Successful Packaging design in DTC & E-Commerce – 8 Tips — Greatergood® Brand Design Agency London

As more consumers turn to online shopping and DTC (direct to consumer) with their favorite brands and new ones which align with their values, the role of packaging design in e-commerce and online sales has become increasingly important.

Unlike a retail environment, prior to a purchase all your customer may ever see from your brand is potentially on a screen until delivery day.

From here, how your brand is packaged and delivered can have a great emotional response from your consumer (either good or bad). Your brand gets a single chance to deliver on an emotional connection which the consumer will have missed in the retail environment – brands doing well in DTC have this nailed. They know their proposition and the experience of the delivery has to be as good, if not better – than the experience in a modern retail environment.

Here we take a look at Successful Packaging design in DTC & E-Commerce – 8 Tips

1. Consider the unboxing experience

Think about how your customer will feel when they open the package, what is their frame of mind? How can you tailor your messaging and packaging design to create a unique and memorable experience?

Calgee Plant-based Omega 3 is awash in a sea of Blue, immediately making us think of the ocean, fish, and nature – is this what you would normally expect from an Omega 3 Vitamin brand?

2. Make a statement with messaging

Messaging at the moment of unopening gives a unique opportunity to make a statement and connect with your consumer on a deeper level – sense their excitement for your brand and build on it.

King of Copy – BrewDog cut right to the chase with their messaging

3. Think of the impact

In a sea of online deliveries and corrugated cardboard boxes destined for the recycling in seconds – how can your brand make an impact? A flash of colour, a bold print treatment, an alternative format which shakes up the experience? Something a little outside of the box can go a long way.

AllBirds have a completely different delivery experience to the standard shoebox-in-a-bag type delivery. The boxes are a bespoke shape and size, with illustrations layered throughout – even the shoe padding molds have been debossed with illustrative faces.

4. Make use of the opportunity

Unlike selling in a retail environment – DTC allows you to tailor the brand experience and sell the story of your brand to consumers. Repeat purchase discounts, brand booklets, stickers (who doesn’t love some free stickers) – and more, can all help in creating engaged and enthusiastic consumers who understand and resonate with your brand.

Huel know that they have a certain margin within their DTC delivery – and within that scope they can afford to labour over the customer with the free extras like the Huel t-shirt which have become an icon of the brand (and a pretty strong piece of marketing and PR at the same time).

5. Packaging needs to protect

We can design the most beautiful brand-led packaging in the world, but if it doesn’t do its job and your product arrives to a consumer damaged or broken, your customer isn’t going to be happy, and long term it’s going to impact your bottom line. Make sure that your packaging is fit for purpose and protects your product.

6. Sustainability first

Consider using sustainable and biodegradable materials that are environmentally friendly and support your brand’s sustainability goals.

7. Make it easy to open

There is nothing more frustrating than desperately trying to open a delivery, only to then need a pair of scissors, and a knife, and then a chainsaw to get into the box.

8. And make it easy to dispose of

More layers of packaging means more packaging to be recycled – if a delivery takes two boxes, that can nearly be a full recyling bag full of cardboard, adding to frustration for what could have been a very small value order.