The e-commerce commodity market has changed significantly over the last decade. The E packing solutions of commerce created a unique customer touchpoint, have grown in the same way because it is also required for delivery and logistics, 2025 is the year more than 6 trillion yen and is expected to be the market size.
For e-commerce businesses, delivery is a touchpoint that occurs directly at the point closest to the customer, but it is also a marketing opportunity that is rarely used.
Packaging originally arose from the need to protect goods during the shipping process, but now it’s not the only one. Just paying attention to the packaging, packaging, and design can be a new marketing opportunity. The branded packaging and opening experience give you the opportunity to deliver functional products and create memorable moments. So let’s actually see it!
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What Is Packaging In E-Commerce?
Packaging in e-commerce includes designing, verifying, and producing a container for a product. To impress customers and improve profits, many online retailers create a branded packaging experience.
A branded packaging experience is a choice of presentation method for the shipping product, as well as a well-thought-out selection of shipping and packaging materials. Its purpose is to add value to your business and your business, giving you a positive first impression of your brand. Ideally, it’s an experience that you’ll want to remember and share.
Importance Of Packaging
Compared to companies that have physical stores, online shops have a limited number of touchpoints that impress. The advantage of online shopping efficiency leads to a lack of experience of touching the real thing before buying. That’s why you need to pay special attention to the touchpoints you can leverage to create a branding experience that sets you apart from the competition.
A Dotcom Distribution survey found that 40% of consumers tend to make repeat purchases from online stores with premium packaging. The same study also found that premium packaging enhances the brand’s impression and raises expectations for delivery.
For online stores, the packaging is an extension of the brand. Take Apple as an example. Well-known for its high-end and sophisticated products, so do the packages you receive. Even if you don’t have the budget of Apple, you can incorporate ways to please your customers in many ways that can be a little cheaper.
To sell supplements D2C company of Seed, use the attractive package simply made from mushrooms soluble in water, offers a wonderful feeling to high eco-consciousness, which is the target audience buyer.
Basically, people want to share an inspiring experience. A Google search for “opening experience” or “unboxing” in English will find many blogs, images, and videos. Most of this content is user-created and has contributed significantly to the launch and word-of-mouth of the brand.
Building a brand that grows over the long term means that customers will come back repeatedly. Repeat customers spend more on your business. Investing in retention and customer loyalty allows you to move away from the newly acquired conveyor belt, where you have to endlessly find new customers.
E-commerce Packaging Type
Before shipping the item, it must be packed for secure shipping. Here are the commonly used packaging materials.
- Cardboard box
- Envelope with cushioning material
- Bags and envelopes
- Customized e-commerce packaging
Unless it’s a fairly small or extremely sturdy item, you’ll need certain types of boxes, padding, cushions, etc. to carry it safely.
The most common types of e-commerce packaging are:
Cardboard box It is still the most commonly used one. It is sturdy, does not load the package, and can be recycled. For heavy items, we may also use stronger double cardboard.
Here is an example of a cardboard box that can be used for delivery.
Envelope with cushioning material
Great for sending small, thin, or delicate items such as jewelry, handicrafts, and books. Recyclable paper and air packing can be used for additional protection, but air packing is inferior in terms of environmental friendliness as a packaging material.
Bags and envelopes
If you’re selling light but not fragile items, you can use poly-material envelopes called courier plastic bags, Tyvek envelopes, and plastic bags. They are light, durable, easy to store, and can be enclosed with a single touch, making it easy to ship small orders and boxes from home or warehouse. It’s also easy to brand and you can take advantage of zero waste methods through companies like Hero Packaging.
Customized e-commerce packaging
Using a custom box is a great way to provide your customers with a unique opening experience and brand value. From gift wrapping materials to inclusions, there are many options for customizing and printing anything. In addition, you can deliver a satisfying experience by expressing your brand throughout the box.
How To Customize The Opening Experience
To achieve an effectively designed branding package and opening experience, multiple elements need to be well combined. But you don’t have to include all the options you can take advantage of.
Instead, find out what packaging solutions for your small business deliver the best experience and value to your customers, and strategically invest in a few supplies to create an unforgettable opening experience.
Package
The most important element is the main package. Select boxes, bags, envelopes, etc. according to the characteristics of the product. The white and brown wavy packaging was once the only option, cheap, sturdy and practical, but it may not produce a branding-effective first impression.
Is your brand eco-friendly? Then you can use a biodegradable package made of mushroom and coconut fiber. In some cases, compostable envelopes made from cones are used instead of plastic poly envelopes.
On the other hand, packaging materials that can surprise customers can be quite expensive.
Thin paper
If the product is wrapped in thin paper, the expected value and mood of the opening experience will increase. Both customs printed and colored are options to consider.
Stuffing
Traditional padding types include styrofoam, foam inserts, air pillows, and air packing. It’s fun to crush the bubble wrap of the air packing, but it’s visually weak and doesn’t have a premium feel. Other possible fillings are crinkle paper (colored or brown) and Excelsior (packing plane scraps).
Sticker
Stickers are a convenient option because they are versatile and inexpensive. After wrapping it with thin paper, you can seal it with a sticker. Instead of putting a custom print on the box, you can also put a sticker on it as a way to brand it on a budget.
As a thank you for your purchase, consider giving a sticker with a short thank-you note.
Promotional materials, business cards
Business cards are a cost-effective promo tool. It doesn’t have to have the same taste as your company’s business card.
For example, Haus includes a newsletter printed as an enclosure. Due to the nature of the product, printed matter functions as a reading material that deepens communication between customers and brands.
You can also include personal notes and special instructions to bring out the value of the product. The possibilities are endless and the cost is low.
Schedule
It’s common to enclose receipts and schedules, but many companies don’t see them as branding or marketing opportunities.
In fine dining, for example, vouchers are brought to the table in an elegant way or in folders at the right time. Receipts and schedules that come with your product should be placed in a reasonable location. Customers do not want to see the schedule as soon as it is opened (very important!).
When you create a schedule in Shopify, you can customize the content and design by adding or removing elements (logos, product images, etc.) by using Liquid, a template language. You may include the coupon code on your statement to encourage repeat purchases.
Handwritten notes
Handwritten notes are difficult to scale, but every new business is serious about getting each and every customer. Heartfelt notebooks and cards make a big difference in connecting with customers who have purchased them. Handwritten messages, like Journ, which I’ll introduce next, can be used to convey the heart and soul of the customer and the real human image behind the brand.
How-To Material
If you need how-to information about your product, but additional instructions inside the package. You need to be careful so that customers can start using their products properly and easily for their specific needs. Let’s refer to Journ again. The instructions that come with each product provide useful information.
When you start using something, if you don’t know how to do it, you put it off. We tend to be swept away by comfortable routines. To make that routine, products are easy for customers to use. Must be an option ” -Kristen LaFrance ( Resilient Retail Chief)
By providing information materials, we can show care for our customers, build trust, and at the same time convey our support attitude after purchasing the product.
Tape
Did you pick up the clear packing tape? There are many other colorful tapes for practicing custom packaging! It is also possible to create brand-specific tapes that instantly recognize the brand like Amazon.
Samples, gifts
It may be a good idea to enclose free samples and other products based on your purchases and purchase history. Ideally, you should choose something that your customers might be interested in. For example, if you buy shampoo, we will give you a sample of the corresponding conditioner. This tactic also promotes cross-selling by introducing new products.
Packing cost
The downside of branded special packages is the associated costs. There is both time and amount.
You need to choose the financially possible options based on your average order value and profit margin. Consider what provides maximum value to your business and your customers.
Custom boxes and envelopes tend to be the biggest expense when performing a special opening experience.
The cardboard of the original design, also 1 at least 00 or more orders, 100 yen – you need to look at. In the case of home delivery plastic bags, 1 for each print 20 yen to 200 yen price will vary greatly depending on the number of orders and. Also, note that boxes used in e-commerce have a higher total shipping load than poly envelopes.
For products that do not require box protection, you can opt for a lighter package to keep costs down. It is also worth choosing a sustainable package and shipping solution. Use composable envelopes, reduce package size to keep costs down, and fit the eco-conscious consumer’s perspective.
If you think creatively, you might get similar results while reducing costs. You can consider getting a colored box designed by Arka etc. to suit your packing needs. With these shipping boxes, the minimum order quantity and price are considerably cheaper. For example, you can order from 25 boxes, and the price varies depending on the size.
Another approach is to search on AliExpress. From a minimum order of 50 units, you can purchase a similar colored box for as little as $ 0.39 ( depending on size), and it will arrive in most countries with free shipping.
If you want to customize the user experience more deeply, you can also use a service such as Sticker Giant to attach a logo sticker.
In most cases, the more packaging materials you order, the cheaper the price. Strategically
consider the items you use and place large orders to reduce costs. Also, when considering the overall cost of packaging, keep in mind the impact of total weight. The heavier the package, the higher the shipping cost. This will have an overall impact on your shipping strategy.
Great E-Commerce Packaging Case
Here, we have summarized examples of EC brand packages that may be helpful to everyone. It should be useful for package design ideas and improvements.
Caraway
Caraway Home is a D2C retailer that sells sophisticatedly designed toxic-free pottery cookware online. Therefore, it is natural to practice sustainable packaging. We use recycled materials and low environmental dyes, no plastic bags, and 100% biodegradable cork for product packaging and delivery.
Caraway also encloses a welcome booklet of recycled paper with the order and prints the message directly on the packaging to make it easier to handle individual lids, bread, and containers.
The overall advantage of Caraway’s packaging is that it provides a brand-consistent experience. The main cookware set costs $ 395, so you want to be convinced that you made a good investment as soon as the item arrived.
Trunk Club
Trunk Club is a subscription box company that places great importance on the customer’s opening experience. First, instead of using a regular box that is sealed with transparent tape, a custom-printed box with a handle like a trunk is used to match the brand’s intentions and at the same time make them stand out.
From the moment the Trunk Club trunk arrives at home, you’ll realize that a great experience is promised and you can’t wait to open it.
The content inside the trunk is well thought out and gives you a unique presentation experience. The brand experience will be further enhanced with handwritten cards from personal stylists explaining the product selection. Users will definitely get a special and exclusive feeling.
Haus
Haus is doing the opposite, as colorful, vibrant, and prominent is the trend for e-commerce packaging. A news booklet is enclosed in a simple white cardboard box with the decoration removed, and the ingredients for the product, cocktail recipes, FAQs, etc. are posted.
This allows Haus to focus on developing products and packaging from an aesthetic point of view. Co-founder Helena Hambrecht said in an interview with Forbes: “I am now able to rethink the important purpose of product bottles. I decided to introduce an interior perspective and try to create products that harmonize well in the house, unlike traditional ones. “
If you look at Haus’s Twitter feed, you’ll notice that there are many consumer-posted products and opening photos.
Otherland
Otherland is a start-up company known for its beautiful packaging and fragrance candles. Abigail Cook Stone, the founder of Otherland, a former Ralph Lauren buyer, understands the importance of visuals and is rolling out stunning packages in the e-commerce market.
Otherland has some packages that are available for a limited time, such as Mother’s Day Box, which attracts consumers. However, for a limited time or basic type, the collection box always offers bright pop colors and rich candle scents in the opening experience.
Otherland uses only quality materials and will not forget to give amazing presentations for a memorable branded opening experience.
Allbirds
Allbirds is a brand that sells comfortable shoes made from environmentally friendly materials such as wood fiber and sugar cane. As an eco-friendly footwear brand, we are well ahead in adding commercial value and personality to our packaging boxes.
There are many other factors that make you happy to open.
- Cool printed illustrations
- Insert with the brand message
- Recyclable materials and soy ink
- Smiley face shoe pattern
- Hole for carrying handle
- Light package design that suits the brand
The Allbirds opening experience is designed to be seamless in every detail. Thoroughly from label ink to pulp inserts. It combines fun and functionality and is a brand expression that is unique to Allbirds, creating an experience that customers will never forget.
Unwrapped Life
Unwrapped Life sells sustainable hair and body care products with the mission of producing as little garbage as possible. In order to match the corporate value we provide, we dare to make a minimal and composable package.
The conditioner and shampoo soap that represent Unwrapped products are wrapped in compost paper and are completely dust-free. The natural brown color also brings warmth, strength, and comfort to the opening experience and adds a sophisticated feel.
The company’s packaging process is totally paperless, orders are received by phone or tablet, and there are no vouchers to enclose. We continue to look for shipping centers that are committed to our zero waste and zero plastic policies to reduce our brand’s carbon footprint.
Providing a Memorable Opening Experience
An unforgettable opening experience gives your business a significant competitive advantage, encouraging repeat purchases and attracting new customers. Bonobos founder Andy Dunn exactly says:
After all, you’re not building an e-commerce company, but a brand that has e-commerce at its core.
Take a few days to revisit your packaging. Consider your current spending, return policy, average order value, and profit margin, and decide what you can do to provide a better customer experience.
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