Ecommerce Vs. Retail Packaging 

A lot of people assume that all packaging that’s done is all the same, and that there’s no specific differences to each. Most packaging falls under two types of packaging, ecommerce and retail packaging, both with the function and appearances. It’s vital to know the difference, especially when choosing the packaging that’s best for the businesses at hand. 

Ecommerce Packaging 

This involves packaging solutions that are designed in order to help with shipping products from people in one location to the next. Ecommerce is basically exterior kinds of packaging. The packaging is focused more on the form that you have and the function over it instead of just looking good. 

That isn’t to say it’s ugly, but security does take precedence, so that the products are transported in a safe manner, so that the contents are safe throughout all of this. The goal of this is to keep everything in a firm, safe type of atmosphere that’s weather resistant whenever it’s needed. The secondary type of goal that’s used in this packaging, is to improve the awareness of the brand, and through the usages of slogans and logos on the boxes, tape, and mailers, this helps. 

When products get redirected to customers directly, the first thing is the ecommerce packaging, with the first and mainly only form of the packaging that’s there. it lets you have the experience that benefits them, and you can buy custom packaging in order to improve sales too and build brand awareness. 

When you’re buying custom packaging, you need to make sure that the product is protected, and it looks good. You also want to make sure there is no waste, and the shipping is nice and secure. 

Remember, the goal of this is much more about the type of packaging that secures, and less about the aesthetics of this. 

Retail Packaging 

This is basically the interior of the packaging, and it’s basically the last barrier between the customer and the product that’s sold. This is the one that you see in the sores, and it’s what entices people to buy something. While sometimes this is omitted during product transport, retail packaging is used in a variety of situations. 

It’s weather-resistant, heavy-duty, and it’s equipped for transportation in the long haul. It also lets you implement different designs that are delicate within the packaging. Unlike the ecommerce one, the goal of this is to be aesthetically pleasing for customers and brands, in order to promote the brand awareness that you want from this. 

If you’re curious about what you need for retail packaging, the goal of this is to make it look good so customers can recognize it, and also in ways that stand out to the buyers at hand. You may be displaying this in certain areas, and if you’re doing that, your goal with this is to show a product that’s correct so that when customers get this and open it, they realize that it’s the same thing that they ordered. You also want to make sure the description of the product is accurate, and any important information for them is visible. 

For lots of people, these two things are practically one in the same when choosing packaging. But knowing the difference is vital for both, as it can help you with better understanding what it is that you need to put into a cot to really make them shine in the realm of packaging. It also helps highlight some vital parts of what makes it better for the customers, so that if there is anything missing, you can add it to the future packaging you have. 

Recycling Holiday Packaging 

Holiday sales are supposed to keep going up, and while you have some great gifts, you also will need to figure out how to get rid of the waste and recycle it too. Recycling is great for reducing the pollution, keeping the resources and energy levels lower, and also prevents the landfills from filling with more trash. Most trash is actually in the form of packaging materials, and we actually get rid of our weight in the form of packaging every month or so. that’s why it’s important to make sure that you do recycle, since that of course, can save you a ton of pounds, especially after the holiday season. How can businesses encourage recycling though? What can they do to make this easier for the person to get excited about? Let’s find out. 

Get Customers to recycle

Most people have a recycling bin, but the thing is, it rarely gets used.  Most of the time, they have to bring this to a different place just to recycle it.  It’s important as well to note that you cannot recycle anything that’s contaminated, so you have to clean this, and it’s important to make sure that the quality is good. 

What can you toss into the recycling bin though? Some of the options include. 

  • Boxes when you break them down 
  • Packing slips, cards, and envelopes
  • Paper inserts and other paper dunnage 
  • Tissue paper 
  • Wrapping paper that isn’t metallic 

If you’re looking to recycle certain things, you may have to bring it to a drop-off location, especially if it’s a packaged delivery. 

Some of these include: 

-poly or bubble mailers 

Air pillows or  bubble wrap when deflated 

Reusing Stuff? 

There are certain things that you can reuse. If you send the orders in a box that’s branded, you may want to make it so that they keep it, instead of throwing this into the trash. Keeping the packaging a and reusing it is also good. 

You can use packing peanuts, the bubble wrapping, and other supplies as well for future shipping, especially if you plan to pack your own items, and a whole lot more. 

How else to cut down 

There are a few things that you can do as a retailer too in order to get people to cut down on their waiting. 

The first, is trying to use materials that are sustainable. They offer post-consumer kinds of recycled content, and also eco-friendly packaging options even for boxes that are branded, so that you can actually talk the talk about being sustainable, which is something a lot of companies struggle with achieving. 

The second thing is trying to make it so that buying in bulk is better. Rather than just ordering everything in more than one box, have them order it, and put it inside one box. This not only saves them and you money on shipping, you can actually offer discounts in bulk, and by using the right box, you can also reduce the materials that are used for packaging. 

Finally, you want to try to make sure that you’re not going to extreme places with all of this and using too many resources. For those that deliver their own items, make sure to use different calculators to help with making sure that you optimize the traveling that you do, and also make sure to make deliveries happen, and try to avoid the redeliveries.  You should also try to avoid making the carbon footprint any larger. 

Try to minimize the returns as well, so that you don’t have to go out to get it. 

How to Increase Brand exposure 

There are a lot of different ways to make your brand stand out, but creativity is at the top of this. Those that are simple, minimal, but bold definitely stand out, but you want to make sure that you have the proper brand exposure customers want, as it creates proper customer retention, which is the ultimate goal for companies. 

A good strategy for brands is to communicate exactly what the brand is, and here, we’ll go over the best ways to improve the brand exposure for a business. 

Go with the good First 

When you’re creating a brand, you want to put the good foot forward.  Talk about what customers like and resonate when it comes to the brand. Using this, you’ll be able to create higher levels of exposure for the brand, and it helps to highlight the good stuff that the brand is all about. You should highlight all that good, positive feedback you’ve been getting from customers. 

Offer value. 

You wnat to make sure that you offer proper value, and it’s something that a lot of people do like, since values help to connect with the markets better, and offer a lot of insight and benefits as well. 

Look at what customers want to interact with as much as they can, and then, provide content that demonstrates all of this. For marketing that’s content driven in order to have an effective measure to this, you can give them something useful and new, as that’s the secret to proper brand exposure. QR codes on packages, or even incentives for customers to buy again are good. 

Create the right brand identity 

This is something that you should have in place, since this will help develop who you are. Create a personality, stick with it, and be consistent. This properly offers humanity for the brand, and also will resonate with your target audience. You want to make sure that you show the different parts of your brand when communicating this, to help them better understand who you are. 

Tell the story 

You want to make sure that you create a good story, something that’s compelling, crisp, and will help with brand exposure. Don’t make it depressing or sad, but just communicate and offer an honest measure of the brand, along with purpose and creativity that’s there too. 

You want to make sure that you tell people about it, and offer humanity, as this is something that gets a lot of exposure super-fast, and it will impact the way people look at the brand. 

Work with Relevant brands 

You can create relationships with brands, especially those that are relatable, but aren’t considered a competitor directly. This is great for those who want to reach audiences that are new, boosting the brand awareness that’s there. 

For instance, if you’re an artist, you can partner with some business that offers home goods, creating a collection hat’s collaborative, and this of course can help boost your brand and business. 

This is a great way to get the word out to others. Plus, with two places promoting the brand, yourself and the other person, this offers a new way to look at brands and understanding them. 

With that said, you’ll want to improve the brand, offer proper brand awareness, and grow as well. You’ll be able to, with this too, create the best brand that you can, and really make it shine. 

This is one of the first steps for brand development and is necessary for a lot of companies to be successful, so don’t neglect any of these steps when creating it. 

Is it Time to Move to Recyclable Packaging 

Should you change over to recycled materials? Here, we’ll discuss whether or not it’s good for you to do. Is this the solution that you’ve been looking for? Before you pull the trigger on packaging, remember there are a few things that you should ask before you decide, to make sure to look at whether or not the packaging is worth it or not. 

Is it Sustainable 

With more and more laws being put into place to push for recycling, it’s something that’s successful for a lot of people, and it improves the rates of recycling while also reducing the amount of landfill waste is left around. 

This is something that’s viable for the long-term, and it ca be a part of the solution to the problem globally. But also, it’s important to understand that while it’s good, it’s not effective for everything, and you need to make sure that you also look at the demand for resources which are natural in order to create this. 

The benefits 

Recycling is something that helps to maximize the use of something that already exists, and it gives something that’s already been used another possible chance, since this is something that can be beneficial. That means that the packaging world can benefit from a lot of this, especially if you want to make sure that it’s from partly or totally recycled items. It also does conserve a lot of the resources that are there. It’s less harmful to our environment to recycle rather than to continuously produce these materials, which means less tress to be cut, and less habits that are there disturbed, and of course, fewer pollution from this as well. 

It also reduces the landfill waste, which is a major problem. Because the trash gets left there it is either burned, buried, or just left there, and it pollutes our world. Recycling reduces the waste and all of that by extending the amount of materials that are used, and the repurpose items that would otherwise be tossed out. 

It’s also quite easy to do. There are more and more ways now than ever before to recycle, and it’s something that a lot of consumers are using, and a bit of them are versed in it already, so it’s much more viable. Customers also like sustainability, so you can use it as a marketing tactic. 

Drawbacks 

While there are some benefits, there are a few drawbacks that come with this, since it can play a part in how much your company and their budget can handle something such as this. First and foremost, not everybody recycles, so it may not be worth it. It’s important to look at the consumer base, see if there is a possibility of it happening, and also to see if this plays a big part in it.  You can encourage them, but not everyone will follow through. 

It also is something that isn’t permanent, and it’s something that can be hard for a few thing’s paper is recycled, but it does degrade. While you can recycle a lot, it does only have so many times before it will decompose.  It is something to consider. 

Finally, it can be difficult.  Recycling plastic is very costly in some places, so it’s important to make sure that you look at whether or not it’s even possible. If it’s mixed plastic, it may not be exportable. There is also the fact that not every type of plastic is recyclable, so it’s vital to know if this is imperative or will impact how you recycle too. 

How you can Make Custom Box Designs to Stand out 

The first impression matters, especially for online retailers to customers.  The packaging, even just a meager cardboard box, does impact the products you offer.When you get a box and design it, you’re able to fully control the process to get the best first impression forward. 

The Process 

If you’re not used to using professional designers, don’t fret.  We offer tons of different ways to create the best customized boxes that represent the products at hand. When you bring ideas to custom box retailers, they handle the rest of this. The design usually involves looking at the following: 

  • The budget.  You can save a lot of money if you use a budget. An early budget also talks about the boxes that you can use and make 
  • The needs that you have. if you have specific products or seasonal items, or maybe you’re looking to make this work in your own unique way, you can eye the different ways a box really shines. This can vary how products are purchased, the size, and also what customers would like to see from you. 
  • The brainstorming process. You can do a lot with the box that you have and you can even consider some of the graphics that you want to include on there. You can also factor in the colors that are appealing to the consumers, what text you want, what you want the interior and the exterior to look like, and so much more.  with a custom box designer, they walk you through the exact process. 
  • Getting what you need for this. Finally, when it’s time, they can get you everything that you need. For you to use custom boxes, you’ll want a logo vector of what’s on the box, the dimensions which are exact, any texts and fonts, and any other specific colors you’d like to have on there. For a lot of people, this step is essential, since once you have all of these, you can get exactly what you need

Why Custom Boxes 

While custom boxes do cost a bit more and you can theoretically also get some brown boxes, there’s a ton of benefits to customized boxes compared to just using plain old boxes. They include the following: 

  • Offer real customer experiences 
  • Are eye-catching 
  • Help products stand out 
  • Help with branding 
  • Offer a lot more incentives such as maybe discounts and other pertinent information
  • Offers an attractive viewpoint that really makes you market the materials that you want, so you can keep customers coming back again and again 
  • Offers you a chance to encourage your customers to unbox and then post on social media, which is basically free publicity. 
  • Makes the product way more attractive 
  • Makes the person who gets this feel like they’re getting a gift 

When customers get a custom box, they’re getting the full experience. From the photos to the test to the images on the exterior, to even what’s on the interior, the whole goal is to offer a lot of excitement to customers about the product at hand. It also lets you do more marketing and branding, and this s something that, once you’ve managed to unbox it, the product is then more desirable and memorable as well, especially for people who are new customers. 

Custom boxes change the game, so if you’re not using this already, you should definitely do so.  if you’re looking to give the premier experience to customers, then go custom. Get some great designs off from the springboard and from the design phase to box.