Applications, Colour and branding, Communications, Labels

If you had the ability to turn that plain cardboard box you ship to your online customers into a marketing opportunity, how would you do it?

Start by turning your ecommerce packaging into a well-organized experience. Let’s look at it through the different elements that make up the packaging:

The packaging

Is it easy to open? The last thing you want is for your customer to have to shred the packaging just to get at the product. This frustrating experience could even lead to damaging the product. A judicious choice in the type and location of the adhesives used is recommended.

The information

Is the information you are providing placed in a sequential, easy to understand order? It makes a difference. If the customer has to sift through warnings, special offers, safety certifications, and more to find, say, the product’s quick setup guide, you are not winning them over. Carefully consider the order in which the customer will ‘discover’ these materials. It could help to put them in categories, by putting colour-coded labels on them, for example.

Your personal touch

Have you ever received a product with a well-written thank you letter sitting on top of the product? It is surprising and commands your attention. The one I found summed up the company’s uncompromising dedication to quality, which comforted me in purchase. If a letter is not your style, Why not a QR code that leads to a particular page on your website where you have well organised information that will help the customer get started with their new product? There can be a million ways to add your special touch to the packaging. Find one that makes you stand apart and creates a special experience for your customer.

Disposing of the packaging

This may only indirectly related to the product, but it is also part of the experience: Will the customer know which elements of your packaging are recyclable and how to dispose of them? A plain recycle logo is ok but you can go much further than that. The How2Recycle identification system gives detailed information about how to recycle in simple pictograms such as whether you can recycle it directly, or whether it is best to check with the local authorities on the item’s recyclability or whether to take the empty packaging to a drop point. Don’t underestimate the consumer’s interest in the sustainability of any part of your packaging. Already, it has been adopted by McDonald’s and Proctor & Gamble, just to name a couple. Your choice of materials and how to dispose of them can be an influencing factor in your customer’s opinion of your company in the long term.

To sum up: Your ecommerce packaging can be made more customer-centric. It can express your company values and it help create engagement during that special moment when the customer first receives their product.

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