Custom Packaging: Is it Worth it to Ship in Style?

Long story short - yes. Custom packaging is worth the investment.

As with many things in life, it also depends. It depends on how well you utilize it to maximize your investment. If you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your custom packaging, we’ve also put together a few tips on how to maximize its impact. While this isn’t by any means a complete list of the benefits of custom packaging, it’s a jumping-off point for designing your sustainable custom packaging.

Ways Custom Packaging Is Worth The Investment

Reduce Waste

Custom product packaging, when done right, can reduce waste and lower your business’s impact on the environment and your operating cost.

• Reduce: It’s less likely your product will be damaged in transit if your packaging is custom-designed to protect your product perfectly. Damaged products require replacement (on your business’s dime) and the broken products often end up in the landfill. Not great on either end.

• Reuse: If your custom packaging is attractive and useful enough, it can be reused for gifts, storage, or toting.

• Recycle: Packaging that emphasizes its recyclability increases a customer’s likelihood of recycling it. Recycling is a great way to reduce waste.

Here at EcoEnclose, we pride ourselves on offering shipping solutions with the highest levels of recycled content as possible. We continue to innovate to push for more post-consumer waste as well. Our 100% Recycled Poly Mailers are an excellent example of a sustainable plastic poly bag solution that can be custom printed with your design and reused by the end consumer with a second adhesive strip - all while featuring 50% post-consumer waste content.

Make A Great First Impression

You can read our full article on the psychology of custom packaging, but your shipping packaging is your first physical interaction with your customer, so make it count. A great first impression leads to higher overall product satisfaction and increases a customer’s likelihood of making a repeat purchase.

Save On Shipping

Eco-friendly custom packaging can save on shipping costs if correctly designed. Carriers like UPS and FedEx often use the dimensional weight to calculate shipping costs, so if your product is in a box that’s way too big, you might be paying too much in shipping, not to mention using too much cardboard.

EcoEnclose 100% Recycled Shipping Boxes are completely customizable from style to size to strength to print, so you create the exact shipping box for your products.

Ensure Custom Packaging Is Worth The Investment

Make It Visually Distinct

Amazon boxes don’t just say “Amazon” in tiny letters in the corner of the box. It takes over the whole package. Your brand should be prominently displayed and attractive. Remember that this is also marketing. Turn your shipping packaging into a tiny cardboard billboard.

Go beyond just the logo. Use packaging as a way to convey your brand’s personality and values. If you’re Amazon or Coca-Cola you may not need this, but if you are a smaller or growing eCommerce brand, the packaging doesn’t just reinforce your brand, it helps create your brand.

Utilize the whole box. A custom shipping box has 14 customizable surfaces. Tell a story with your unboxing, don’t just stop at the logo on the outside.

Emphasize Sustainability

Your brand and the concept of sustainability should be inextricably linked on the packaging (and in reality). Customers want it, as they use the products they buy as an extension of their personality and personal brand. It also makes them more likely to recycle their sustainable packaging - which is what we want.

EcoEnclose 100% Recycled Paper Mailers are an excellent place to start when making the switch to sustainable packaging. All of our paper mailers are available to be printed flexographically with water-based ink, digitally for multi-color designs, and in black with Algae Ink.

Buy At Scale

Increase savings and consistency by buying at high volumes. Just make sure you test it first. Stop buying boxes as needed from different places and in different sizes. High-capacity orders bring down the per-unit cost of custom packaging and increase consistency.

Custom printing at high volumes opens up the door to a world of customization options from full bleed and edge-to-edge prints to custom sizes and materials and more. Work with us on unique custom projects - Contact Us.

Conclusion: Custom Packaging Is Worth It

Custom packaging, if utilized correctly, definitely is worth the investment. It can reduce waste, make a stellar first impression, and save shipping costs. If you want to be sure you’re making the most of your custom packaging, make sure it’s visually distinct and appealing while also emphasizing sustainability, and buy it at scale to bring the cost down. Explore custom packaging inspiration, and start designing your custom packaging today!