Step-by-Step Process for eCommerce Packaging Design

If you’re part of an ecommerce business in any specific sub-industry, likely one of the single most important concepts for your business will be your packaging. From the way your products are protected en route to their destination to the aesthetics of your packaging and how clients will feel about them, there are several ways that your packaging may impact your bottom line.

At Packsize, we’re here to help with a huge range of custom box design and packaging automation services for any business, including ecommerce entities. If you’re still in the early stages of setting up your ecommerce company’s packaging and shipping programs, what are some of the important steps to follow while you go about this design setup? Here’s a primer.

Consider Related Brands

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting some inspiration from other brands in your industry — in fact, it’s a common practice. When you’re designing your ecommerce packaging, take a look at related brands and see what sort of design trends and schemes are popular in your industry. If most companies are going for muted colors and more serious designs, that may be an indication that this is what customers respond to best.

You don’t want to copy another company’s design outright, of course — that would be plagiarism — but you can use related brands as a general guide for what’s popular in your industry. For instance, if you’re selling luxury goods, you may want to go for a more high-end look with gold foil or embossed designs.

On the other hand, if you’re selling eco-friendly products, you might want to use recycled materials for your packaging and include sustainability messaging. Looking at related brands can give you a good sense of what’s popular and what customers are looking for.

Think About Your Brand Image

When you’re designing your ecommerce packaging, it’s important to think about how this design will fit in with the rest of your branding. After all, your packaging is essentially an extension of your brand — it should look like it belongs with your other marketing materials, like your website and product labels.

Your packaging should be an accurate reflection of your brand image. If you’re a fun and quirky company, your packaging should reflect that. If you’re a more serious and professional company, your packaging should reflect that as well.

Make sure that the colors, fonts, and overall design of your packaging is in line with the rest of your branding. This will help create a cohesive look for your company that customers will recognize and respond to.

Choose the Right Materials

The materials you use for your ecommerce packaging are just as important as the design itself. After all, you want to make sure that your products are well-protected during shipping, and that your packaging is eco-friendly and sustainable.

When it comes to choosing the right materials for your ecommerce packaging, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, think about what type of products you’re selling. If you’re shipping a variety of products that require a number of different sized boxes, consider our corrugated z-fold® packaging system which allows you to produce right sized boxes on site, eliminating the need for costly void fillers and excess or unnecessary packaging. Not only do our right-size boxes save money in material and shipping costs, they also protect your items better.

You should also keep sustainability in mind. With the increasing awareness of climate change and the negative impact of foam and poly packaging, using environmentally friendly materials has never been more important. All of our products are made from 97% recycled materials.

Design for Unboxing

One of the most important aspects of ecommerce packaging design is the unboxing experience. This is the first impression that customers will have of your product, so you want to make sure it’s a good one.

When you’re designing your packaging, think about how it will look when it’s opened. Will customers be able to easily access the product? Is the packaging easy to open? Is it easy to recycle or reuse?

You should also think about the aesthetics of your packaging. How will it look when it’s opened? Is the design attractive and eye-catching? Will it make customers want to keep and reuse the packaging? Having a lot of extra space in a box along with a lot of void filler like foam or bubble wrap can make an unboxing less pleasant and seem wasteful.

Keep these things in mind when you’re designing your ecommerce packaging, and you’ll be sure to create a positive unboxing experience for your customers.

DIM Weight Considerations

As you move toward the final stages of ecommerce packaging design, it’s important to consider the dimensional weight of your packaging. This is important for a few reasons. First, the actual width and height of your box can significantly impact the cost of shipping, not to mention the cost of material. Smaller boxes will save you money. Second, you want to make sure that your packaging is strong enough to protect your products during shipping. You might think that more packaging = better protection, but that isn’t always the case.

The best way to find the right balance between these two factors is to use a DIM weight calculator. This will help you determine the optimal dimensions and weight for your packaging.

Remember, it’s important to strike a balance between lightweight and durable when it comes to ecommerce packaging. You don’t want to skimp on quality, but you also don’t want to pay more than you have to in shipping costs.

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to ecommerce packaging design. From the materials you use to the unboxing experience, there are several factors that will impact your bottom line.

Keep these things in mind as you move through the design process, and contact our team at Packsize if you have any questions about how we can assist you throughout.