A huge impact on whether or not your ecommerce website succeeds long term is your ability to make your brand desirable. That doesn’t just mean selling great products and keeping in touch with customer inquiries. A big part of your brand’s lifeforce is marketing your store in a way that makes it a product in and of itself. There are plenty of ways to do that, but none are more popular right now that branded packaging.
For every ecommerce site out there making a name for itself, there are hundreds of others yet to make the commitment to branded packaging and all it has to offer. Here’s why you should consider branded packaging to get more out of your ecommerce operations.
On-Brand & On-Board
Branded packaging has become more and more popular as the ecommerce marketplace has grown. Every brand is looking for customers to shop and then shop again; and placing your brand onto the packaging of their orders is an easy, cost-effective way to maintain a brand.
The goal behind branded packaging is to make the act of receiving products from your store like a product itself. For example, if someone orders three books from your ecommerce website, shipping them their products safely and securely is going to garnish you a successful transaction. The only problem is, what makes that experience different than any other ecommerce site from which they could have made their purchase? By branding your packaging, your store’s name is all over the box that arrives at their doorstep, and this can have very beneficial consequences to it.
Don’t have a logo – or at least one your proud of? No problem. Hatchful and Shopify offer a logo maker tool for ecommerce websites. It’s extremely easy to use, even if you lack a background in graphic design. Once you’ve nailed down a logo you love and you think your customers will enjoy, use it to brand your boxes, packaging tape and other shipping materials.
When a consumer receives their purchase, feelings of excitement and anticipation are natural. The act of ordering things online is almost like buying yourself a birthday gift. Perhaps this is why some consumers enjoy recording and posting “unboxing” videos.
Because of those positive endorphins that are released while you open your package, branding can become part of your overall customer experience. If there are two boxes on someone’s front porch, but one has your brand’s slick logo on it, that will be an indicator to the buyer that their purchase has arrived, and they should be excited. It places your branding right in the heart of the exciting experience of getting a package; and can keep your brand top of mind for future purchases.
Branded packaging should catch your customer’s eye, but also provide them with a call to action. Including your website or social media accounts allows the buyer a place to go after their package is opened. If they have something they planned on showing off on Instagram, they might tag you in the post, which will increase your reach and possibly expose you to new customers. Social media is the cheapest, most dominating form of marketing today, and adding social media account information to your branded packaging almost entices the user to post about how happy they were shopping with you.
It might not just be the product they want to share online either. If you are on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you see your friends or influencers posting things about recent purchases all the time, and if you have a well-designed package, chances are that will make it into the post as well. Whether it’s a flat-lay or a selfie holding the package, attractive branded packaging can be the easiest way to encourage another purchase down the road, or at the very least, provide a reason to celebrate this purchase on social media with a trendy post.
Branded packaging is an easy way to increase the effectiveness of your ecommerce site’s brand, by not only spreading the word but also making it trendy and topical. For ecommerce sites looking to go the extra mile, branded packaging is a great start.