In today’s competitive landscape, creating custom product shipping boxes is a must. If you’re still using standard, bulk-ordered plain boxes, consider investing in branded boxes. A well-designed custom box can offer brand exposure, product protection and efficient resource use. Custom shipping boxes present a unique opportunity for building brand awareness in the age of e-commerce.
With that said, certain design mistakes are common for custom boxes. These errors can lead to poor brand reputation, damaged products, consumer frustration and other issues. It’s helpful to understand the difference between good and bad packaging, learning strategies to fix frequent mistakes. Once you’ve addressed box design mistakes, your custom boxes will be even more effective.
Packaging design problems can make a bigger difference than you might think. As consumers interact with your packaging, they form perceptions of your brand, either positive or negative. Unsuccessful package design can lead to poor perceptions of your brand or make your brand forgettable, which is not helpful for sales. Packaging issues can also confuse or annoy consumers, resulting in a negative attitude towards your brand.
On the other hand, a good package design achieves a positive perception. With thoughtful design, you can promote brand awareness, better protect your products, save money and improve consumer attitudes towards your brand. Creating the best possible custom shipping boxes will elevate your product in a multitude of ways.
So what makes a custom box design good or bad? What errors are costing companies the most? A few key improvements can make a huge difference. It’s essential to be aware of prevalent box design flaws. Here are the five most common custom box design mistakes and how you can fix them.
A disorganized design or no design at all can make your brand look unprofessional. Your customers may not know how you run your business, what your resources are or how large-scale your operation is. Unsuccessful packaging can create an unfavorable impression of how your business operates, misaligning their perception with your true brand.
To make your brand look more professional, use a thoughtful design on your product boxes. Keep it simple and focus on clear communication. You might include:
Make sure the design gets the message across without being too busy or confusing. Too much going on can be as ineffective as no design at all.
Custom design effectiveness depends on memorability. Packaging presents a unique opportunity — many people will see your container, not just the end customer. You have the chance to make an impression on dozens of potential customers, promoting brand awareness and earning more sales. To do so, you have to create a memorable package design.
When creating your package design, think of how you want consumers to remember your brand. You can evoke emotions with colors, images and words or phrases. What tagline best summarizes your brand’s benefit to consumers? How can you convey your unique selling points with visuals? Keep in mind, you only have a moment to get your point across, so focus on the overall impression before the smaller details.
To be effective, product packaging needs to be user-friendly. Think about it — if your package is difficult to open, your customers will end up frustrated before they even see your product. No company wants customers in a bad mood before interacting with their product.
Packaging design choices can contribute to a better user experience. Think about the process of opening your custom boxes — how many steps does it take? Does it require scissors, a box cutter and an excess of patience? If so, consider switching up your package style. A simple, folding carton protects products without creating unnecessary hassle for the consumer. It’s easy to open and provides good product accessibility.
A lack of adequate product protection is an obvious issue. When a consumer opens a package to find the product damaged, they’re bound to be unsatisfied. You may then lose money on providing refunds or replacements. The problem is often weak box material, excess space or a lack of protective cushioning. Custom package design should offer reliable product protection.
Different strategies will help you protect your products in their packaging. If you’ve experienced damaged products, be sure to:
One of the biggest consumer complaints about packages is wasted space. A box too large for a product does no good for anyone involved — it raises your costs by wasting resources and requiring more cargo room, inconveniences the consumer and harms the environment. Wasted packaging space can also result in product damage during transit. Even if you save money on one-size-fits-all boxes, you’ll lose money on packing, shipping, returned damaged products and a sullied brand reputation.
Be sure to order your custom boxes in appropriate sizes. If you sell products in a range of sizes, choose multiple box size options. For small items, like jewelry, candles, mugs, trinkets or candy, use small custom boxes. Choosing the right packaging sizes for your various products will:
Effective custom shipping boxes can achieve a lot for your brand. Focus on a professional look, memorability, user experience, product protection and space preservation. Fixing these common shipping box errors will set your brand apart, creating stronger brand awareness and more favorable perceptions.
If you’re looking to create the best possible custom shipping boxes, choose Custom Boxes Now. We have around 60 years of experience in custom printing, pre-press services and structural design, and we perform all of our custom box services in-house. Build your custom shipping boxes on our homepage today, with your choice of style, dimension and design.
