For eCommerce brands, the shipped package represents the most direct touchpoint with a customer. It is also one of the most underused marketing opportunities at your disposal. Here at EcoEnclose, we often remark that your shipped package is the only marketing tool at your disposal with a 100% open rate. So make sure it tells your story.

The data backs this up. A 2016 survey from Dotcom Distribution found that 40% of consumers are likely to make repeat purchases from an online merchant with premium packaging. In addition, 39% of consumers have shared an image of a delivery via social media because it arrived in unique, branded packaging. That translates into referrals, buzz, and user-generated content. Done well, branded, sustainable packaging significantly affects category dominance, sales growth, brand equity, and consumer loyalty.

Packaging solutions from the outside of the box to the void fill help ensure safe product delivery while creating a memorable eCommerce experience for your customers. Brand packaging is not just for the big companies either - our supplies are available in runs as small as 100 units for shipping boxes and 250 units for mailers.

Curious how other successful brands are using branded packaging products as a critical component of their marketing strategy? Explore our custom print inspiration.

Most companies start by exploring opportunities to brand their primary packaging - shipping boxes or mailers. These are, by far, our most popular custom packaging solutions. However, branded internal and protective packaging is becoming more popular, and shipping accessories such as stickers and notecards are often used to add some final flair and fun to an unboxing experience.

Questions to consider as you are choosing how many aspects of your packaging to brand and which to choose are your order quantities and if they meet our minimums, your desired design and unboxing experience, and your budget.

Longer and more in-depth messages do well on notecards and boxes. Shorter messages do well on mailers, and random repeating patterns do well on tape and tissue.

The easiest step is to simply put your logo and tagline on your packaging supplies. This is a solid start, but we strongly recommend going further. Consider your packaging and the entire unboxing experience as a blank canvas. In a world where storytelling is becoming essential to the success of D2C brands, your packaging is the perfect channel through which to tell your brand story.

Put yourself in your customer's shoes and envision them finding your package on their porch, grabbing it, and opening it up. What do you want them to know, learn, feel and experience as they are going through this process? Examples of concepts to include in your packaging design include:



You can achieve some of this through copy and some of it through evocative patterns and designs. And while this may seem daunting, there are quite a few inexpensive design services that can help here! Services like Fiverr.com are a great place to start. If you’re not an expert with Adobe Illustrator, you can hand sketch your design vision, share it with a reputable designer on Fiverr.com (with your artwork guidelines) and that designer can create your artwork. When you share your artwork with EcoEnclose, we’ll help you lay it out, correct any issues, and be an overall thought partner in your artwork process.

Post-production packaging is low-volume customization, the process of printing on already-formed packaging. Minimum order quantities start as low as 100 units. Shop post-production custom packaging directly on our website.

We have worked hard to establish minimums for branded packaging that can allow us to serve companies of all shapes, sizes, and missions. However, we also recognize that for some brands, our minimums may still be higher than what they can afford. Why do we have these minimums?

Because custom product requires more setup than a stock order. A design representative at EcoEnclose helps develop a proof for you to approve, a printing plate is ordered, and our printing team needs to set up and align your plate, registration, ink, etc. All of this setup takes a fixed amount of time, no matter how large or small the actual order is. A reasonable minimum order quantity ensures that the fixed costs associated with setting up a job are worth it.

Inline packaging is high-volume customization; the process of printing before forming into packaging. Inline packaging is highly customized beyond our website offering and allows flexibility in artwork boundaries, number of colors, sizes, material thicknesses, and structural designs. Minimum order quantities range from 5,000 to 25,000+ units. Contact us to start your inline order.

Learn more on our blog: Minimum Order Quantities: What They Are and Why We Have Them

We often get the questions: Are your inks soy-based? Are your inks vegetable-based? Are your inks water-based?

We believe what people are asking is: Are your inks eco-friendly?

Read our in-depth FAQ Guide where we answer the question - what is the most sustainable ink? - and the most frequently asked questions we receive about inks.

We know that those gorgeous full coverage designs make a great impression. It is also important to remember that ink is a contaminant in the recycling process.

Paper repulping technology can handle ink just fine, but the more ink a substrate has, the harder it is to clean and de-ink in the repulping process. Balancing your desired aesthetics and customer experience with the impact of ink coverage on the end of life of your packaging is an important step.

Discover how design aesthetics can be maintained, and even enhanced, by switching to 100% recycled materials through the ADANE's story of a custom branded influencer-style shipping box. Read ADANE's case study.

Many brands come to us looking for shiny white boxes that are then printed full coverage. While we can accommodate these requests, we try to avoid them whenever possible.

These boxes are made with largely virgin paper and contain a coating that makes the box unrecyclable or very difficult to recycle (depending on the coating). This is part of a broader question to ask - is the substrate itself 100% recycled (or from sustainable sources), recyclable, and are there any coatings that may interfere with the end of life?

EcoEnclose is committed to servicing brands of all sizes, including those whose volumes may not allow for an order of 5,000+ units. With this in mind, we’ve developed a post-production custom printing service that utilizes flexographic printing technology, eco-friendly inks and can still work with minimums as low as 500 units. Our post-production printing service supports brands of all sizes, including independent Etsy shops, startups, and fast-growing eCommerce enterprises

While these smaller, post-production orders have some artwork limitations in terms of the number of colors and art boundaries that can be supported, we find that the final result on these branded mailers and boxes is still absolutely beautiful. See for yourself - check out our post-production print gallery.

When you order 5,000+ paper mailers, 5,000+ boxes, or 25,000 or more poly mailers or bubble mailers, your artwork limitations almost disappear entirely. See for yourself - check out our inline print gallery.

At this stage, your order is produced “in-line” (meaning your material is printed before it is converted into packaging). Not only do your opportunities for custom sizing, shapes, features, and branding expand significantly, your per-unit costs drop significantly.

Our EcoEnclose representatives will become your EcoAlly, working closely with you through every stage of your packaging decision - choosing the right solutions, deciding how to customize your packaging, submitting your order, managing your lead times and order execution, and helping you troubleshoot any concerns and questions that come up as you transition your operations team to sustainable packaging.

If you are an enterprise brand that ships 1,000 or more orders per week, explore enterprise to learn about the unique ways in which we can serve your business.

Ordering custom packaging is quick and easy. Simply upload your artwork, select your quantity, and submit your payment. What happens next?

1. A real, live human will review and proof your artwork prior to production. Look out for your digital proof within 2 business days after your order is submitted.
2. Once you review your digital proof, submit any needed edits to your design associate who will then reproof design. We work with you until you are 100% satisfied with your design.
3. Once you approve your digital proof, your order will be sent to production. Your lead time begins after we receive your digital proof approval. Confirm your lead time here.
4. Once your order is produced according to its lead time, it will be shipped in accordance to the transit method selected at checkout.

Our Resource Center is the place to start when venturing into sustainable packaging. Start here with our featured articles on design, inks, and storytelling via custom printing.

• The World's Most Sustainable Ink: Algae
• The Psychology Of Custom Packaging
• Pantone vs. CMYK for Custom Branding
• Custom Notecards Tell Your Packaging Story
• Is It Worth It To Ship It In Style?
• What Is The Most Sustainable Ink?
• Should I Use White or Kraft for Custom Shipping Boxes?