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E-Commerce Packaging: the Ins and Outs

E-Commerce Packaging: the Ins and Outs

When it comes to packaging design for online products, there are many factors that come into consideration. Beyond just making your product attractive, issues regarding eCommerce packaging have also been raised.

Ecommerce, or electronic commerce, is the buying and selling of products on an online store. The question comes in when considering how to design a product to stand out of the proverbial crowd, especially in an online setting.

With a huge majority of consumers turning towards online shopping in 2020, there is no doubt that the shopping experience has changed drastically. This change in consumer experience signifies huge implications for shopping design. As a result, it is important for marketers to learn how to better advertise their products on the virtual shelf.

This not only applies to products but services as well. Online retailing has taken the world by storm especially with the onset of Covid-19. Even as the situation stabilises, it is clear eCommerce platforms are not going away anytime soon, if at all.

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We’ve talked about how important packaging is for a brand and the best steps to design an impactful packaging to grab your consumers’ attention in a brick-and-mortar store. But consider this: how does designing a product differ when it comes to doing it for an eCommerce store as compared to physical stores?

Well, since you are designing products to showcase on a digital platform, there are factors present that would not otherwise be considered for a physical setting. Research has shown that the online customer experience is more than just conveying product information — it must also mimic the sensory experiences that products evoke in the offline world. It is important to keep this in mind when creating your packaging so as to successfully draw in consumers in your e-commerce journey.

Factors to consider in an online packaging design

1. The product packaging must be photogenic

It goes without saying that you would be taking a photo of your product or service in order to promote it in online stores. If you want to appeal to your consumers with your product, you need to make sure it stands out, is attractive, and captures well on photos.

What usually works for the screen are often graphics that pop. In fact, graphics appeal to both the older and younger demographic. Older consumers with vision problems appreciate the clear visuals, and younger consumers think graphics look cool. Use it to further enhance your product design and draw in a larger online crowd. With emotional appeal in mind — think about what makes a product design feel personal and welcoming on the screen.

2. It must have an idiosyncratic point

eCommerce Packaging Design Festina Watches in Bags of Water

It’s easy to go with the flow and design a packaging that has worked for millions of other products. But consumers online are no longer interested in the same thing. They want to see something different — unusual, even — that firmly grabs their attention and holds it. What has worked for brands in the virtual sphere are their unique shelf designs. So, embrace your weirdness and get creative!

Take a look at the packaging for the Festina Divers Watch. By encasing their watches in a bag of water, they are conveying the message that their watches are completely and utterly waterproof. This is a great example of an extremely memorable and innovative packaging. Consumers are sure to remember it for some time to come.

3. It must go well with the eCommerce site

You may not realise this, but it is not enough to just have a strategic packaging for your product. Consider how it looks when placed on the eCommerce website. Does it blend well with the web design, or does it clash? No matter how amazing your packaging is, that can come to nought if it does not go together with your website design — which will turn consumers away.

Minimalism and white space are all the trend right now. Consumers prefer a clean, simple look rather than a cluttered design with unnecessarily complicated fonts. They want to be able to tell at one glance the brand, the logo, and the product offered, rather than having to scan through plenty of labels just to find out the information.

The rise of eCommerce

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As more online businesses spring up, the consumer shopping experience shifts bit by bit. This presents businesses with plenty of opportunities to get creative and adapt to the new situation. Instead of continuing what has always worked, it should be time to rethink and develop new ideas to grow alongside such changes.

Design evaluation is but an example. The shift online allows businesses to experiment with the virtual space, and how it interacts amongst different cultural, social and retail contexts. Perhaps with this shift, it is time to set new KPIs for design — one that succeeds by being quirky and idiosyncratic.

MIU offers an unlimited design package. You can contact us today for more details by clicking here.

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How Packaging Tells a Story For Your Brand

The Complete Breakdown of the Types of Digital Marketing

The importance of packaging

If you’re running a business, you can no doubt agree that packaging is a crucial element as it is the first impression your customers will have for your product. From the graphics to the colours used, each detail on your packaging will convey a specific message to potential customers. So: what story do you want your product to tell?

As a consumer yourself, I’m sure you can understand how effective good packaging design can be in attracting potential customers to buying your product. Just like how you feel drawn to a product with a beautiful design, your customers will too. “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” they say, but that’s not how it really works, does it?

Dying for the things we love | New Internationalist
Everything is vying for our attention. (Source: New Internationalist)

Advertisements and products on every shelf continuously bombard us. It may be hard to stand out amongst the numerous other products vying for attention. But with unique and strategic packaging, your product can still catch the eye of potential customers and speak for itself. As the packaging is the first thing your customers will come into contact with, it is crucial to capitalise on that opportunity to use a great design as a form of advertisement. Let’s demonstrate how influential an outstanding packaging can be for a product.

Packaging done right

Bee Cheng Hiang christmas paper bag
Orient Design’s idea for Bee Cheng Hiang’s carrier packaging. (Source: Orient Design)

Bee Cheng Hiang’s Christmas bag design was such an iconic one as it brought not only visuals but also incorporated the sound aspect to the bags. The Christmas bells were added to the bags as a pop up that moved when customers were carrying it around. Not only that, but the faint sound of tinkling bells could be heard. Indeed, this packaging by Orient Design didn’t just spark joy in customers but acted as a subtle yet smart way to advertise the product sold.

OCBC
Even if you offer a service, you can still engage in packaging by sending corporate gifts. (Source: Paper Carpenter)

OCBC’s Christmas gift box is another example of how good packaging can be a fun way to advertise your brand. Although OCBC does not offer a product, but rather a service, they were smart enough to use corporate gifts as a way to promote their brand — and were even aware of how a good packaging can make a strong statement to their customers! This cardboard gift box may have been out of the ordinary, particularly with the material used, but that’s what made it stand out from the rest. Paper Carpenter knew how using cardboard would make their designs distinct, and capitalised on that to think of packaging designs that are out-of-the-box (pun intended).

Dester’s crisp and refreshing packaging – perfect for their brand. (Source: Creativeans)

Local beer brand Dester approached well-known design company Creativeans to come up with a clean and contemporary design to attract the young and affluent crowd. The juxtaposition of Dester’s classic blue and the material colour brings about just the right amount of visual contrast to leaving a striking impression. Indeed, the sleek design is bound to capture the attention of its intended audience, which allows Dester to stand out from its other competitors in the market.

Design is such an essential element in marketing that businesses cannot overlook it. Hence, it is necessary to find the right design company that understands your needs and can create beautiful packaging that suits not only your product but emphasises on your business’s voice as well.

Our unlimited packaging design allows our clients to adjust their packaging as much as they need, as we understand the importance of expressing their purpose. After all, the most important thing a company can do for their business is to brand themselves, with a story; a concept. This is where packaging plays a part in creating your business’s narrative. Check out our portfolio for a brief taste of what’s to come.

With our unlimited design package at MIU, we are committed to inventing and reinventing our designs until we find one that truly expresses your purpose and articulates your story to your customers. Under this package, you can request as many designs as you prefer — and we will always deliver. Furthermore, we operate on a flat cost, so you get as many unlimited designs as you want for the same rate every month. Sounds too good to be true? Click through and you will find out!