Successful Packaging design in DTC & E-Commerce – 8 Tips

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.