Prizefighters know it isn't all about how quick their left jabs are or how fancy their footwork is – the best boxers must be able to take a punch and still come back swinging. High impact custom packaging must live up to its name by both standing out on the shelf and standing up to the bumps and scrapes it'll go up against as it moves from the manufacturing floor to the customer and beyond. Here are a few questions companies should ask to decide whether their packaging needs stronger corrugated materials:
1. Does what you sell 'fit' its packaging?
As self-explanatory as this may seem, how well a product matches its packing can have an adverse effect on customer service. According to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom by OnePoll, the three greatest packaging annoyances customers suffer from involve oversized containers, damaged exteriors and packaging with insufficient protection for the products inside. While the No. 1 response might send companies back to the drawing board with their packaging design, the second and third most popular answers can be easily fixed by simply adjusting the grade of the box it comes in.
2. Does your product go 'places'?
For beer brewers in particular, many packaged goods are expected to travel with the customers who buy them, be it by car, bicycle, public transit or walking. Simply cutting a space for a handle into the exterior of a box doesn't necessarily make it conducive to carrying. Companies should consider their market demographic, as well as the nature of the products they sell, to determine if they should augment the strength of their corrugated boxes to encourage greater transportability. After all, how are customers supposed to enjoy their products if they can't get them home?
3. Does your company really care about the environment?
Even if a company's packaging is 100 percent eco-friendly, a rip here and a tear there can actually send customers the wrong signals about which bin to toss it in. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that how packaging changes through the consumption process ultimately factors into whether end users recycle it properly or simply throw it in the garbage. To ensure they follow through with their green initiatives, businesses may want to beef up their packaging so it looks good all the way to the recycling plant.
