Packaging For An Online Business

When you're looking to start an online business, one of the first things that comes to mind is packaging. The importance of packaging is often overlooked when you're starting a business for the first time and it's easy to assume it doesn't really matter or isn't worth doing.

While this may be true for some small businesses, once you get up into the volume range, the importance skyrockets and there is clear evidence that those who understood this early on will enjoy an edge in terms of market share over their competitors.

The first thing you want customers to see when they open your package is something that makes them want to take action. You have to give them a reason for lowering themselves and parting with their hard-earned cash as soon as they open your package. Your packaging has got to be the one thing that makes this happen.

I'm sure some of you are thinking "what does this guy know? He's never had an online business". The truth is, I've been in the market since 2002, when I looked up a search on Google about selling CDs and DVDs online and found Zavvi.co.uk selling top quality stock at reasonable prices (for the time). Since that time, I've seen every type of packaging and had unique experiences dealing with hundreds of different companies.

Below, I'm going to share the best practices that most of the biggest online businesses use for their packaging. These tips don't just apply to eCommerce businesses; you can use them if you sell physical products through your own website or if you're doing a business-to-business (B2B) operation.

1) Make it clear what's in the package for the customer: If they open up your package and see something they didn't order, this can leave them feeling cheated or disappointed, which is never good for business. Also, when they receive your product, they may not know what to do with it or how to use it. This can be frustrating.

What you don't want to see is the following:

i) If they open up a box and all that's inside are some receipts and a couple of business cards. Why isn't there anything in the box that makes them want to do business with you? This is the opposite scenario of what I'm talking about here.

ii) If they open up a box and all that's inside are letters detailing how their order shipped out and when. This is an example of the sort of thing you want to avoid. You're not a courier or package collector, you're a business – get on with it!

iii) If the package contains nothing but shipping labels with your name and address on them. This is just not good enough and you should expect much better than this from yourself or your suppliers.

What's more, these products have no way of telling you what they like about your packaging; they have no real way of telling whether it was worth all that money to them or has left them confused about how to use your product.

In other words, packaging is not "just" a means to serve your product; it's more important than that and a critical element in the way you communicate with your customers.

2) Stand out from the rest: The packaging on the left looks professional, but looks are deceiving; it's not as high quality as those on the right. I'm sure some of you have picked up products from Amazon or eBay that looked fantastic in their outer boxes but were made of poor quality materials inside. This leaves a negative impression and really tarnishes the overall experience for consumers. Make sure your packaging is visually appealing and is easy to open.

Conclusion: it's all about the packaging. Don't make it sound too complicated or hard to figure out...it's really not. If you're an eCommerce business, your customers will reach for the cheaper option while buying through your site. If you're selling anything physical, you have to provide something that convinces them to buy from you, if they don't choose to buy from you they'll go elsewhere – and remember that the competition is always going to be there; there are other suppliers out there who also won't be able to match what you offer.