Signed, Sealed, Delivered: How to Perfect Your Product Packaging

If you sell a physical product as a small business owner, you know that packaging is key. Just like your logo is a

consumer’s first impression of your brand, the packaging influences the first impression of your product.

But how do you create packaging that perfectly matches your brand?

Meet J.L. Hernandez With a background in marketing and advertising — and a passion for helping people discover brands via storytelling — Hernandez created Craft & Main.Co to connect consumers with Los Angeles’ small-batch producers and crafters. Craft & Main.Co is a box subscription service that delivers a variety of seasonal, local products, such as coffee, chocolate and jam, to your doorstep.

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Hernandez easily found her niche within the increasingly popular subscription-model space as she tapped into a growing demand for locally made edible goods. However, she encountered an unexpected challenge: the best way to package the curated goods.

Packaging Challenge #1 Find the Right Materials

Hernandez experimented with different sized boxes that would allow her products to fit snuggly together in an aesthetically pleasing way and protect them in transit. She went through multiple iterations of packaging, from the tape she used to close the boxes to the boxes themselves. She tried out various stickers and tapes to find a seal that was both effective and matched the brand’s aesthetic.

Takeaway

Experimenting is key. You’ll likely need to try various materials, such as boxes, product-cushioning packaging, seals and mailing labels, to see what works best. This is just part

of the process — playing with your options until you get the best possible fit for your brand and the individual items you need to package.1TWEET THIS TAKEAWAY

Packaging Challenge #2 Contain Inevitable Mishaps

To avoid issues like unexpected leakage, Hernandez decided to place potentially spillable items, such as peanut butter and honey, into clear zip bags. Craft & Main.Co’s priority was to maintain the integrity of the box as a whole — even if one of the items broke in transit it wouldn’t the ruin the entire customer experience — and it put measures in place accordingly.

Takeaway

Hope for the best, but plan for the worst —always have a contingency plan.

Don’t assume your packages will be delivered with care. Rather, it’s better to have a contingency plan for situations, such as product breakage

during transit or weather-related damage to the exterior of the box,than to simply hope that they never happen. 2TWEET THIS TAKEAWAY

Packaging Challenge #3 Home in on the Essentials While Hernandez was initially enticed by the idea of fun, creative touches with her packaging, these wound up not being cost-effective nor did they really add anything meaningful to the overall look and feel of her boxes. She found that sourcing these materials from craft stores was costly, unnecessary and took away precious time from other more important aspects of the business. In the end, simple kraft paper won.

Takeaway

Streamline your sourcing and your materials to work smarter not harder.

It may be tempting to be overly ambitious with your packaging in terms of both sourcing materials and going overboard with the details, but neither

practice makes the best use of your money or time. If possible, get everything you need from one supplier to make ordering (and reordering) less labor

intensive. This can save you time, and potentially money, so you can focus on other aspects of your business.

TWEET THIS TAKEAWAY 3

Packaging Challenge #4 Understand Your Target Customer

In developing her packaging, Hernandez took into account her consumer base of eco-friendly minimalists. Because her product is subscription-based, meaning her customers receive a package once a month, it’s important that her customers don’t find the packaging excessively wasteful. While over-the-top packaging might work for some, Hernandez knew it wouldn’t go over well with her target audience.

Takeaway

Keep your customers, and their values,in mind when designing your packaging.

When determining your packaging, consider the values and expectations of your core consumer and design from there. This will help you attract

the type of people who will want to shop with you — and hopefully retain them as customers for life.

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Packaging Challenge #5 Make Sure Your Packaging is On-Brand

As Hernandez says, you want your brand identity to align with what feels comfortable and true to the soul of the company. In the end, the pared-down design she settled on was representative of the company’s values: minimalist, clean, handmade and straightforward. She chose a kraft mailer box with a logo, sealed with a kraft tape. Inside, the contents are cushioned by kraft paper.

Takeaway

Ditch details that don’t match your overall brand aesthetic.

While unique and unlikely materials can make your packaging stand out, in the end, every detail should match your overall brand identity.

Don’t get distracted by what’s new and trending — focus on what your company stands for and use those themes to ultimately guide your

material choices. In many cases, less is more. 5TWEET THIS TAKEAWAY

For more smart and creative ways to help your business succeed, visit the

QuickWins small business hub.