WHAT and why of business are easy. It’s about selling to make money. That’s it.
The tricky parts are the who, where, when and how.
Early traders at an open village market quickly learnt to present their wares attractively and shout out their deals loudly to passing traffic, or more vocal competitors would pick up more sales.
As stalls became brick-and-mortar stores, traders had to entice customers differently with signage and community advertising. They, in turn, evolved into large chain stores with constantly improving advertising, marketing and branding across multimedia channels.
Then along came the Internet, and the game changed.
The goliaths of commerce — the massive chain department stores offering everything from a pin to kitchen sinks under one roof — were slain by the slingshots of search engines.
Sears was toppled by Amazon and goods moved out of sight into warehouses.
The rules are now about eyeballs on websites, sales funnels and conversions with businesses becoming increasingly niche with stronger brand identities and customer relationships. Convention went by the wayside and the mantra “think outside the box” became the vogue.
But to really grab attention, the time has come to “think inside the box”.
Delivered packages for online businesses are the first physical contact a customer has with a retailer. Carefully laid-out stores with beautifully window-dressed fronts are now image blocs and online stores. The delivered product is where the paying customer experiences the brand.
Package design is a commercial science in its own right. Packages have to balance cost with protecting contents while also communicating the first tangible brand identity experience.
Bespoke packaging can be costly, and few customers hang on to the packaging.
That’s when the second gear kicks in — package inserts.
Customers are more highly concentrated on what’s inside the packaging, and any well-produced inserts that add value to the product and the brand will be seen and absorbed into the minds of the customers.
It doesn’t have to be costly. Even simple, but well-produced, package inserts make a difference. They can tell customers more about the brand and introduce other product or service items.
They can even be a great way to give away freebies by inviting customers to give feedback on their purchasing experience, and turn them from a one-off purchase to a repeat customer.
See here for great ways to do it.
