People have been buying a lot of consumer goods through online retail for years, but never more so than in 2020/21. With high street shops closed, Ecommerce outlets became the only purchasing source for a huge range of products, from household groceries to luxury electronics and designer goods – traditionally the stronghold of shop-based retail. This unprecedented Ecommerce boom has brought huge opportunities for online retailers, but also a drastic increase in competition, forcing Ecommerce brands to significantly up their game to stand out from the crowd.

The conventional distinction between Ecommerce and high street retail as convenience vs shopping experience no longer stands. Online consumers expect the same unboxing experience, attention to detail, and excitement when purchasing a product online as they would do in store.

Bespoke packaging and gift boxes can help distinguish your products from competitors, and provide a superior consumer experience, in five key ways:

1 ) Appeal to the senses with Unique finishes

Unboxing a product is a multi-sensory experience, and Ecommerce brands are rapidly catching on to this fact. To stand out from competitors, packaging has to not only look appealing, but should also have a unique feel, sound, or even smell. With bespoke packaging, you can include unique prints, textures, and finishes in a way that isn’t possible with standard gift boxes and packaging. The visual and sensory finishes you choose for your packaging say a lot about the product inside, and the care and intention poured into creating your goods.

2) You can add Custom inserts

Custom inserts can be included within bespoke packaging to convey product information, thank the customer for making a purchase, or cross-promote other products. It’s a good way of including ingredients, compliance information, or usage instructions into the design without these intruding on your brand identity – the information can be integrated seamlessly to form part of the design itself. Custom inserts also avoid over-packaging a product, which can create a negative impression on consumers.

3) You can choose ethical and environmentally friendly options

By investing in bespoke packaging and gift boxes, you are free to increase the ethical and environmentally-conscious profile of your brand. Unrecyclable foils and plastics can be avoided in favour of biodegradable materials, paper-based packaging, and plastic alternatives. And your sustainable options don’t stop there; you also have a choice of eco-friendly and solvent-free inks, for example, and the option to choose materials from fair trade sources.

4) You can properly showcase your product and Company

The best thing about bespoke packaging boxes is the way the design can be fine-tuned to properly showcase your product and brand. A custom design can express the value and experience that comes with purchasing your product, or convey your brand identity in some way – e.g. through your tone of voice or the materials you use in your packaging.

5) It can be designed to be reused or Easy for Returns

There isn’t much that puts a customer off more than items purchased online that are difficult or expensive to return. During the pandemic, no one wants the inconvenience of having to purchase a special bag or box to return an item, especially if the purchase is faulty or defective in some way. Bespoke packaging can be purposely designed to make returns easy and convenient, or to be reused in some way.

Collapsible boxes and re-sealable post bags with pre-printed return addresses are just two examples. More strategies are possible depending on the nature of your product. Food and craft items, for example, can include sustainable packaging that becomes a usable part of the product itself (as a container, tray, or organiser etc), reducing waste and increasing convenience.

Find out more.

Whether you ship your goods directly, or use an aggregator such as Amazon or Asos, bespoke packaging is the key to success in an increasingly crowded online marketplace. At Kudos Giftwrap, we supply a range of sustainable bespoke packaging supplies to create a great first impression and strengthen your brand identity. To discuss your requirements, or for a free quote, please give us a call today.

Image Source: Pixabay