The importance of luxury product packaging has increased beyond expectation. Until very recently, the luxury product experience began at the retail store. No longer.
Physical shopping was already receding prior to the pandemic. Now, what was once a forecast has become a reality. In 2020, the US ecommerce retail market increased by 18%. Brick-and-mortar retail spending decreased by 14%.
In 2021, this gap is predicted to widen in favour of ecommerce – despite the reopening of physical retailers. This gives luxury products an additional importance. It will become, increasingly, the first touch point between brand and the consumer.
The feasibility of brands providing luxury products without enclosing them in luxury product packaging is limited. Yet there are many brands that still practice this self-defeating method of product delivery.
In an increasingly competitive retail landscape, where physical stores must match the best ecommerce offerings or risk being surpassed, a luxury product ordinarily presented will likely fail to retain customers. Below, we’ll explain why.
Bespoke Packaging Experience
The unboxing experience has shifted the perception of bespoke packaging. Before the last decade, a luxury brand could deploy generic packaging and present it as luxury boxing.
The addition of a ribbon and the correct font or colour could conceal a lack of individualised design. Afterall, not every package will endure like The Tiffany Blue Box or Hermes’ Resourceful Orange Box – and so, many brands mistakenly think it is better to imitate rather than innovate.
But this line of thinking is now much harder to justify. Consumers expect the packaging to provide ‘the unboxing moment’ with every luxury product purchase.
This market shift is often attributed to the astonishing success of the iPhone, with many casual consumers experiencing luxury packing for the first time, which in turn created the ‘unboxing video’ genre.
Brands should not ignore this type of organic marketing. Innovative packaging can transform a consumer into a loyal brand ambassador. And the inclusion of personalised inserts can further enhance the chances of consistent purchases. Through these simple additions, we can communicate our brand values to the customer.
Opting for bespoke packaging is an essential marketing method because it directly meets the expectations of your consumer. To choose generic packaging designs instead is to risk an underwhelming first impression from which a brand may never recover.
Benefits of Sustainable Packaging
There are two essential reasons why sustainability must be central to luxury product packaging. Primarily, sustainable packaging adheres to consumer expectations. The direction of the retail market is facing squarely towards eco-friendly packaging.
Delivery specialist DHL have provided the latest study that reveals the concerns of consumers. Ranking at the top of the list is a demand for sustainable packaging materials, driven by a growing concern with climate change and awareness of excessive packaging waste.
In addition to eco-friendly credentials, sustainable luxury product packaging can be an extension of the product itself.
The Hermes’ box, for example, achieves with enviable simplicity what many luxury brands spend entire marketing budgets hoping to achieve – the crossover into a lifestyle brand. By making the packaging reusable, distinctive and of the highest quality, it is repurposed in homes and offices across the globe. This has proved so successful that is has spawned its own collector’s market.
If the aim of your luxury packaging is to be recycled rather than repurposed though, then sustainability of materials is the answer. A sustainable luxury packaging specialist can help to achieve this.
Luxury Box Packaging Design: Shelf Appeal
The ideal luxury product packaging needs to work for both ecommerce and physical retail customers. It needs to entice from the shelf as much as provide a memorable touchpoint for first time ecommerce buyers.
This is achieved with the selection of high-quality materials, fonts and colours that reflect the zeitgeist of luxury retail and – most importantly – a design style that appeals to the senses. The precise detailing and messaging that is included is completely dependent on the product you sell – and who you are selling it too.
High-end chocolates will require a different set of design flourishes compared to a perfume from a high-end fashion house. These embellishments can be decided and finalised with a luxury packaging producer.
Find Your Luxury Product Packaging Solution
For more information on cosmetic packaging solutions, contact the Delta Global team today.