Great product packaging (including parcels!)

I’ve been hoarding a number of great examples of product and parcel packaging that really push your brand to the customer.

This the KFD Jewellery example arrived – and it’s pushed me to pull it all into a blog for you….

As an online retailer getting your brand in front of people so that they know to come to you in the future is really important. Both parcels and the packaging of hte products themselves have a really important part to play.

This becomes even more important to get right if your products are likely to be given as a gift (assuming the recipient loves it – you want them to know where to go for more), or if you’re selling your products to other people to sell, whether it’s Amazon or Tesco or a local gift shop – you want the customer to know it was done by you.

This is one of our bright shiny object posts – so remember if these ideas don’t solve a problem you have right now – just store away for later!

Here’s some great examples of how to do it:

Truro Tandoori (yes, we’re starting off with a takeaway)

A curry will always get me a little big excited – but when I saw the box our takeaway was being handed over in I got more excited than normal.

Firstly to receive a takeaway curry in a container that’s so substantial makes the customer feel special, it’s a serious upgrade on the cheap plastic carrier bag.

Second was the messages on the box, which both reinforce that the customer made a great decision chosing Truro Tandoori:

• “Freshly Prepared Takeaway Food”
• “Unique recipes, freshly cooked”

And then have this amazing call to action to encourage you to buy more curry “Why send flowers… Send a Curry”.

This message is repeated on every side of the box, and a demonstration of the service in the white panel down the top of the box – with 49 different suggested reasons for sending someone a curry including the brilliant “Have a curry!”.

I don’t know how many people in the area are now sending surprise curry’s but I bet their repeat takeaway business has increased with the introduction of these boxes.

KFD Jewellery – product package and parcel branding

Full disclaimer – KFD Jewellery are one of my Fast Track clients; and the Cornwall pendant on the turquoise chain I’m almost always wearing is a bespoke creation by Karen herself.

What I love about Karen’s approach to her parcels is how it’s so simple, and easy for anyone to do. There’s not a lot of cost involved, not a lot of effort – yet the customer (or gift recipient) is left in no doubt as to who made this piece of jewellery.

Simple stickers are used to seal the jiffy bag, and also the inner bubblewrap layer.

As well being an easy way to get the branding in front of people, this also makes the unwrapping process a bit more special.

Then when you get to the jewellery box, the jewellery itself has been wrapped in tissue paper with another branded sticker.

Most importantly for the branding – the silk inlay in the lid has the KFD brand mark – in the future there will no question about where this item of jewellery originated.

The final icing on the cake is that Karen’s included in the parcel a small (the size of 2 business cards folded in half) high quality card. Which has details of other ranges, key brand information (“Made with passion, given with love, worn with syle”) and the all important contact details for next time.

Miso Tasty – Product packaging for wholesale

Miso Tasty sell miso soup – both from their website and via many food retailers (including the UK’s biggest supermarkets). So it’s really important for them to make sure that the customers notice the Miso Tasty brand, to keep them buying the product but also encourage them to come to the website and buy direct.

The packaging is really clearly on brand – just check out the website to see how well it matches up.

Inside the box continues the red colour – and the “don’t be shy” direct to twitter and Facebook. The URL is on the bottom flap too.

I think this is a great box but I’d add the url with the other contact details on the bottom of the back, and with the don’t be shy – just to push that “interact with us direct” message a little more.

If you want to know more about Miso Tasty – just have a listen to my interview with them on the podcast.

Pukka Herbs – making great use of the inside of the packaging.

Pukka teas are another wholesaler with their own online store. If you want to really get to grips with the packaging side of things, then spending some time in the tea aisle of your local supermarket place is a great place to start.

The outside of their packaging ticks the same boxes as Miso Tasty – a bit about the brand, the legaly required info for a food product, and their awards logos at the bottom.

Where the Pukka packaging really comes into its own is the inside of the box:

It tells a story, and literally draws you in to the heart of hte box, where the call to action to visit the website sites. And this great branding continues onto the side you can’t see hear with a personal message signed by the founders:

“Thank you. By choosing Pukka you’ve chosen to say ‘yes’ to supporting people, plants and the planet which is what being Pukka is all about”

This is great design and branding, which takes into account how the box is going to be used – the box of tea is going to sit in the draw or cupboard or shelf until every last bad is used (all 20 of them) so it’s going to opened and inspected at least 20 times before it heads to the recycling bin. By using the inside of the box they get 20 times to remind the customer of why they’re a great tea company.

So what are you doing to make your packaging work for you?