Packaging was originally made for storage and shipping. It then transitioned towards exhibition, to be displayed on shelves. At that stage, design was almost exclusively visual. Now, it’s transformed to provide a full experience from the moment of purchase to unboxing. E-commerce has modified the way products are displayed: as images, videos and especially 3D. This allows consumers to get the real feel of a product before even buying it. Packaging is now a part of that experience, and ignoring this can prevent brands from creating a long-lasting bond with them. For more on content trends, take a look at this post.
How is e-commerce changing packaging design?
Platforms like Woo Commerce, Shopify or Amazon have made it possible to sell online both for individual sellers and big brands. Hence focusing on the product’s features design and online presentation.
Needless to say, this has been drastically accelerated by the pandemic: e-commerce provides a “fit-to-norm” of social distancing and hygiene. And at the same time, it decreases businesses’ expenses significantly.
Brands’ visual attraction on the shelves might not be that useful when it comes to selling online. Communicating the brand’s story through packaging using visual elements in a synergistic way will become the new norm to sell on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Grofers.
Packaging formats now need to be made adaptive to the dynamic e-commerce supply chain.
This will pave the way for new players, and new ways to innovate and remain appealing to the online audience.
In fact, e-commerce platforms are now looking into creating partnerships with local shops, which opens promising opportunities for businesses, like enhancing their Customer Experience and transforming it in a unified brand experience.
The unboxing experience
Consumers talk about good experiences, and often shout about bad ones. Shopping experiences are shared on social media daily and brands need to keep all that in mind.
Product packaging provides the first physical interaction between brands and consumers who have only seen the product online. They will get a first impression. They’ll get the touch and feel both for the packaging and the product. They’ll examine and open the package with expectation to discover what’s next. This is what we call “the unboxing experience”. Customized and premium packaging must be designed specifically to create one. And beyond.
The unboxing experience also needs to be designed from the inside out so it’s ready for online unboxing videos and social media. Being backed, advertised and promoted by consumers is a great opportunity to resonate with communities. This involves emotion, expectation and surprise, hence creating a high-value engagement, making it easier for them to become loyal, returning customers.
Imagine receiving your football boots in a boxed stadium and hear the roar of the crowd as you open it.
So, great products need better packaging. And they also need great content to back it up. Provide all information in a simple and personal way, and satisfy the expectations previously built.
Personalization is now a must in e-commerce given the proven impact of the unboxing momentum. Also, a consistent story happening across all channels makes brands reach people in a much more relatable way, and thus get them closer to loyalty.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Remember “Batteries not included”?
Where’s all this heading to?
The remarkable thing about packaging design trends is the fusion of function and art. The former focuses on what used to be called the 3 C’s: Containing, Caring and Conserving. The latter, however, adds Communication and Promotion. And the digital era has made that the keystone.
Pre-COVID studies have shown that consumers will make repeated purchases from the same brands based on their view of the packaging the product was delivered in.
For instance, a 2016 survey from Dotcom Distribution found 40% of consumers are likely to make repeat purchases from an online merchant with premium packaging.
Social media or vis-a-vis Instagram have made direct communication possible. Brands now speak directly to their communities, and communities communicate. Just run a search for “unboxing” on Google and you’ll find countless blog posts, images, and videos. Most of that content was created by customers, further helping a brand launch and get their name out there.
Minimalism
Clean, minimalistic packaging has become the norm, because the focus is not ON the product anymore. It goes beyond.
E-commerce is making a larger volume of packages travel around the world. Thus, more packaging is required, and brands are more and more conscious about the environmental challenge.
People know products way before buying them. They read all about them and watch video-reviews. That allows replacing a lot of information with a simple QR code taking to a richer experience than reading a booklet. QR codes allow in turn providing all that information in an orderly manner, supported by media aligned with the brand’s graphic and wording.
A wise use of space and materials is also to consider. As packages gets smaller new design ideas flourish, which in turn needs crisp content. Packaging design isn’t about keeping it small. It’s about using what is functionally necessary to contain and protect during the product’s journey until it reaches your customer’s hands, to then create an impression. Preferably, one aligned with the brand’s values and main selling points.
For example, Revolut transmits simplicity when travelling around the world, and this is how their packaging works.
Noticed white?
White packaging is widespread, being Apple the main torchbearer. Many others followed after, given its ease and simplicity. Why?
- It highlights what really matters to users and de-emphasizes what is not.
- It’s visually appealing and aims at catching the consumer’s eye.
- Proofs cleanness and newness, which is especially important in hygienic products such as electric toothbrushes.
- Prevents theft. This may seem unrelated, although it’s real. Consumer electronics retailers have evolved to self-service environments, and display packed products on shelves, making them harder to “disappear”.
The keys to successful design packaging
- Aim at Brand-building. People are not looking for nice packaging, yet they love it when they get one. And from relating to a product, they relate to a brand, a concept, a lifestyle.
- Be consistent and stay aligned with your brand’s identity, core values, story and campaign.
- Don’t be afraid to be different. Differentiation makes brands stand out. Innovation might be risky, but people notice different things, and actually remember them.
What’s the outcome of design packaging for E-commerce?
Some still believe that investing on premium packaging designed for unboxing experiences is an avoidable expense with intangible results. However, integrating art into packaging design means going beyond a box’s function and aiming a close, personal bond with consumers.
By including art design you’ll be delivering both a functional product AND a memorable moment. And that means:
- Loyalty. More people waiting to hear from you!
- Increased popularity. Good customer experience triggers conversation and has tremendous marketing potential.
- More feedback, and a closer look on product reception. Hence, more data and better insights for the future.
Creating a memorable unboxing experience can be THE competitive advantage for any company trying to get returning customers and attract new ones. Andy Dunn, the founder of Bonobos couldn’t say it better:
“At the end of the day, you’re not building an E-commerce company, you’re building a brand that has E-commerce as its core distribution channel”.
And this isn’t just an option. It’s a matter of survival.
