Best Practices for Product Packaging

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Best Practices for Product Packaging

Wondering the best practices and strategy for product PACKAGING when it comes to selling via Amazon FBA for MAXIMUM SALES & customer satisfaction? Well, Anthony is a master at this! Take notes as he lays out all the tips and tricks for product packaging.

Let’s dive right in!

What is Product Packaging and how is it important?

Product packaging is essential for business owners, after all, it is a first impression of the quality of your product. It’s a step that increases production cost since no one can really compromise on the packaging.

Every time a business prints packaging, it costs them money. It’s not easy to change because, in order to do so, a business will have to re-package the whole inventory and make sure that the new packaging is established in the market. This has a high risk of losses, because, as mentioned, packaging increases production costs as per our Amazon Agency experience.

Packaging is only effective if it adds to your product and the business. If your packaging does not correlate with your product then the point of the packaging is arbitrary and is wasteful.

Anthony also mentions how packaging can be one of the most powerful tools for business, essentially, it is one of the very first interactions between the customer and the seller. Packaging plays a big role in convincing the consumer to buy the product again or to convince them that the product is, indeed, worthwhile.

The visual appeal of the product is the first thing that the consumer are mostly to see, not only on the actual listing but also when they are browsing for the product online.

When it comes to Amazon FBA, there are some strict guidelines for sellers to follow to be able to sell their products on the website. One of them is that their main image cannot have text. But, one hack that Anthony has figured over the years is to add text to the product packaging. That way having the packaging as the main image shows the customers the text as well as the image of the product when they open the listing.

The other thing that is essential especially for selling on Amazon FBA is that if one wants to become a brand registered trademark they’re gonna need a website. Having a brand registered trademark has many advantages such as protection.

Anatomy of Product Packaging

Anthony says that there are different parts of packaging where different aspects of the packaging belong:

The front part should be all about the product

The side should show a visualization or support

The back should have all the technical details

The inside is usually something out of the blue and surprising that might catch the consumer’s attention.

Simple ways to Improve Packaging

Anthony states that design single-handedly can make a huge amount of difference. PickFu did a study where they experimented with different designs of one product and when they finally got the design the sales went from $2 to $20 million. This was solely from switching up the design and making it look more aesthetically pleasing.

The other kind of design is one that is directed towards the functionality of the product. The way that works is, the business tries to focus on ways to make the product as simple and easy to use for the consumers as they possibly can, and in order to do that they need customer feedback. Design in terms of functionality keeps changing as people figure out easier ways of going about the product.

The third design phase change is the kind that is related to information about the product. Anthony says that products with images on their packaging rather than texts are more likely to be successful because people are drawn towards images and not texts because it’s a faster way of understanding what the product is.

“The human brain is like a big graphics processor, every time that your eyes are open it’s processing information and your brain is gonna process an image 60,000 times faster than a text.”

Process of Product Packaging

The first step is to create a framework or a blueprint of the design that you want for your product. You need to start with the design of the Die-Cut. A Die-Cut is basically a 2D representation of what your product is going to look like. With that in hand, send the design to the manufacturer. Not the product manufacturer but the person who is going to be making your packaging.

“There will be some arrangement where they are going to print the packaging and then most likely pack it.”

Typically, you’re going to have your packaging manufacturer send your boxes to your product manufactured and for a small fee, they’re going to usually pack everything together and then ship it to Amazon.

Basic Rules for Amazon packaging

There are some guidelines set by Amazon that sellers need to follow, obviously, Anthony couldn’t go into detail about that but he did cover a few important ones.

They need to be self-contained – they have to have proper packaging. The product can not slip out because the product travels a lot; it should allow for the product sit in the fulfillment center for a very long time without compromising the product itself. Safety and inventory protection should be kept in mind.

The packaging should be easily scannable and the bar codes should be clearly visible.

Labeling – if intuitively a business thinks it’s better to not individually label their products, and instead label separate containers; when in fact it causes confusion. Because the person who is in charge of scanning might end up scanning the package and considering it one and lead to inventory and other problems.

Safety warnings – Anthony says this is one of the most important rules to follow because anything could be hazardous and we sometimes don’t realize it so one needs to look at their product and check out all the possible hazards and put a safety warning on them accordingly.

Strategies

“Make sure that every element of the packaging design is intentional.”

Anthony says that every company should focus on the design; look at every element in question, ask if it makes sense or works with the product in question.

Design is not just about the aesthetic side of the product it also helps communicate the idea of the product with consumers. The design of a product helps you subconsciously decide just how valuable the product is and can be. Therefore, at the end of the day, it plays a very important role in the sale of the product. Anthony says that with product packaging less is always more.

“There are very few scenarios where going way over the top on detail is gonna be better.”

Design and Appeal

Anthony suggests that when putting in information about the product one needs to aim for simplicity – people tend to be more intrigued with simple ingredients, not chemicals and the other complex ingredients that are provided usually in the products.

Another way of making people intrigued with your product is to give them an unboxing experience. If they are surprised by the way that the product is packaged they are most likely to come back for more and maybe even tell their friends and family about it.

In 2021 there’s no need to do just a regular polybag anymore. You can do a fully color printed zip one like these. Cardboard wraps can be better than boxes, then polybag it for FBA.

Anthony believes the most important element is to always think outside the box. Look at alternatives, instead of a simple box, that can really sell your product. Anything that isn’t usually seen as something that is eye-catching, automatically drawing in the consumers.

Packages with a seal on them also work really well in the industry. It gives the consumer a sense of freshness or safety. A lot of makeup products (at a very successful company) have sealed packaging. This tends to make the consumers really appreciate select products, as it indicates that hygiene is the number one priority of the company.

Anthony says that if you are selling a commodity product the market is fast. Therefore, instead of focusing on the brand name, focus on the product – make sure that the product is mentioned in a bigger text than the name of the company. A seller has to make sure that they double-check the Die Cut and typography to avoid errors to avoid any repacking costs.

Remember to look at both packagings (the box and the product itself). Anthony states that some people tend to focus on either not both, however, the way you package your products really shows how much you care about the consumer and the product itself. So if there is a delicate object you need to have a question that will protect the product from any kind of damage. Not having protective material inside the packaging will not only damage the product but will give a bad brand image publically.

People usually look at neat and put together designs so it is better to stick to neat layouts and minimalism. With that being said, Anthony goes on to say One needs to know when to use minimal design. Sometimes the theme of the entire product is extravagance and maximalism. A complex product with a lot of aspects to it could get away with maximalism like rich dark chocolate or champagne or any expensive liquor bottle.

Often, shiny metallic elements are not much more expensive.

Exploring metallic texts and embellishments can really amp up the feel of your product especially when it comes to premium products. There is a sense of luxury that comes with embellishments and metallic colors and if you have an expensive or a premium product using these methods can really help your product.

Tone and colour of your product should really match with your entire product. If it is a neutral product then pastel colours complement it more. Whereas if it’s an over the top product one can use vibrant colors.

A new thing in the market right now is holographic colouring. Holographic designs could be used for products that have a younger demographic, as they are more inclined towards buying unique, colourful and eye-catching things.

Every package can have a unique QR code and/or design.
The QR code can also be used for rewards programs

Variable data printing is a new method of product packaging. It basically is a variation in every package that is produced so essentially, no packaging looks the same. It is a business strategy and triggers a sense of intrigue in the consumers.

https://epacflexibles.com handles advanced packaging solutions

Eco-friendly Products

If you are selling an eco-friendly product make sure that the packaging itself is eco-friendly as well. Imagine sending a metal straw in a plastic box…. That takes away from the entire movement.

Don’t use complex designs or texts, as sustainable ink doesn’t show up well on eco-friendly cardboard. Use texts and illustrations instead, since they don’t use up so much ink, AND gives the packaging a really intricate and beautiful look.

If you’re selling an eco-friendly, you must have eco-friendly packaging.
Earthy colors with illustrations keep things simple.

Pictures would look very bland and just won’t show up in eco-friendly packaging. If you really need to have a print on your eco-friendly product then it can work on bags but they are usually very expensive.

If you are producing sustainable products make sure every step of production is sustainable. The manufacturer might try to cut corners and skip out on some of the sustainable ways of production, that’s why it’s essential to have routine check-ups but to make sure that every small step is sustainable.

Anthony attempts to help entrepreneurs understand how to optimize their skills to the full potential.