The Black Ink Team's Guide To Product Packaging
by Black Ink Team
The first thing that your customer is going to do with the product that you manufacture is take it out of its packaging. Therefore, a lot of forethought should go into how you package your product. You want your customer's relationship with your product to start off on the right foot, so to speak, and having a bad experience with your product's packaging might stop that from happening. Many different factors go into designing good product packaging. Here are the main areas where companies get product packaging right, and where companies get product packaging wrong.
First off, the exterior of your product's packaging matters a tremendous amount. It is usually what makes the first impression with your customer, so it has to set the right expectation and galvanize them to buy your product. Furthermore, customers expect to be able to find everything they need to know about your product on the exterior of its packaging. What features it has, what batteries it takes, how many attachments it comes with - these are all bullet-points that should appear on the exterior of your product's packaging. Also, make sure to emphasize your company's logo and color scheme, to promote your brand and make your product easier for customers to pick out.
Next, your product packaging should include some protective elements, to minimize the risk of your product being damaged before your customer can buy it. Styrofoam inserts are a good idea because they can absorb heavy blows. Additionally, wrapping your product in plastic can save it from sustaining water damage. Protecting your product should not completely outweigh other factors in the product packaging design process, however, as too much shielding can make your product packaging unwieldy and difficult to open.
If your product packaging is difficult to open, there should be clear instructions printed on its exterior to help guide your customer through it. Note: some customers may use box-openers or other sharp objects, so if parts of your product packaging are thin you should warn your customer against cutting (because in doing so they may damage the product).
Some product packaging is designed to be a part of the product offering as a whole. It can become a holding container or a carrying case for the product, for example. If you choose to follow this path, make sure to keep the other ingredients for good product packaging that this article mentions in mind - the primary concerns of product packaging should be a) does it accurately represent your company and the product that's inside and b) does it protect your product from accidents that may occur during shipping.
It can be useful to include things other than your product in its packaging. Catalogues that show off your company's other products, for instance, can help stoke the flames of cross-selling efforts. Product registration (or warranty registration) cards included in product packaging can make it easier for your customers to register their products. But make sure you don't overstep your bounds - customers generally don't like being given an encyclopedia of promotional materials that they don't want.