Printed Packaging: The Marketing Tool you Didn't Know you Needed!

You have spent countless hours building your business, years perfecting your brand identity and catching the eye of your valued customers. You may have spent hundreds to thousands of pounds building your Search Engine Optimisation and using advertising and Social Media to attract your clients. After all of this you send your products out in plain packaging, without even a hint of your branding or colours. You are missing out on vital additional marketing for your business. 

Branded packaging doesn’t have to be a full colour printed box featuring your logo, ethos and back story. It can be as simple as having a box that matches your company colours, or printed tape to seal packages and display your brand. In this month's blog we want to give you an insight into what branded packaging could do for your ecommerce business and how we can help you along the way.

The Unboxing Experience Phenomenon 

As adults we get a similar thrill when receiving a package as children do when they get presents, even though we know what we have bought (most of the time!). Recently a growing unboxing trend has emerged and it could have great benefits for your business.  You need to consider the unboxing experience when thinking about your packaging. Ask yourself these questions:

• Are we using bags or boxes?
• Is our packaging aesthetically appealing?
• Is our packaging recyclable?
• What makes our packaging stand out?

Considering the unboxing experience is vital in a world driven by social media and online content. You can use the unboxing experience you create as part of your digital marketing strategy. Unboxing videos are immensely popular user-generated content with people unboxing anything from gadgets and make up to jewellery and crystals.Tapping into this digital phenomenon could be a great way to gain additional exposure for your business. You could consider reaching out to content creators, or encourage your customers to share their deliveries with a card inside or a post on your own socials. If you create an aesthetically pleasing experience for the customer, they are more likely to become returning business for your company. 

The Customer Experience

Generally speaking people have high standards when it comes to what customer service they expect. This stretches to the packaging used. In the past branded packaging was mostly used by luxury brands, giving it a more upmarket feel. Now branded packaging is more easily accessible to brands at different stages of their journey allowing everyone to tap into this little bit of luxury. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and take a look at the current packaging you use.

• Does it share your business vision? 
• Does it have the wow factor? 
• Is your brand clearly represented?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, ask yourself why not? When a customer receives a package they expect their item to be securely packaged but there are things that your business can do to enhance their experience. Aside from the obvious of making sure the products arrive in one piece and ensuring the customer can easily open the package there are some easy ways to enhance your customers experience with packaging. Use printed tape to seal your boxes, add special touches such as thank you notes, free samples or gift cards. Adding something a little different can definitely make your business stand out. Especially as a small business you will see huge benefits from going that extra mile with tokens of appreciation, this is a good way to encourage reviews. 

So many people at the moment photograph anything and everything that is aesthetically pleasing; whether it's out in nature, food or a product they have purchased, your business could benefit greatly from customers like this. If you have aesthetically pleasing packaging and high quality products you could find yourself with some free advertising on social media.

What branded packaging options are available?

Here at UKPackaging we love creating unique branded packaging for our customers. Working with our sister company UKPrinting we have got you fully covered when it comes to your packaging needs. Let's explore the options available to you!

Printed Boxes

Whether you are selling small products like wax melts or larger more heavy duty products such as household goods or furniture we can get the box for you. With options to print multiple colours or create full colour printed boxes we can ensure your brand is truly represented. Our box calculator allows great flexibility when selecting the perfect box for your products, allowing you to create a custom sized box, with white or brown outer paper and options for up to 2 coloured print. If you need inspiration take a look at our printed box gallery which showcases some of our work and our social channels which highlight our printed products weekly, @uk_packaging.

Printed Tape

Adding your brand logo and colours to your packaging can be as simple as creating some customised tape to seal your boxes with. This could be the simple pop of colour you need to stand out and can be more cost effective than creating a whole range of branded packaging. We have several different options of printed tape meaning you can find the right one for your business. Our printed tapes are a great option as we offer low minimum order quantities, free samples and you can print up to 3 colours. This means you can print your logo and ensure to capture your company branding perfectly, if there is space you could add important information such as your website, social media handles or contact information.  You can discuss all your needs with our team to ensure it's perfect. 

Tissue Paper

A big part of the unboxing experience is looking at the internal packaging used. It is vital to ensure your items arrive to your customer safely, but whos to say it has to all be plain and simple packaging, why not spruce it up a little. Here at UKPackaging we have a great range of coloured tissue paper including white, pink, blue,orange and more! Our sister company UKPrinting has a great range of promotional tissue paper available with your logo on. Tissue paper is a great way to enhance the look of your products. If you are selling smaller items you may be able to lie your products in and wrap it nicely, finished off with a sticker. Alternatively if you have larger items you can use tissue paper as a cover over the top of the product and additional packaging such as bubble wrap to make it more appealing.

Extra Details to Consider

Retail is detail! Every detail counts, what else could you bring into your packaging that makes it stand out?

• Printed stickers available with your branding from our sister site UKPrinting.
• Printed Polythene mailing bags perfect for if you sell clothing or as a delivery bag for small boxes.
• Printed Postal bags perfect for protecting smaller products.

If you have any questions about any of our branded products please do not hesitate to get in touch with our helpful team. Email us at sales@ukpackaging.com or give us a call on 0345 8800 355.