brand and up-coming product launches. You can also encourage customers to post about their unboxing experiences. A great example comes from Beauty Pie, who use a “Post your pie” note in ever pack, that encourages the use of a relevant hashtag.
Packaging as a branding and storytelling tool
Depending on your brand’s story, you could leverage packaging as a storytelling tool. For example, if you’re an ethical coffee brand, you could print farm locations or grower stories inside your packaging.
Making use of QR codes on packaging enables you to link to brand videos, values or behind-the-scenes content that demonstrates what your brand is about.
Connected packaging that offers augmented reality, could take storytelling a step further, immersing your customers in games or experiences that seamlessly blend the physical and digital.
Customisation of packaging to cross sell and upsell
Printed packaging or making use of custom inserts can offer cross sell and upsell opportunities alongside other marketing benefits.
Thank you cards, discount code inserts or referrals can all help you boost your reach and sales. You can also use inserts to cross-promote other relevant products, depending on the purchases made.
You could also offer educational content – such as styling tips if you’re a haircare brand – to increase engagement.
To really make this impactful, handwritten notes or personalised printing can demonstrate your brand goes an extra mile for customers, encouraging brand loyalty.
Leveraging packaging for sustainability messaging
Your packaging reflects your brand – if you’re all about sustainability, your packaging can demonstrate this.
Custom eco-friendly packaging can highlight your commitment, which will appeal to your customers. Our unboxing research backs this up too, almost 20% of consumers won’t buy from brands who use packaging that isn’t viewed as sustainable.
If sustainability is important to you, call attention to:
- Recyclable materials or minimal waste
- How customers can recycle your packaging
- Carbon neutral shipping or packaging materials if you provide them
- Certifications and logos, which can send trust signals
Measuring the marketing impact of custom packaging
So, if you’re leveraging packaging as a marketing tool how do you measure its impact?
If you’re using QR codes, make sure you’re using UTM links to track how packaging drives traffic or conversions. You could also monitor social shares, reviews and user generated unboxing content where your brand is mentioned.
Alternatively, you could send review requests or include them in your parcels.
Conclusion
In a world dominated by digital marketing, it can be easy to overlook the tangible power of packaging. However, we’ve explored that it can be a powerful tool and create a lasting impression. Strategic use of your brand-owned media can inspire loyalty, generate a memorable customer experience and even help you boost repeat sales.
If you’re ready to start your custom packaging journey, speak to our experts. You could even book a trip to one of our state-of-the-art Innovation Labs, where we can bring your ideal packaging to life. Get in touch today.