Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many e-commerce businesses have prospered as more people have made the move to buying online. As more online retailers have entered the e-commerce space, however, competition is increasing and you need to ensure that your offerings stand out in a crowded market.
To gain a foothold in the market, you need to make the right impression with your customers from the moment they come into contact with your product, and that starts with the packaging.
It is often said that you have seven seconds to make a first impression but it can take much longer, and a lot more work, to reverse a bad first impression.
Through these uncertain times, how you package your product has become increasingly more important for businesses in all types of industries and niches.
With more customers purchasing products online than ever before, your packaging can help you to make a great first impression with your products, build your brand, add value for the consumer, increase your customer base, provide information, and create a memorable experience for your customers.
Let’s take a look at just some of the reasons that packaging for e-commerce is more important than ever with the current Coronavirus pandemic.
Make The Best First Impression Possible
When it comes to making that all-important positive first impression, you must wow your customer from the moment they come into contact with your product for the first time.
In the world of e-commerce, you don’t have the same opportunities to make a positive impression on your customers in-store. In fact, the first physical interaction your customer will have with your company will be when they receive their product in the mail.
When the delivery driver rings the doorbell, your customer should immediately know that it is your product that is being delivered.
Consider customizing your parcels so that they reflect your brand. Printing your company name and logo is a great start. You can also experiment with different colors or try printing your company tag line or other positive messages on your delivery boxes or packets.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, choosing an uplifting, caring message on the outside of your delivery box will make your customer feel valued before they even open up your delivery to see what’s inside.
This paints your company in a positive light in the mind of your customer from the very beginning.
Add More Value For Your Customer
Value-added selling has been around for a long time, however, with more retailers vying for attention online, adding value for your customers is now fundamental.
Adding value for your customer will help you to build brand loyalty and make sure that your customers know you appreciate them.
There are many different ways that you can add value with your packaging but remember that the key here is to ensure your customer feels they got more than they bargained for.
A plain brown box that contains the product, wrapping, and a receipt is not particularly memorable.
Opening your packaging, the customer should be instantly impressed. The packaging design you choose and how you present your product using your chosen packaging is important.
A plain brown box that contains the product, wrapping, and a receipt is not particularly memorable, however, this is the standard that is typically expected by consumers.
Adding a heartfelt ‘thank you for your purchase’ letter, some free stickers, a short pamphlet about using your product, or a discount code for your next product are all very effective ways to add value for your customer.
In the current climate, a short note wishing your customer good health, or a letter highlighting your company’s commitments to dealing with the Coronavirus, can help to build a rapport with your customer.
Enhance Your Branding
Branding covers many facets of your business, which together paint a picture of how your company will be presented to the world.
More obvious elements of your business, such as your company name, website design, imagery, logo, and color scheme all play pivotal roles in branding.
Another major player for e-commerce businesses, in the evolution of your brand, is your packaging.
The right packaging design should be a useful tool in building your brand.
The right packaging design should be a useful tool in building your brand and trust in your offerings.
An established brand should give help to provide your customers with a consistent purchasing and product experience. Your packaging should incorporate your company logo, color scheme, fonts, and other visual elements that contribute to your brand.
It’s also worth considering which materials you will use in your packaging design as the materials you choose can have an influence on how your company is perceived.
For example, if your company puts forth a green, eco-friendly message, then your packaging should be constructed of recyclable, sustainably sourced materials to further bolster your brand.
Increase Your Customer Base
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have had to close their doors either temporarily or for good.
For those e-commerce businesses that are thriving, it’s vital that you find a way to hold onto the customers that you have right now and to also gain as many new customers as you possibly can.
E-commerce store owners should begin by looking at their packaging as a viable ad effective means to grow their consumer base.
To make your packaging more ‘shareable’, you need to ensure that it is aesthetically pleasing, unique in its design.
Over the last number of years, social media has played a major role in the lives of both individuals and businesses alike.
Sharing, liking, commenting, tweeting and double-tapping has become commonplace, and with the right approach, your business can take advantage of these platforms to attract more customers.
Packaging designs that stand out from the crowd will be shared by your customers on social media, helping to put your product in front of more eyes.
To make your packaging more ‘shareable’, you need to ensure that it is aesthetically pleasing, unique in its design, features your branding, and helps to connect your consumer with the product.
With consumers spending even more time than usual on social media during Covid-19, now is the perfect time to take steps towards making your packaging design as shareable as possible, so you can grow your customer base.
Provide The Right Information
Packaging not only helps to build your brand, make your product more attractive, and protect your product, but it is also the perfect medium to share information with your customer.
Your packaging can display any information you think is important about your brand, your product, company ethos, awards you have one, or anything else that will add to the overall impression of your brand.
You can also offer information about how to use your product efficiently, about your other products or your commitment to environmentally friendly materials, or production methods.
This is an opportunity to show that your company cares.
During the Coronavirus pandemic, you might choose to highlight your commitment to the welfare of your employees and partners.
You may also consider focusing on how your business is handling sanitizing, handling of products, and other steps you are taking towards customer and employee safety.
This is an opportunity to show that your company cares and your customers will appreciate these sentiments, particularly in these uncertain times.
Create A Memorable Customer Experience
The customer experience has become a major focus for website owners, particularly for e-commerce websites.
Ensuring that your customers can navigate through your website with ease, find the information they need and make their purchase without any problems, are all key factors in the customer experience.
How your customer interacts with your website, your staff, your product, your brand as a whole, and, of course, your packaging.
Going the extra mile with your packaging will make the experience more memorable for your customer.
Creating a memorable experience through your packaging is all about going the extra step to make sure your packaging is unforgettable.
Stylish and practical packaging touches such as using colorful ribbons, company stickers, branded tape, and alternative packing materials such as wooden wool, tissue shredded paper, or customized box inserts to fill that void in your packaging.
Going the extra mile with your packaging will make the experience more memorable for your customer, improving brand loyalty. As Coronavirus continues to have a huge impact on the world around us, finding a way to get customers excited about ordering your products is crucial to ensure your brand is noticed.
Understand The Importance Of Packaging During Covid-19 And Move Forward
As businesses all over the world are changing and adapting in order to operate successfully in this ‘new normal’, now is the time to re-evaluate your product packaging.
With more businesses joining the e-commerce space and an increasing number of existing e-commerce websites expanding their operations, even more, it’s important that you don’t get swallowed up in the crowd.
To ensure your products get the attention they deserve, the first place to start is with your packaging design.
packaging design for your products is a vital first step to progressing your business through the Coronavirus pandemic.
Taking the time to understand the importance of packaging design for your products is a vital first step to progressing your business through the Coronavirus pandemic.
With the right approach to your packaging design, you can create excitement around your product, increase your social presence, bolster your branding, and build a loyal base of return customers going forward.
Once you have established your brand as one that cares about their customer’s needs, sales will increase, your customers will be happier, brand recognition will improve and, ultimately your e-commerce business will have every chance of not just surviving the Covid-19 pandemic but improving and growing to be stronger coming out the other side.
I'd like to hear how you plan to separate your product from the competition during this pandemic. Let me know in the form below.
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