When you have an online business, you could say that the packaging becomes the most important interaction with the customer. It’s worth investing money and time into making your shipping strategy watertight, to reduce mistakes and ultimately complaints. It’s a competitive marketplace so you want to stand out for the right reasons.
1) To charge or not to charge
Free shipping is an effective way to entice potential customers to take the final step to purchase. If you can swallow that cost or increase your product prices to cover it that’s a good option. That’s not always possible, but there are other ways to entice a sale. You could offer first time buyers or even repeat buyers, a discount code to save a percentage off their entire order. Offering free shipping on orders over a certain spend threshold is not only a great way to encourage customers to put more items into their shopping basket, but it’s easier for your business to cover the cost when the gross margin is higher. You could even consider free delivery to local customers and hand deliver orders yourself. Offering a personal touch like this, could be what helps you to stand out in a crowded market.
2) First impressions count
What’s the first impression your orders are giving when they arrive at the customer’s door? Is your choice of packaging impressing or letting the business down? Consumers are very eco-savvy these days and don’t want to see their order delivered in bubble wrap or poly mailers and adding to the planet’s plastic problem. Nor are they understanding of cardboard boxes where a void is stuffed with airbags or paper. Bespoke packaging solutions have got a lot more creative and sustainable. It’s possible to find solutions that perfectly suit every product, ensuring safe, cost-efficient delivery and happy customers.
3) Marketing opportunities too good to miss
Many businesses under-use the opportunities there are for marketing in packaging. Branded packaging can make your business look more premium and it’s also a great opportunity to showcase your logo to other people when it’s in transit or at your customers home. Wrapping products in tissue paper and stickers adds a personal touch and gives the customer more of an unboxing experience, something some consumers might share on social media, giving you free exposure! Think about enclosing a discount code coupon or postcard showing more of the product range into your orders and promoting your social media tags. Perhaps even pop in a free sample.
Spending a little bit of time researching the many opportunities that lay in packaging for your business, can go a long way to giving customers an experience that stands out from the crowd. Good luck!
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