Manufacturers often talk about how product design can help them stand out to the customer and make their brand more attractive to retailers looking to stock their shelves. What doesn’t get talked about so often is the industrial packaging surrounding the product, something which is just as – if not more – important in many ways, protecting the product and sending a message to consumers about the brand itself. 

Reducing damage

No matter how good the product, the consumer won’t buy it if it’s damaged. Protective industrial packaging can help solve this potential problem. Good protective packaging will stop your product getting damaged in transit either due to handling as it moves through the supply or from adverse weather conditions. 

Protecting packages in transit requires clear signs that show the content is fragile or breakable if mishandled, while weatherproof materials are essential in protecting against rain, sleet and snow, as well as sunlight. The type of materials you use will be dependent on the transport and destination of your product. Protective packaging can also help keep your products safe by using tamper-proof materials. 

Increased efficiencies

Using the right industrial packaging for a product can make the transport of it more efficient, saving you time and money. Here, you need to think about the size and weight of your product and then choose an amount of packaging that is sufficient to protect it. At the same time, you need to ensure that the product is not so overly packaged that it adds costs to your delivery. Efficiencies can also be found by using materials that can be recycled – this is something that consumers want to see, and that says something about the type of company you are. 

Market your products

Companies market their products in a lot of different ways, but many don’t think about using the packaging to sell their brand, even though it is one of the easiest ways to promote a product. You can use packaging to share a product range using taglines or images. You can also use it as a call to action, encouraging people to share it on social media, which is a crucial marketing tool in today’s world. The better your packaging looks or the more interesting it is, the more likely it is to be shared, increasing your brand awareness. 

Connecting with customers

As well as marketing a product, packaging can also be used to promote your company and engage with customers, helping connect with them emotionally. This might mean including your company’s vision or values on your packaging, letting consumers know you are an ethical brand that uses recycled materials for example, which drives a positive response. Packaging can also be used to encourage further product purchases, creating a range of collectable packaging for instance, or triggering an emotional response through the use of shape, colour or texture. 

This shows, therefore, that there is more to industrial packaging than first meets the eye. It is something to look at more closely when thinking about your product, where it is going and what message it is sending.