Have you been to a grocery store lately? Have you been browsing e-commerce sites? What have you noticed about the products lined up on the shelves? How do you decide which product to buy? What affects your judgment? If you dissect all the reasons you choose a brand over another, you’ll notice that packaging plays an integral role in your decision. As buyers, we are attracted by what we see. As sellers, we don’t usually notice that the packaging of the products could be affecting the low turnout of sales of these items.
The right packaging is clearly an investment. You should get an HSM ProfiPack 425 machine and start shredding cardboard. Shredded cardboard is one of the most useful materials for protecting sensitive and breakable items. Styrofoam is antiquated and harmful to the environment. People are very conscious about where they put their money now, especially if it affects the environment. You’d want to make sure that you earn their loyalty through your choice of packaging materials.
But what other factors go into choosing the packaging material for your products? What should you consider? How will these things affect the salability of your products?
Budget
The first thing you need to consider is your budget. Expensive items must come in great packaging. However, is it worth it to spend on glass and natural fibers? Are your customers willing to pay so much more because of the packaging? Maybe not. As mentioned above, shredded cardboard has great crush protection and design opportunities. It is also inexpensive and recyclable. Plastic gives enough protection, too, but it is not environmentally friendly. Your packaging should be an incentive for your customers.
Transportation
Will it be easy to transport the items with the packaging that you have used? If the packaging can easily crumple or break, it’s not worth the cost. The functions of the packaging are more important than how it looks. You need to make sure that it can protect the items being shipped. It should also have a long shelf life if the products are going to be stored in a warehouse.
Sustainability
Surely, you don’t want your customers to worry about how to dispose of the packaging used in the products. You should make sure that the packaging is lightweight and recyclable. This makes it easy for your customers to find another use for it. Having lightweight packaging will also reduce the cost of shipping the items to your customers. Flexible films, clamshells, and skin packs are the most popular options for sustainability.
Size
You need to be economical with the size and design of your package. You don’t want it to use too much space in the warehouse. Shipping out oddly shaped boxes will also cost more. Be creative in finding ways to save as much space as you can. Sleek packaging bodes well for customers. Bulky and heavy packaging is a no-no because it is hard to transport from the store to the house.
Design and Branding
But the key to attracting your customers is to remember what your brand stands for when choosing the packaging for your products. While price, size, transportation, and sustainability matter, the overall design of the packaging should appeal to your customers. If there’s a disconnect between the packaging and the brand’s message, your customers will lose trust in your brand.
There are endless choices of packaging materials for businesses. You have to choose the one that ticks off all the boxes. An appealing, cost-effective, and practical packaging solution will contribute to bringing success to your business.
