Small Business Packaging: Is Custom Packaging Worth the Investment?

As a small business owner, you carefully invest capital into the most crucial areas of your business. Money allocated to your operations department? Check. Funds secured to your sales team? Check. Cash devoted to your human resources division? Check. With so many essential business areas to fund, why would you consider investing in custom packaging over standard non-customized packaging? 

As the world of online shopping continues to boom, the packaging your products are delivered in is crucial. Investing in custom packaging is a pivotal way for small businesses to stand apart from competitors, build brand awareness, and attract new customers. Still not convinced? Keep reading (trust me). 

Small Business Challenges

We get it, the functionality of your business, the quality of your products, and the treatment of your customers/employees are what’s most important. As a small business, you don’t have an endless source of available income, meaning you must carefully pick and choose the areas you put your money into.

We know what you’re thinking, packaging can mean a series of different problems for your small business including (but not limited to):

1. Having to meet minimum order quantities, which can mean wasting money when you have to buy more than you actually need
2. Having to deal with inappropriately-sized packages for your products, meaning wasting money on boxes too large and spending money on extra materials to keep your products safe
3. Having to spend more to ship large packages
4. Having the inability to try different packaging designs and looks due to long-run and large-order requirements

Alright, you’ve convinced us why custom packaging may not seem like an appropriate investment. Now it’s our turn to convince you why custom packaging is. 

Investing in Custom Packaging 

Investing in custom packaging is a smart investment for your small business. That being said, we’ve compiled three different reasons to show you why custom packaging is a smart choice for you. 

Save Money & Make Money

Custom packaging is the perfect way to not only save money but to make it. 

With custom packaging, you can choose the specific dimensions that make for your perfect packaging-product fit. This means avoiding wasting money on (1) boxes that are too large and (2) extra packaging materials to protect your products. Good product fits enhance your appeal to consumers, especially to those who wish to buy from businesses that invest in environmentally-friendly packaging. By utilizing eco-friendly packaging materials (such as kraft) and reducing waste and excess materials, you can offer an eco-conscious package that stands out. 

By customizing the size of your packages, you can also save money in the long-run on shipping fees that would’ve otherwise been spent on large-dimension and product-protection costs. 

When your packaging fits your products well (in addition to stylistic choices that go beyond a plain brown box), it appears attractive to consumers who perceive your products as high-end. When people find your packaging appealing, they’re more likely to continue buying from you as well as recommend you to their friends and family, meaning increased sales and money in your pockets. 

Build Brand Awareness 

When you invest in custom packaging, you help your small business build brand awareness. By customizing your packaging with bright and appealing colors, high-quality graphics, and logos, you ensure all those who receive your package know it’s from you. 

This can include implementing your brand’s personality onto your packaging. Is your small business famous for its humor? Incorporate your most well-known phrases on the exterior and interior of your packaging as well as on extras such as product holders or packaging tape. Is your small business famous for its commitment to sustainability? Incorporate this into your packaging’s colors and graphic elements. 

By customizing your packaging in a way that reflects your brand, you provide additional marketing that helps build awareness of your small business, putting you at the forefront of the consumer radar. 

Enhance Consumer Experience

Custom packaging helps enhance the personal experience consumers have with your small business that plain brown boxes simply can’t. By placing careful consideration and thought into your packaging, you ensure your small business receives a positive first impression from consumers that keep them coming back for more. Including inexpensive extras in your custom packaging such as stickers or “Thank You” cards helps your small business stand out while also making the experience more memorable for consumers. 

In today’s world of social media and unboxing culture, showing off packaging online has grown exponentially. Consumers are likely to share your small business’s packaging with their friends, family, and followers when they find it appealing. This also serves as an additional marketing tool worth the investment given the social media and word-of-mouth exposure you’ll receive (which can save your small business money you would’ve otherwise spent on traditional marketing and advertising efforts). 

Custom Packaging on a Budget

As a small business, we get that budgetary concerns are at the top of your list. That being said, we went ahead and covered ways that you can approach custom packaging with your budget in mind. 

1. Include inserts in your small business packaging in order to increase order size, brand awareness, customer appeal, and word of mouth. Inserts including crinkled paper, stickers, “Thank You” cards, and more are simple and cheap ways to enhance your custom packaging. 
2. Invest in cheaper packaging materials such as kraft as a way to build your small business’s brand while maintaining a sense of luxury that will appeal to consumers. By carefully selecting stylistic choices, you can ensure your small business stands out from its competitors. This can include placing high-quality, attention-grabbing graphics on the interior and exterior of your packaging and adding unique but inexpensive extras such as tissue paper filler or stickers (anything is better than a plain box). 
3. Place your small business’s colors on the exterior and interior of your packaging as a cheap alternative that adds appeal. Simply using bright and attention-grabbing colors on your packaging that go beyond the normal brown customers are used to can serve as your own graphic design without the (1) time, (2) effort, and (3) cost of hiring a designer. Further, going as far as selecting a cheap tissue paper, ribbon, or insert card with bright colors can enhance your packaging while keeping your budget in mind. 

Wrapping Up

As a small business, you know that your branding and marketing efforts are as important as all the other areas that keep your business running smoothly. This means considering investments that will help benefit your business. From helping you save money on shipping costs to enhancing your consumer’s experience, custom packaging is an investment that can largely benefit your small business. There’s much to be gained from small business custom packaging, making it a win for both your small business and your customers. 

The good news is, we’ve made the investment into your small business even easier. Through manufacturers like Xceed, you can select product styles, dimensions, and customized colors that will showcase who your business is and impress your customers in just three easy steps.