6 Steps to Product Packaging Design for Retailers

The joy of unboxing. 

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Getting a package you&#;ve ordered through the mail is one of life&#;s simple pleasures. The rush of anticipation when you heave it onto the kitchen table. That snip as you cut the tape and squeak as you unroll the bubble wrap. 

That new-product smell, wafting through the air. 

And then you get to see what&#;s inside. A shiny new item, lovingly wrapped inside a protective cardboard construction, effortlessly gliding apart as you pull a tab. 

It&#;s enough to make you want to order again. This simple ritual can make a big difference for your customers, so it&#;s worth getting right. Good product packaging design is the way to make that happen.

This article will take you through the six basic steps to designing product packaging and show you how to make your designs more successful.

What is product packaging design?

Product packaging design is the creation of the outer containers that will house your products. It defines their look and feel, how they protect what's inside, and how pleasurable they are to open.

Why is product packaging design important?

If you&#;re running an ecommerce business, a customer&#;s first impression of your products is the moment when they open the packaging. It&#;s a major opportunity to give them a positive experience with your brand upfront.

Because your online business doesn&#;t have the opportunity to impress potential customers with store layouts or awesome associates, your package design is part of your brand.

In fact, according to an Ipsos poll, 66% of respondents stated that materials used to package a product often influenced the decision to purchase the product itself. This means that your product packaging design can significantly affect your bottom line.

Greatergood / Seedlip

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The 6-step custom packaging design process

There are a few things to consider for good packaging design, from research to testing. Here&#;s how it can be done in six basic steps.

1. Define your product and customer

Your first step is to define the specifications of your product and who will most likely want to buy it. This means answering questions like:

• What size and shape is it? Take into consideration the dimensions and weight of your product. For example, if you&#;re selling curtain rods you&#;ll want to consider packaging that is conducive to long, thin objects. If you&#;re selling paperweights, you&#;ll need to consider stronger, more durable packaging options.
• What is it made out of? Are your products fragile? Do they have a shelf-life? If your products are made of thin glass, your packaging considerations must include ways to prevent your products from being broken in transit. And if you&#;re selling something with a shelf life, like consumables, you need to ensure preservation methods in your food packaging, like ice packs or sealed bags.
• Who is your target audience? Know who your customer is. For example, if you&#;re selling power tools to serious tradespeople, maybe a pink glittery cardboard box isn&#;t the best packaging option.

For Patrice Mousseau, Founder of Satya, a natural skincare brand, product packaging design starts with a conversation about her story and the things that are important to her. 

When working with a product packaging designer, she discusses with them, "what this product is all about and the values behind that."

"Usually they go away and they start to have a bit of an idea. Then they&#;ll give you say five or six options and then you can narrow it down to maybe your top one or top two." 

&#;ACTION: Note down a detailed list of product and customer attributes to inform your decisions. 

2. Research the competition

The next step in designing your packaging solutions is to research your competition. See what&#;s already being used and figure out what might work best for your own products.

• Take a trip to a retail store that sells products similar to your own and look at how things are displayed. Take note of the colors, shapes, and materials used to package products like yours.
• Take a look at your favorite online retailers. Search for similar products and take note of the packaging that is being used. Read the customer reviews to see what people are saying about the packaging&#;it might be wise to look out for negative reviews to see where you can offer improvements.
• Search YouTube for unboxing videos, if they exist for your product type. They&#;ll give you a great idea of what people like about the opening process, and it might spark some creative ideas. 
• Search online for your product category + &#;packaging.&#; This will give you a good overview of the different approaches used. You can usually find good examples of different packaging ideas on sites like Pinterest and Etsy.

&#;ACTION: See how others are packaging their products and note how you could do better.

3. Identify your product requirements

Now it&#;s time to figure out what sort of packaging requirements your item needs, both physically and legally. This is the important stuff you need to research before the fun design begins&#;getting it right can save you a lot of trouble. 

Here&#;s where you define what kind of packaging material you&#;ll need to safely stow your products, taking into account the dimensions and weight of them, as well as how far they&#;ll travel.

Legal regulations must also be met when packaging and shipping certain products. For example, the FDA has strict laws and regulations when packaging, labeling, and storing beauty and food products. Make sure you research which regulations are in place for the products you&#;re selling in your location.

&#;ACTION: Research the legal responsibilities you have for packaging your product type, and the material requirements for making it happen.

4. Create your package concept

Once you understand all the technical aspects of your packaging needs, it&#;s time to start the packaging design process. This is where your product&#;s logistical and technical needs combine with your creativity and brand identity.

You can always sketch out your package mockups with pencil and paper. Still, you need diagrams and box measurements to be exact before sending them off to a packaging company to be manufactured.

It&#;s a good idea to invest in software that will help turn your design ideas into professional-grade reality, with high-quality artwork and typography ready to print.

If you&#;re computer-savvy, you can go straight to graphic design programs like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to map out packaging dielines and choose the design elements and fonts you want to use.

If you aren&#;t as confident and prefer dieline templates, you can always use custom packaging software with preloaded templates, like Pacdora.

During the design process, keep in mind the costs of each type of packaging you decide to use. Your costs will depend on:

• The type of materials you choose to use: Are you going to use plastic? Cardboard? Corrugated cardboard?
• The dimensions of your packaging: The more material you use, the more expensive it will be.
• The type of packaging you choose: Is a box with a separate lid? Is it a box with two compartments? Is it an aluminum cylinder? Is it a box with one closure tab or three?
• How big your logo/art will be: When manufacturing packaging, companies will charge by the size of the logo design you want to put on your packaging.
• Where you place your logo/art: Will you put it just on the front of the box? Maybe a little message on the inside of the lid? Or are you going to put it all around your packaging?

&#;ACTION: Be creative and bold! This is where you get to add the &#;wow&#; factor that sparks joy with your customers. Your design needs to be both functional and eye-catching. You can also work with a professional packaging designer to create your finished package.

5. Pre-press and print your packaging

Pre-press is when you finalize the packaging artwork and the exact colors you want your printers to use for your packaging. It&#;s also where you ensure your specs meet your printer&#;s requirements, so if your print company says it needs all files to be sent to as .psd or .jpeg files, you&#;ll have to provide them in those formats.

If you can, request a test print to see how the color palette looks on your packaging in real life. Sometimes, a color on a computer screen can look very different when printed on different packaging materials.

Greatergood / Minor Figures

&#;ACTION: Get a test version in your hands to see how your customers will experience your packaging.

6. Test the package

Once you get your packaging materials back from the printer, it&#;s time to test them. Test everything: durability, functionality, and even aesthetics. 

Pack one of your products using your new package concept and materials and toss it around to simulate the delivery process. Be brutal&#;transit can be pretty physically demanding on items. 

This means you can spot any potential issues during the test phase and make appropriate adjustments. 

If you find that your merchandise is getting damaged, go back to the drawing board and adjust your materials so you avoid future bad reviews.

After you&#;ve tested the durability of your packaging, it&#;s time to test how easy it is to get it open. If your customers need a sledgehammer and a blowtorch to open one of your packages, they&#;re not going to buy much from you again. In fact, try to get a friend or family member to simulate an unboxing video to see what parts of the packaging they like or have difficulty with. 

Lastly, get opinions on your packaging design from others. You can ask friends and family, or even use polls on social media. 

Instead of just asking people whether they like it or not, ask specific questions like, &#;Based on the design, what kind of product do you think is in this box?&#; and &#;If you saw this in your mailbox, would it make you smile?&#; The more information you can get, the better.

&#;ACTION: Get as much intel as you can on your packaging&#;s performance before committing to a final design. 

Product packaging design tips 

1. Keep it simple. When it comes to product packaging design, less is almost always more. You want your packaging to be eye-catching and easy to understand, without being overly busy or complicated. Use clean lines and minimal graphics, and ensure your packaging clearly states what the product is and what it does. 
2. Make it easy to open. Your packaging should be easy to open and use, without requiring special tools or effort. No one wants to struggle to open a fancy custom box or end up with damaged goods because it was too difficult to open. Keep this in mind when you&#;re designing your packaging, and make sure your target customer can open it easily. 
3. Use high-quality materials. Regarding the perfect packaging, the materials you use are just as important as the design. You want your packaging made from high-quality materials that protect your product and make it easy to transport. Make sure to use durable materials that can withstand wear and tear and won&#;t degrade over time. 
4. Consider the environment. More and more consumers are looking for eco-friendly, sustainable retail packaging, so it&#;s important to consider the environment when designing your product packaging. Use recyclable materials whenever possible, and avoid using excessive packaging that will end up in the landfill. 
5. Test your packaging. Before you launch your product, it&#;s important to test your packaging to ensure it&#;s up to the task. Make sure your custom boxes can withstand shipping and handling, and that it protects your product from damage. 

By following these simple tips, you can create eye-catching and functional packaging. Keep these tips in mind when designing your next product, and you&#;ll be sure to create packaging that your customers will love.

Read More: 6 Amazing Unboxing Experiences and Ideas to Try

Design your product packaging today 

You&#;ve got a great product and a brand ready to get out there. The packaging you decide to use will be the physical representation of your online business. It&#;s important to consider both the logistical as well as the aesthetic components of your packaging design.

Though it can seem like a daunting task, just follow the basic steps outlined above and you&#;ll craft something great. If you&#;re working in-house, you can always ask for external help from design agencies or freelancers. Just be ready to make adjustments to your packaging as you find better options and suppliers, and as your products evolve.

Product packaging design FAQ

What are the 7 types of packaging?

• Paperboard boxes

• Corrugated boxes

• Printed plastic boxes

• Rigid boxes

• Chipboard packaging boxes

• Poly bags

• Foil-sealed bags

What is packaging design for?

Packaging design is a functional way to hold, transport, and store your products. Ideally, it should also appeal to your customers and speak to your brand.

How do you do product packaging?

1. Identify who your customer is.
2. Research the competition. 
3. Identify your product requirements.
4. Create your package concept.
5. Pre-press and print your package.
6. Test the package.

Summary

Do you know?

With just one single technique, the sales of Coca-Cola increased by more than 19% under their &#;Share a Coke&#; initiative!

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Similarly, Oreo also introduced a &#;color-filled&#; initiative, which was highly successful, with customers willing to pay $20 more than the standard price for their cookies.

And Nutella, the world&#;s favorite chocolate spread, sold 7 million jars just within a month using this strategy.

One simple technique was all it took for these brands to win hearts and build loyal customers.

So what they did was they made their offerings customer-centric by introducing customization into their packaging.

And tada!

They were able to deliver an experience that their buyers will always remember.

Adding a personal touch to packaging is not limited to these well-known brands; many small businesses and start-ups are able to build a more loyal customer base with custom commercial packaging.

Thus, it is now becoming an essential sales strategy. So, let&#;s take a closer look at this strategy and the benefits it can provide for your business.

You&#;ll also learn how to perfectly customize your packages and what mistakes to avoid when doing so.

What is custom packaging?

As packaging is the first thing to get noticed about your product, businesses today are constantly looking for innovative ways to make it attractive and unique. Because about 60% of shoppers who walk into your store are likely to go for attractive custom packages containing the product.

And one way to make sure that your packaging is attractive enough for them is to customize it according to your product and by attaching an experience that matters most to your customers.

Thus, custom packaging is a technique for tailoring the covering of your product as per its structure and adding a personal touch that emotionally engages your buyers.

(Image Source)

Goto Heao Printing to know more.

Let&#;s look at the Nutella Unica campaign to understand this better. Ferrero provided an opportunity for buyers to design the labels of Nutella jars however they liked. This was conducted at various Selfridges department stores. Buyers designed the labels on a mobile device or tablet, and the employees printed them and attached them to their jars.

They really made their buyers feel special as per their tagline, &#;There is no one like you.&#; It was indeed a very successful campaign for the company.

Want to run a successful campaign like theirs?

Here&#;s a great tool that will easily assist you with the same.

Package Design Software

 

Why are businesses opting for customized packaging instead of stock packaging?

Enhance Brand Awareness

As 63% of customers choose to purchase a product again simply because of its packaging design, you can create a unique identity for your product through custom-printed packaging boxes.

Designing the outer covering of your product creatively will help your customers identify your brand easily. Additionally, if someone is purchasing from you for the first time, they can easily remember your product because of the great first impression and will surely return to purchase it again.

This becomes extra important when you have an e-commerce website. As the packaging is the first point of physical contact with your product, you have to make sure it is as great as the product itself. With help of custom commercial packaging, you can also promote your other products and future deals. Apart from that, conveying your values and goals can become super easy with customization.

These can not only convey your desired message to your target audience easily but also help to create a long-lasting impression on the minds of your buyers.

Provide an Outstanding Unboxing Experience

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Imagine how special your users can feel after reading a personalized humorous message on the top of your packaging or a note when they open the kit.

The above example of packaging from &#;Pottery with a Purpose&#; is a great example of the same. Once you unbox the kit, you&#;ll discover a unique message on the top and cute little elements and notes inside their custom printed packaging boxes. This strategy has been intensively used by them to make their brand stand out.

Enhance your customer experience with personalized notes and custom-printed packaging boxes!

Click here to start offering memorable unboxing moments today!

 

Connect Better with Customers

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If a health-conscious person is looking for a chocolate bar, what, according to you, will attract them more: a basic packaging with a brand logo or custom printed packaging with all the healthy ingredients listed on it in detail?

Second one, right? Hu, a chocolate brand whose mission is to sell consumers chocolate bars with healthy and simple ingredients, did the same.

This is a great technique to use if you want to target the pain points of your buyers and want to connect with them emotionally. And when it comes to making your buyers aware of your product offerings, no one can beat the power of custom packaging.

Get More Conversion With Better Presentation

The average supermarket in North America carries a whopping 28,000 different products. Also, with so many options available online for the same product, you must have a strategy that makes your product stand out.

And the packaging is the first thing that people notice about your product. So, presenting it aesthetically can definitely boost your conversion rates. As it is visually appealing and also helps to advertise your desired message.

Promote Your Brand on Social Media

According to The Packaging Company, 40% of online shoppers say they are more likely to share a product image or video on social media if the packaging is branded and interesting. Hence, custom packaging can help in promoting your product on social media.

This will not only make your existing customers happy but also attract new ones.

Do you want to influence your customers and deliver a captivating experience that they look for again and again?

Check out Our Package Designer Tool Now!

 

Surge Your Sales With Sustainable Packaging

Businesses today have gone one step further in selling their products with custom packaging. Many green entrepreneurs are now opting for eco-friendly packaging with personalized messages printed on it.

As a result, it enables them to reap multiple benefits from a single initiative. This makes their product more attractive to buyers without causing any harm to the environment.

According to McKinsey, one out of four consumers says they are planning to focus more on environmental issues and will pay more attention to social aspects in their shopping behavior. Also, 83% of consumers now prefer positive activism, showing support for companies by buying from them rather than avoiding those whose practices they disagree with.

(Image Source)

Boxed water is one prominent example of the same. Everyone is aware of the harm that plastic bottles cause to our environment. So, this company came up with the initiative of selling water in environmentally friendly custom printed boxes rather than plastic bottles. And guess what? Buyers are definitely loving it, as they reported a whopping revenue of $5 million in the previous year.

How To Create Quality Customized Packaging?

Pay Attention to the Details

Custom printed packaging is all about the little things you add to your packaging. As a result, each and every detail must be thoroughly examined before finalization. Size of your packaging, colour combinations, font size and colours, whether all your content is inside the safety lines or not to avoid trimmed images and fonts, etc.

Don&#;t create complicated packaging

Creating custom packaging as per your product and target audience is important, but don&#;t make it too hard for them to either unpack or understand it. Make sure your buyers are easily able to open the packaging so it doesn&#;t consume more of their time.

Also, don&#;t write too complicated or long messages on your packaging as people may not be able to understand them, and this will not create the intended results.

Pick quality materials

Whether you are creating your own packaging or getting it outsourced, you must rely on durable materials, as they will make your product last longer and protect it from any harm. This is especially important if you run an e-commerce store, as the shipping process can harm your products, resulting in broken or damaged products for your customers.

Avoid typos and low-resolution images

To build trust and reliability, it is extremely important to avoid any typing errors on your packaging. So, it&#;s essential to thoroughly proofread everything before printing your packages. as they cannot be redone once printed,

Also, if images on your product are not clear or misleading, they will not send a clear message to your buyers, and they may refrain from purchasing your products. So, always make sure to put clear images along with correct spelling and grammar on your custom packaging.

Consider what your customer wants

Try to know more about your target audience and find out the following answers:

What are their age groups? Why are they looking for a product like yours? What are their aspirations and values? What are their pain points, and what do they dislike the most? Find answers to all these questions before making decisions about your package design.

Introduce a DIY Feature

Designing your packaging as per your target audience can become difficult, as not every individual will be attracted to the same type of packaging. To overcome this, you can introduce them to a feature that lets them design the packaging on their own.

This will not only help them create the custom packaging they desire but also make the ordering process more engaging. For example, if you are accepting orders online for your bakery, you can allow buyers to customize your cake boxes as per the occasion they are ordering for.

To make this possible, you can integrate our contemporary box packaging design software, which will allow your customers to design your product packaging as they like. Its dynamic yet easy-to-use features will make designing a child&#;s play even for a nontechnical customer to decorate the packages.

To make this possible, you can integrate our contemporary box packaging design software, which will allow your customers to design your product packaging as they like. Its dynamic yet easy-to-use features will make designing a child&#;s play even for a nontechnical customer to decorate the packages.

You can restrict them to design the areas you don&#;t want your customers to change. Also, you don&#;t have to worry about the pre-press process, as you&#;ll receive an editable, print-ready pdf once they place the order. Hence, it will be a win-win situation for both you and your customers.

This was just an outline of the extensive features of our package box design software. You can deliver an extraordinary experience to your buyers with the help of this tool. We can schedule a personalized demo based on your needs so you can see other features of our tool and start delivering next-level personalized packages to your customers right away.

Learn More

 

How to offer customization in packaging to customers

Offering customization in packaging to customers can be a great way to enhance their experience and add value to your products.

Here&#;s a step-by-step guide on how to offer customization in packaging:

• Choose the right type of packaging:

First, consider the various types of custom packaging available, such as corrugated boxes, paperboard boxes, paper bags, rigid boxes, envelopes, and bubble mailers.

Select the packaging type that aligns with your product and brand.

• Integrate a packaging designer tool:

Find a packaging designer tool that provides customization functionalities.

Look for features like shape and size selection, color customization, graphic design options, and text editing capabilities.

Ensure the tool seamlessly integrates with your website or online store. Ensure the packaging designer tool has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and understand.

• Customize design options:

Determine the specific design options you want to offer customers.

This can include selecting box dimensions, colors, and patterns, adding logos or images, and choosing font styles.

Tailor the design options to align with your customer&#;s preferences and brand aesthetics.

• Set pricing and order process:

Determine how pricing will be calculated for customized packaging. Consider factors such as the complexity of the design, the materials used, and the quantity ordered.

• Promote customization options:

Highlight the availability of customization options on your website or online store.

Utilize marketing channels such as social media, campaigns, or product pages to promote personalized packaging as a unique selling point.

Make Your Brand Stand Out

A business does not become successful overnight; it becomes prosperous as a result of your daily efforts and the right strategy. Custom packaging is one such strategy that can deliver a great ROI to your business for a long time.

And with every business now familiar with it, you have to go one step further and think outside the box to make your packaging strategy more impactful. And the best way to accomplish this is to allow your buyers to design their own packaging. This not only makes them feel special but also makes the process more intriguing for them.

You can connect with each of them individually, resulting in more repeat business and satisfied customers for your brand.

If you want to know more about this or want to deliver an &#;out of the box&#; experience to your customers, get in touch with us today. Our team of experts will guide you through the entire process and make it hassle-free for you.

Request a FREE Personalized Demo!

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