How e-Commerce Brands Stand Out With The Right Packaging Co

Have you ever wondered which factors contribute to high rankings on an e-commerce site?

The answer lies in your online shopping habits. First, you run a search for the products that fit your needs, and then you separate the wheat from the chaff by their ranking. You dismiss low-ranked products and are left with a handful to choose from. Finally, you consider product reviews before making your final decision.

But what contributes to high rankings and positive reviews?

The usual suspects still apply. Customers seek products that meet their needs, work as intended, offer advanced capabilities, and deliver value and quality. But they also look for standout packaging that’s high-quality, eye-catching, and delivers a premium unboxing experience.

Though many factors impact Amazon ratings, the company reports frustration-free packaging can slash negative ratings by up to 73%. It’s a proven fact that beautiful packaging leads to positive reviews. Skim a few online reviews—both positive and negative—and you will quickly see that customers comment positively on attractively packaged products and negatively on poorly packaged ones. 

When packaging fails to protect products or arrives dirty, dinged, and damaged, it can lower your product ranking. And if negative rankings pile up, Amazon may apply fines or even pull your product from its marketplace.  

An investment in packaging is an investment in your business, as well as in how your products are perceived. Great packaging that stands out and delivers an unparalleled unboxing experience improves your Amazon ranking and will help you sell more products.

How to Stand Out

Boxes that show wear and products that arrive damaged hamper the unboxing experience, as well as consumer satisfaction. However, here are some steps you can take to protect products and ensure a positive customer experience. 

• Protective Packaging. Pick a shipping box that meets ISTA, ASTIM, or EN drop testing standards. These tests simulate the effects of drops and rotational impacts during shipping and handling. The tests document how a shipping box’s corners, edges, and surfaces fare in a drop. Using drop-tested boxes protects your products from negative reviews due to damaged goods. 
• Coat the Cardboard. Laminations and varnishes shield boxes from the elements and resist dirt and scratches. All-weather coatings protect boxes from rain, snow, humidity, and heat. Film laminations also add durability and weather resistance.
• Design Enhancements: Adding foil treatments, film lamination, a UV layer, or oil stamping to a high-quality graphic package boosts the unboxing experience. Impressive packaging leads to positive reviews that influence future sales.
• Right-sized Packaging: In our circular economy, sustainable packaging gets the gold, and a product in an oversized box nabs a negative review. Adhere to Amazon inventory shipping guidelines when shipping goods to ensure you use the right-size box for your product. Amazon bases its shipping costs on package size, so it’s beneficial to package products efficiently.
• Picture It: You get one chance to display your product in an Amazon listing. Images should cast your product packaging in the best light. Make sure consumers can read typefaces and see design elements in a high-quality product photo. 
• Fill the Void: What you use inside to prevent products from shifting also matters. Using safe alternatives to Styrofoam packing peanuts such as bamboo, wheat straw, or mushroom roots shows customers you care about the environment as well as their experience. Packaging that spills and damages the environment nets negative reviews.
• The Unboxing: Overlooking the unboxing experience also lowers reviews. Consumers seek a positive unboxing experience that delivers a perception of value. Make sure the box is easy to unpack. Wrapping your product in tissue paper with your logo on it, adding a personalized thank you note, or using cardboard or foam inserts to protect products during shipping will set you apart. 

Pick Your Partner

The right printing and packaging partner can prevent packaging mistakes that lead to negative Amazon reviews. 

A great packaging partner maintains a structural engineer on staff to identify the right packaging design and shipping boxes for your product. These experts understand what appeals to customers, the packaging nuances of an online shipping environment, and Amazon’s packaging requirements. 

Thus, your packaging partner can steer you to the right shipping box dimensions, structure, and design for your product. They will help you deliver interesting packaging that stands out without compromising on structural integrity or function. They’ll also know how to create a single box that meets the needs of brick-and-mortar stores while delivering an experience online, and may even create a standard box that—with a few small tweaks and updated graphics—meets the specific needs of both sales channels. After all, it’s far less expensive to buy 10,000 boxes at a time than it is to purchase 500. These companies will not only let you buy in bulk to trim packaging costs, but they’ll even warehouse the extras until you need them.

Related Content: 4 Pro Tips for Subscription Box Designs That Sell!

Bundling 3PL Logistics and Warehousing for Drop Shipping

Some packaging partners deliver more than beautiful packaging and shipping boxes. They also provide 3PL logistics and warehousing services.

A great packaging partner can handle shipping from your warehouse to the consumer’s front door, inventory management, and will also offer drop shipping capabilities. They will deliver packaging to your product manufacturer so they can package products onsite before shipping. 

Deciding whether to use these services hinges on your capabilities. Maybe your firm has already invested in an inventory management strategy. But if your company lacks these skills or warehouse space, it makes sense to lean on your packaging partner for those services. 

Packaging matters—even online. Stand out on Amazon and net high rankings and positive reviews with packaging that fosters a positive customer experience, from the sale to unboxing.