Subscription box packaging has become a go-to for many brands on today’s market.
From cigars and spirits to candles and cozy socks, there is a subscription box out there for nearly everything. It’s an exciting way to showcase their products at a price designed to attract new fans, while still appealing to their tried and true following.
To the untrained eye, they all appear totally different. Beyond the surface, a mixed bag of factors is scrutinized by each brand to make their subscription boxes a flying success. You would be surprised to learn how much overlap exists between the subscription boxes of different brands.
Here are five factors that they all have in common.
When you are designing subscription box packaging, you need to make sure that it is iconically yours. Incorporate any elements that make you recognizable to the modern market, while maintaining your brand’s personality. Successful brands are the ones that can seamlessly introduce a classic design to the modern age, garnering new admirers without driving away the existing base of clientele that helped to build them in the first place. Coca Cola is a perfect example of a company using simple, iconic branding that thrives through shifting trends.
Color is a major component to consider within your brand strategy. Studies show that 90% of snap judgments about your brand or product are made based specifically on your brand’s colors alone. It’s also proven that purchase intent is highly based on the colors used in branding because they suggest the personality of the brand in question.
Color is important, but consistency is paramount. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your subscription box. Get bold! Do things a little differently from one month to the next, but be sure to maintain a level of consistency that your following will recognize. Maybe change up certain aspects of the design, but stay within the same family of colors. Make sure that your colors always play nicely with your logo. And more importantly, make sure that they reflect the personality that you want to give your product.
The color palette that you choose for your subscription box will almost guarantee the type of audience that you will attract with it. Getting to know your ideal audience is an essential step in every successful marketing campaign, and that includes getting to know which colors appeal to their senses.
Our tastes, our color preferences, and which emotions are evoked by them are hardwired into our psyche from birth. Of course, personalities differ. You won’t hit the nail on the head with every single consumer that you target. But you can definitively increase your odds by having science and logic on your side.
The emotional charge created by colors, and which colors, has been examined ad nauseam. There is scientific proof that red and orange will entice excitement in your audience, while blue and lavender will provide it with a sense of calm. If you are selling homeopathic remedies for anxiety, this may be your ideal approach. If you are selling a sports drink, you may want to rethink your methodology.
Choose a color pallet that is evocative of your product to showcase on printing packaging directives.
As important as it is to maintain consistency within your brand’s design, on a practical application level, it is just as important to remain consistent with the subscription box packaging company that you choose to create your box’s design. As a matter of fact, the two work hand in hand.
Consider this – you have decided to outsource your printing packaging needs to different printers, for whatever reason. Maybe one offers a product that the other doesn’t, but since the printer that only has a limited selection was referred to you by your sister in law, you feel a moral obligation to send them your work. You have now increased the likelihood of inconsistencies within your product. If one color is off, even by a fraction, your audience will notice it. We are driven towards the sales funnel by colors, remember?
Strong, recognizable branding is the cornerstone of any successful brand. Don’t risk blowing your big launch by relying on multiple printers to produce the consistency that your brand is to be known for. Find a printer that can do it all; one that you can rely on to get to know your brand.
The social media train has not just hit the station; it has run right through it. The current generation of Instagram-savvy consumers is seeking a creative and fun experience that they can post about. They’re not just unboxing our products, they are taking pictures of them, they are creating live unboxing videos, and they are putting your brand in the spotlight. When your subscription box is being placed in front of hundreds or thousands of potential subscribers, you don’t want them seeing a plain, brown corrugated box. You want a box that looks fantastic open, and from different angles, and that is going to help sell your brand.
It’s an added bonus when your subscription box can perform double duty. By incorporating hidden flaps and compartments into your box design, the box becomes more than a receptacle. It becomes more than simply a barrier to break through in order to get to your product. It becomes a part of your product experience.
Never underestimate the power of consumer-generated or user-generated marketing in today’s marketplace. Visibility is a key component in building credibility with your audience. And when your audience is posting pictures of your beautiful product and generating a buzz by talking about it, half of your battle is already won.
Don’t forget that you are creating a shippable product. Your subscription box packaging needs to be more than eye-catching; it needs to be made of something that can withstand the bumps and tosses of long-distance travel by mail. Structural engineering by Global Printing will ensure that you are creating a box that looks great inside and out, but that also maintains the practical application to get your products out to your consumers in perfect condition.
Your choice of material is going to factor heavily into merging the aesthetic appeal of your subscription box with its practical application. Film laminate offers an added touch of appeal to your subscription box, with finishes ranging from gloss, matte and satin to luxurious velvet. For a higher-end product, you might opt for a more rigid box. A wooden crate is also a durable option that would add an undeniable level of appeal for a rustic-themed subscription box.
Whatever your product, be sure to consider all options when designing a subscription box that will appeal to your target audience. Remember, the box itself is an extension of your product and a reflection of your brand. Creating an iconically branded package to stand out amidst the noise has never been accessible —because of today’s technology. Seek out a printing-packaging partner with the expertise to guide your design into the hands of your subscribers.