When it comes to private label manufacturing, a lot of thought is put into product creation, and rightfully so. However, your private label packaging requires plenty of attention too. While some brands consider this to be an afterthought, getting your packaging right could give your brand the extra nudge that it needs to rise to success.
What, exactly, does packaging say about your brand, and what should you consider when designing your private label packaging? Keep reading as FLPL explains.
Putting Thought Into Your Private Label Packaging
Packaging is more impactful than many brands realize. In fact, 72% of American consumers say that their purchasing decisions are directly influenced by a product’s packaging. Let’s take a closer look at why this is:
Packaging Tells a Story
While the main purpose of packaging is functionality, which we’ll be talking about in more detail soon, it can also be a great storytelling platform. Every brand and product has a story to tell, and your packaging should be used to narrate that.
Why is it important for packaging to tell a story? Simply put, it draws customers in. It helps them to forge an emotional connection with your brand, which could make all the difference when it comes to them choosing your product over another.
Packaging Can Differentiate Your Brand From Others
Packaging often plays a key part in brand strategies, with one of the reasons being that it’s such a useful differentiation tool. Private label brands are always seeking out ways in which they can stand out from their competition. Being clever with your private label packaging is one way to do this.
Ideally, your packaging should be easy to spot and recognize when sitting amongst the competition. Whether this is thanks to iconic graphics, an attention-grabbing color palette, or anything else, this not only means that customers are more likely to reach for your product over others, but it, once again, helps them to learn a little more about what your brand is all about.
Packaging Shows Your Care for Your Products
If you’ve put time, effort, and love into creating your private label products, this is something that you’ll want to convey to your customers. It will set your brand apart from the many generic and knock-off brands out there.
Your private label packaging is a great way to do this. You’ve probably bought products in the past that haven’t been packaged with care and thought – this is the opposite of what your brand should be doing. Your private label packaging should perfectly encase and protect your products, treating them like the valuable items they are.
Packaging Can Show That You Care About Other Things, Too
In addition to showing just how much you care about your products, your private label packaging also showcases the other things that your brand cares about. It’s an effective way to communicate your brand’s values to the world.
Say, for example, your brand is all about sustainability. Reusable or recyclable packaging that clearly displays your brand’s sustainability efforts will immediately appeal to eco-conscious shoppers.
Packaging Can Make Your Brand Seem More Valuable
Packaging can add value to your products, as well as to your brand. Going with high-quality packaging will encourage people to associate your brand with quality, too. With quality being something that’s prioritized in this day and age, this insinuation could do a lot for a brand.
The unboxing experience, in which packaging plays a significant role, adds value as well. It turns what would have been an ordinary purchase into a memorable experience. Many consumers are happy to pay more for this, making well-thought-out packaging a clever way to give your profit margin a boost.
Creating Private Label Packaging With FLPL
At FLPL, we don’t just help with designing and manufacturing private label products – we can do the same with your private label packaging too. Packaging design and creation can be quite a complex topic, but our experts will be on hand to work alongside you. They’ll help to ensure that your brand’s packaging does all of the above, plus more!
Here are some of the key elements to be considered when creating private label packaging:
Functionality
It goes without saying that the packaging for your products needs to be functional. It needs to be able to get your products from point A to point B safely, so that the end customer receives an intact product in their hands.
This may seem obvious, but it can often fall to the side when too much emphasis is placed on a unique shape or size. Yes, as we mentioned above, packaging is a great way to differentiate your brand. However, practicality should always come first. Again, this will show that your brand actually cares about the products that you’re producing, so much so that you’ve put plenty of thought into how to keep them safe.
At FLPL, we’ve had plenty of experience when it comes to creating functional and secure packaging for beauty and wellness products. We already have a good idea of what works and what doesn’t. This is knowledge that you’ll be able to draw on when you work with us to create your private label packaging.
Materials
Materials and functionality go hand-in-hand. The materials that you choose will significantly influence how functional/good your private label packaging is. Say, for instance, you’re creating packaging for a face serum contained in a delicate glass bottle. A flimsy paper box isn’t going to cut it.
Sustainability also needs to be a factor when it comes to your choice of materials. No matter the market you’re entering, it’s no longer an option. It’s something that consumers have now come to expect from all brands. If you want your brand to remain relevant, you’ll need to put some effort into sustainability. Whether this means going with packaging that’s completely recyclable or perhaps using recycled materials to create your own packaging, be sure to consider how your choices will affect the environment.
Color Palette
By the time you create your private label packaging, you’ll likely have a good idea as to what your branding is going to look like. This will need to translate into the color palette that you choose for your packaging.
It’s worth keeping color psychology in mind for this. Certain colors can evoke certain emotions/connotations. Red, for instance, is a passionate, attention-grabbing color, while green brings freshness and healthy living to mind. Blue tends to embody calmness, whereas pink adds a feminine touch.
There’s also a good chance that your target audience will resonate with certain colors over others. This is something that you’ll hopefully already know, thanks to all of the market research that you will have done earlier on in the private label manufacturing process!
Typography
Have you ever looked at some product packaging and struggled to decipher exactly what the text on that packaging says? If you’re nodding your head, that’s great – this means that you know exactly what not to do when it comes to choosing typography for your own private label packaging!
Again, the fonts that you use will be influenced by your branding. However, no matter what, they should be clear and easily legible. There’s nothing wrong with using more than one font, but try not to go for more than two – this can end up looking messy.
Logo Placement
If you began the private label manufacturing process without a logo, you’ll have one by now. How do we know? Because FLPL has a highly talented art and marketing department with logo creation specialists who will help to put together a show-stopping logo for your brand.
When it comes to placing your logo on your packaging, aim for a spot where it will be easily visible. It needs to be instantly noticeable from all angles, as your logo plays an important role in helping to differentiate your packaging.
The Unboxing Experience
One way to gain some free publicity for your brand is through your unboxing experience. This has made itself into quite the trend, with shoppers regularly taking to social media with the unboxing process of the products they’ve recently purchased.
How can your brand get in on this too? To start with, your packaging needs to be aesthetically pleasing – in a big way! If people don’t like how it looks, they aren’t going to share it on social media.
Ideally, it should also provide a layered approach to accessing the product within. An outer box, an inner compartment, tissue paper to add to the suspense…you get the drift! Make it a sensory experience, incorporating various textures, and possibly even a scent! It makes opening packaging feel so much more special, which is exactly what consumers are seeking.
If you really want to make a good impression, go the extra mile by incorporating a personal touch into your packaging. If your brand is still small, a handwritten note that thanks the customer for their order can go a long way. Alternatively, including a small free gift, such as a sample product or even a branded sticker, can, again, add value to the whole experience. It makes a customer feel appreciated, while also adding a pleasant surprise to the unboxing process. Those little touches are what lead to people sharing their experiences on social media, which is exactly what you want your packaging to persuade people to do.
Private Label Packaging: Getting it Right
Now that you know exactly what your packaging is saying about your brand, you can take the necessary steps to make your packaging even better. With FLPL’s design team by your side, this becomes all the easier. You’ll have access to industry knowledge and expertise, all of which you can harness to create exquisite packaging that elevates the shopping experience for each and every one of your customers.
