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Selecting Good Packaging for Products

A big part of making a product or transaction successful is picking the best packaging. Good packaging will be attractive to customers while also keeping the product safe and fresh – and it will do so while keeping the price within their budget. So what things should you consider when shopping for packaging? Here are the biggest factors in making the right choice.

Think about What You’re Selling

This might seem obvious, but it’s still the first thing you should think about. Each product has its own packaging needs. Food, flowers and other perishable items need packaging that will keep it fresh until it’s actually used. Apparel boxes for shirts, pants and dresses need to be the right size to prevent wrinkling or creases. You might also need custom packaging for items with non-standard dimensions.

You should also think about who is buying the product. Packaging should be visually appealing to your ideal consumer, whether that’s middle-class women, affluent males or college students. Location is important, too. For example, different food packaging is needed for serving a plate of fries in a diner than for bringing home a bag of potatoes from a supermarket.

Staying on Brand

Your packaging choices say a lot about how your brand. When many people hear “branded packaging”, they think of having a logo printed on a bag or box. And this can certainly be a part of your packaging design. But color palette plays a big role, too. If your brand is about being happy and care-free, you’re not going to want to package products in dark, somber colors.

The material you choose can also send the right (or wrong) brand message. If you need gift basket filler, excelsior wood shred and metallic crinkle cut shred will both function just fine. But wood shred will look too plain if you’re a luxury boutique, and metallic crinkle cut is probably the wrong message to send if you’re an eco-conscious store. There are usually several packaging options to choose from, so try to select the one most appropriate for your store’s branding.

Durability & Scalability

Durable packaging is vital. We’re not just talking about protecting fragile items such as glass candle holders and electronics. The packaging itself needs to be rugged – a ripped bag or dented box can turn a customer off from the first glance. Choose packing materials that are designed for strength, especially if they’re for bulky or delicate products. You may also need different packages if the product comes in different sizes. On the other hand, finding an effective way to make multiple product sizes fit in the same packaging can be a big cost-saver.

Staying Within Budget

Speaking of costs, your budget is ultimately the number one factor. While many business owners would love to package everything in glass containers, natural fiber bags or decorative boxes, these are much more expensive to produce and ship. The only way to get these added costs back is to pass them along to the consumer, and your target audience won’t always be receptive to this. While quality packaging is usually worth it in the long run, there may be times you may need to find a balance between creativity and costs. How you manage this balance will go a long way towards a product’s success.