Marketing
Key Packaging Tips for New Business Start-ups
Starting a business from scratch is no easy job. However, with a bit of patience and perseverance, you can really hit it off and create a market base for your product. A budding entrepreneur is faced with a myriad of questions about the budget, the time, and the promotional value of the brand.
Amidst all these burning issues, one might forget a teeny-tiny but extremely significant factor that can determine the fate of your product – the packaging.
Most start-ups focus on the product that they completely overlook the package it’s wrapped and shipped in. We’re here to help you with that. Here are some quick packaging tips that growing enterprises might benefit from.
Know your Product and the Production
You need to have an in-depth knowledge of your product and the whole production process before picking out the right package to wrap it up in. You just cannot choose any generic packaging solution for your product and expect it to work out.
Each product has its unique composition, usage, and lifecycle. One cannot pack liquid items in wooden crates, right? Collaborate with suppliers who understand the technical aspects of your product and are competent enough to protect it from any harm.
The product would ultimately end up on a supermarket aisle before it’s picked up by a shopper. It has to be in good condition until and after it reaches the end-user.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Small-scale start-ups lack the foresight of larger, established brands, and that’s okay.
Often, as budding businesses, you lack the resources required to take over the market. However, that shouldn’t deter you from expanding your scope and standing out from the crowd of other brands you’re surrounded by.
Packaging has the power to catch the customer’s eye and get their attention. How it looks, how it feels, and the experience customers get from opening the item can define whether you’ll get another returning customer.
Custom packaging tells about your product, the culture of the brand, and the intention behind it. By investing in a memorable custom packaging design, start-ups can set themselves apart from the competition instantly.
Most start-ups see packaging as an unnecessary cost they should cut down on. This is a mistake as any chance to present your brand is like a silent but impactful brand ambassador promoting your product to the customer effectively.
Big, Bold and Beautiful
First impressions matter and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying! A good package not only protects the product from external damage but also promotes it.
The average customer can be easily lured in by an attractive package. A visually competent packaging solution automatically boosts your sales prospects.
A product wrapped in a vibrant and bold box is more likely to catch the eye of the shopper and end up in his basket than one packed in a simple brown box. Refrain from keeping the package overtly complicated. Instead, keep it minimalistic, impressive and to the point.
Smart Branding
As discussed earlier, the package is the silent spokesperson that informs and impresses the customer about the product.
With a good package, you can create a solid brand image in the market.
Adding a special logo, brand name, and colors onto the package makes it memorable and easy to identify. You don’t really need expensive advertisements and huge hoardings (though there’s no harm in that if you have that kind of money).
The best packaging options convey what’s inside and successfully communicate the value and market position of the brand to the end-user.
Cost-Effectiveness
Not all businesses have huge capital investments at their disposal. And if you’re a start-up, gathering more funds becomes all the more problematic. So, we don’t really blame the newbies who don’t want to indulge in fancy packaging solutions due to lack of money. However, attractive or practical packages don’t necessarily have to be expensive.
Consider simplistic and minimalistic designs that would highlight your brand, keep the product intact, and have a high aesthetic appeal. Start with generic designs and gradually move up to custom-made boxes. Also, try getting the packaging material in bulk as it reduces the cost-per-unit of the box considerably.
Go Green
As a start-up, it is your social responsibility to contribute to protecting the earth and its resources. More and more companies are resorting to using sustainable and biodegradable packaging material to wrap their products in.
Eco-friendly packages are not just good for the environment but also effective in sending out a message.
Such packaging conveys to the customers how considerate and actively involved you are in being responsible for using the planet’s resources.
Reusable plastic, recycled paper, jute bags, cloth packages, recycled glass – you can use just about anything for packaging.
The Unboxing Experience
Make sure that the actual product delivers all that is written or depicted on the box. The packaging should be durable, portable and easy to store. Also, it should be easy to unpack or unbox.
Unboxing a good package always feels like it’s Christmas all over again! A smart package creates a sense of excitement for the customer interested in checking what’s inside. The box or bottle isn’t always disposed of off after its contents are used.
Often, users retain and reuse the package. Be the brand whose packaging is hard to throw away for a consumer.
Wrapping Up
First impressions count! Fun fact – Most people judge a product by its packaging. Therefore, you can use it as your point of difference and establish your place in the market.
Your customers will also thank you for saving them a lot of time and trouble. A bulky, hastily packed product is prone to damage, is unattractive. And impractical.
It’s high time you start putting in some effort in improving the product packaging. Spend some money on the package; it’s definitely worth all the effort.