Transform Your Brand with Custom Printed Packaging: The Complete Guide

 

Introduction

Packaging plays a critical role in branding and customer experience. The boxes and packaging that contain your products provide a powerful opportunity to reinforce your brand and make a great first impression. Custom printed boxes allow you to fully leverage packaging as a branding touchpoint and take your unboxing experience to the next level.

With custom sizes, materials, and printing, you can design custom-branded packaging aligned with your business. This allows you to strengthen brand recognition, showcase your logo and messaging, and create excitement when customers receive your products. The unboxing process can delight customers and create lasting positive impressions of your brand.

In this guide, we'll explore the key benefits of custom-printed boxes and packaging. You'll learn how they can help boost your branding and customer satisfaction. We'll also provide an overview of the options for customization, choosing a supplier, the design process, and cost considerations. Follow along to see how custom packaging could benefit your small business.

Brand Recognition

Customized packaging with your logo and branding elements reinforces your visual identity and helps increase brand awareness. According to statistics, 80% of male and 76% of female customers purchase products from brands they know (https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/branding-statistics/). Having your logo and branding on product packaging is a great way to reinforce your visual identity every time a customer interacts with your product. It leads to increased brand recognition and loyalty over time.

Packaging also offers a unique opportunity to get your brand in front of customers. When they receive your custom-branded box, they will associate those visual cues with your company. Well-designed packaging showcases your brand and allows customers to identify your products from competitors. This brand awareness translates to more sales and revenue for your business.

Customized Messaging

Custom printed boxes allow brands to include tailored messaging that conveys their story, values, and product information to customers. According to Poulami Bose, packaging can reinforce branding when it includes relevant images, colors, and text. Brands can use custom boxes to share their mission, showcase features and benefits, and run limited-time offers or campaigns.

For example, food brands often highlight nutritional information, ingredients, and preparation instructions on their packaging. According to BoxPrint, this helps inform customers and builds trust. Promotional messaging might include a "limited edition" or "new formula" to generate excitement. Custom printing makes it easy to test different messages and track performance.

Telling an authentic brand story on custom packaging enables deeper connections with customers. It shows the brand's personality and why it matters. When messaging resonates with target audiences, it boosts satisfaction and loyalty.

Improving the Unboxing Experience

An exceptional unboxing experience can delight and surprise customers while helping to form an emotional connection to your brand. According to a 2022 survey, 61% of consumers get more excited about receiving a parcel if it has custom-branded packaging (https://macfarlanepackaging.com/unboxing-survey-2022-results/). The unpacking process is a chance for customers to interact with your brand in a tangible way.

With custom printing and creative packaging, you can turn a standard box into a memorable unboxing that generates excitement. This experience can begin even before opening the package, as the custom box creates intrigue. Using colors, images, and branding that align with your company helps form an emotional connection. The consumer feels special that you customize the packaging just for them.

Inside the box, tissue paper, stickers, notes, or other small touches reinforce the feeling of a gift-like experience. According to research, 89% of consumers say the unpacking process influences their perception of a brand (https://www.ecoenclose.com/blog/sustainable-unboxing-experience/). An exceptional unboxing transforms a routine purchase into a moment of delight that boosts brand loyalty.

Stand Out from Competitors with Custom Packaging

Custom printed packaging is a great way for small businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors and establish a unique brand identity. According to research, 72% of consumers say unique packaging makes a brand stand out. With so many similar products on the market, custom packaging gives customers a reason to choose your brand over others.

For premium or niche brands, custom boxes present an opportunity to align packaging with positioning. High-end printing, materials like soft-touch lamination, and ornate box designs signal quality and reinforce price positioning. Research shows 61% of shoppers say packaging quality is an indicator of product quality.

Since packaging is a touchpoint with customers, it also provides a branding opportunity tailored to your target audience. Choices like color palette, typography, imagery and textures can resonate with customer demographics. Personalized unboxing experiences boost brand affinity and reinforce loyalty.

Cost Effectiveness

Custom-printed boxes can be cost-effective, even at low order quantities. Many suppliers offer wholesale discounts for bulk orders of custom boxes, but low minimum order quantities are also available. For instance, EcoEnclose offers custom-printed corrugated boxes starting at just 25 units with prices of around $1 per box (https://www.ecoenclose.com/shop/custom-shipping-boxes/).

Exact pricing depends on the materials, printing method, and order quantity, but is often reasonable even for small businesses. According to Stark, a simple paperboard box can cost as low as $0.50 per unit when ordering 100 boxes. Ordering in larger quantities of 1,000+ units can bring the per-unit costs down to $1 or less (https://www.sttark.com/blog/the-real-cost-of-custom-packaging).

The investment in custom-branded packaging is well worth it considering the benefits for your brand image and customer experience. Unique custom boxes help make memorable unboxing experiences that foster loyalty and satisfaction.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging is becoming increasingly important to consumers. Many businesses are opting for recycled and responsibly sourced materials to reduce their carbon footprint. According to McKinsey, over 75% of consumers consider sustainability an important factor when choosing packaging.

Using recycled cardboard or paper materials creates less waste and energy consumption than virgin materials. Some suppliers offer boxes made from 100% recycled content post-consumer waste. Biodegradable plant-based materials like bamboo or sugar cane are also gaining popularity. Responsible forestry practices ensure sustainability even with virgin paper sources.

Eco-friendly production methods like renewable energy, efficient manufacturing, and local sourcing further reduce the carbon footprint of custom packaging. Many suppliers are aiming for net zero emissions and waste. Ultimately, sustainable packaging creates less burden on the environment while meeting customer expectations.

Customization Options

When ordering custom packaging, there are many options to tailor the boxes to your specific needs:

Sizes - You can choose from standard box sizes or have completely custom boxes made to the exact product dimensions required. This allows for a perfect fit.

Materials - Common options include cardboard, kraft, and corrugated materials. Thicker cardboard provides more protection while kraft offers a rustic, eco-friendly look.

Printing - Customization is done via flexographic, digital, or offset printing. Flexography is best for simple designs with fewer colors. Digital provides high-quality printing for more complex, full-color graphics.[1]

Coating/Lamination - Glossy UV coatings and laminations can be applied for a shiny, sleek appearance.

Assembly - Custom boxes come in different foldable and telescoping styles. Some assemble with tabs while others use tape or glue.

By selecting the right materials, printing method, finishes, and construction, custom boxes can be designed to perfectly fit a product while aligning with branding.

Choosing a Supplier for Custom Boxes

When selecting a custom box supplier, look for a company that offers a wide range of standard and custom sizes to suit your product's needs. They should use high-quality, durable materials like cardboard, kraft, and corrugated paper for printing. The supplier should provide fast turnaround times, often 10 days or less for production. This ensures you receive your order quickly for your business needs.

Digital proofing and great customer service are also vital when choosing a custom box provider. You'll want to see a digital mockup of your design before approval and provide feedback for revisions. The company should be responsive to your requests and provide guidance on box specifications. Quality assurance checks before shipment are standard to guarantee your order meets requirements.

According to Pak Factory, competitive pricing and low minimum order quantities should also factor into selecting a custom box supplier. Many offer wholesale discounts for bulk orders, but accommodate small business needs with order minimums as low as 100 boxes.

Design and Order Process

The process of designing and ordering custom-printed boxes typically involves the following steps:

First, you'll want to submit your design assets and product specifications to the box supplier. This includes things like your logo, brand colors and fonts, product photos, and exact measurements of the item being packaged. Providing detailed specs upfront ensures the boxes will be sized and printed correctly.

Next, the printer will send a digital proof for review and approval. You'll have the opportunity to request revisions to the layout, text, or images at this stage. Going through rounds of revisions via email or an online portal is crucial to getting the final design just right.

Once the proof is approved, you can officially place the order by choosing the number of boxes needed and the expected delivery timeframe. Many suppliers have online order forms to make this process quick and easy.

The final boxes are then produced using your approved design. Quality checks are done to ensure the custom printing meets your expectations. Then the boxes are shipped to you within the agreed-upon schedule.

Streamlining communication and proofing is vital for custom packaging. Following these design and approval steps will help you get personalized boxes that align with your brand image.