You might recall, recently we wrote about the three things that every online business needed to nail in a customer’s first online purchase interaction. In this post, we thought we’d go a step further and talk about how your packaging can be an integral part of your customer’s brand experience and why it matters.
Having an online store can present some fairly unique challenges.
You can’t rely on the atmosphere of your space like a retailer and you can’t surround your customers with evidence of your professionalism. You have to find another way.
Providing a novel delivery experience is one of those ways.
First there’s the hygiene factor stuff, which is ensuring your customers are receiving their purchases in a timely fashion. And unlike retail, when delivery is involved, customer service doesn’t end with the sale. Hence, ensuring that your packaging facilitates safety and security of your product’s transit also the norm when it comes to customer expectations.
There’s a lot more that you can do.
Packaging as a communication channel
Packaging that serves as an effective branding tool should be more than just a practical necessity; it can serve as channel for you to communicate with your customer.
Tailoring packaging to suit your product can create associative brand themes that transform the delivery process into a fully realised e-tail experience.
How might you do that?
Choosing colours and materials that resonate with your target customer reaffirms your customer’s understanding that your brand is right for their lifestyle. The relationship feels less transactional, more like receiving a gift from someone whose taste you trust.
Colours aren’t the only way to build that relationship. Scent is arguably the most powerful sense memory tool you have at your disposal. A familiar scent can pull you into a fond memory instantaneously, and the same can be done for your customers with a well-crafted unboxing experience.
Maybe it’s a delightful, pretty, fresh experience; pulling back pink wrapping with a floral waft. Maybe it’s a more rustic warming experience like sandalwood and spice. Or something fresh and natural like the ocean. The options are extensive and endlessly adaptable.
Customising your customer’s experience with scent demonstrates the value you place on their order and, by extension, on them. Your customers will like you if you make them feel valued, but they will never ever forget it if you prove you don’t.
On the face of it, going the extra packaging mile might feel like an additional cost, but it can pay you back in spades. Think word of mouth sharing, or better still social images shared with friends – complete with expressions of joy at their purchase and surprise with the packaging.
That being said, creating a novel, brand-centric unboxing experience is no use at all if it arrives late or damaged. You simply must nail the hygiene factor stuff. The big sell of delivery is convenience and there is nothing convenient about slow delivery.
So if you’re looking to create an even better brand experience for your customers, we can help. If you have upwards of 50 orders or more a month that you need to ship to your customers, we’d be delighted to talk to you. You can always give us a call on +61 2 9828 0111 (Sydney), +61 3 9240 300 (Melbourne) or +64 9 263 8855 (Auckland) or drop us a note via the form below. Alternatively, you can find a full list of available services here.
