Are you ready to make the switch to custom packaging? While we’ve talked before about the benefits of custom packaging, in this blog post we want to discuss why today’s consumer and economic environment make right now the ideal time to take the plunge.

Custom packaging is a process that uses consumer and market insights as the foundation to design and engineer a package that reflects your brand identity, resonates with consumers, and stands out from the competition to ensure sales success. It’s also a great way to optimize your package for cost savings, technical performance, and more. Perhaps you’re looking for a space-saving option or to lightweight your package to lower your shipping costs. Or maybe you want something that meets Amazon’s packaging requirements or is otherwise e-commerce friendly. Whatever it is you’re looking to do, now is the time to explore your customization options. Here’s why.

WHY TODAY IS THE RIGHT TIME TO EXPLORE CUSTOM PACKAGING

1. STANDING OUT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

With inflation booming, consumers in the US and around the world are getting more and more careful about where they spend their money. Whether you are at the high end of the market or selling a private label brand, there are important reasons to stand out now. Market research and buying trends show that consumers will trade up for added value, such as sustainability and/or an indulgent experience. This means that designing a custom package that achieves one or both of these elements can help elevate your brand. On the flip side, although consumers are looking to spend less, they still want a package that stands out. Thus consumers will trade down for private label brands that look unique and have a design and on-pack messaging that communicates quality and efficacy.

Candy company Ferrara used a custom package to make a splash—and boost sales. Looking to redesign its Nerds Twist & Mix package, it did something novel in the candy business: it created packaging that allows customers to indulge in just one flavor or mix-and-match flavors without having to either purchase multiple flavor packs or separate out their favorite flavors. Working with TricorBraun’s Design & Engineering team, they achieved a package that is portable, durable, sustainable—and unique. Equally important: product sales have surpassed expectations.

2. THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT MAKES CUSTOM PACKAGING A WIN

While standing out is reason #1 to consider custom packaging today, reason #2 is that your return on investment will help make your decision easier to make. That’s because the right custom package will not only build critical brand awareness to drive sales but can also reduce your costs. Cost savings from customization can range from lightweighting to remove excess material in the package to the opportunity to move your production closer to your filler to reduce both your carbon footprint and shipping costs.

Take, for example, Café Oro soluble coffee. When Sabormex was looking to rebrand, they wanted a custom design that could capture market share from the competition. To achieve this, they worked with TricorBraun’s Design & Engineering team to design a package that would focus consumer attention onto Café Oro when people reached for coffee in their local store. As part of the new package, TricorBraun designed and then engineered a unique cardboard liner to keep costs down and helped ensure it would work seamlessly with a new plastic closure and the greater tolerances presented by using a glass jar. The result: A design that stands out on the shelf and has allowed Café Oro to expand its share of the soluble coffee market.

3. A BETTER USER EXPERIENCE DRIVES LOYALTY

Ultimately, user experience is what will drive brand loyalty. The best product in the world won’t sell if the packaging doesn’t keep your food or vitamins fresh, if your bottles break during shipping, or if your household products leak in the grocery bag or during shipping. Nor will consumers buy your beauty product again if the pump doesn’t seamlessly dispense because it was jostled too much on the delivery truck. In fact, the rise of ecommerce means that package protection is more important than ever. Today’s package can be handled up to 20 times before it reaches the customer.

Choosing custom packaging instead of stock gives your brand more control over the quality and user experience of your product. Package Qualification Manager, Ryan Fichuk explains, “When you go custom, brand owners have the flexibility to design the components to meet their specific requirements. This allows either individual components or the whole package system to be built for the most efficient functionality and convey the branding desires.” Creating a better user experience will drive word-of-mouth and social media reviews and keep happy customers coming back for more.

HERE'S HOW WE CAN HELP YOU CREATE THE PERFECT CUSTOM PACKAGE

Whether you’re ready to explore custom packaging for a new product or looking to rebrand, we can help. TricorBraun’s award-winning Design & Engineering team can take you through a five-step process that begins with market research, moves through designing your perfect package, and then engineers your brand story into cost-effective packaging. Finally, we validate your design to ensure quality and then bring that validated design to life.

As part of our Design & Engineering process, we offer mold development and a production tooling shop. Our experienced in-house team can provide you with affordable solutions and expedite the mold qualification process. We also have an in-house quality team that goes above and beyond to ensure that your package meets all acceptable quality limits (AQLs) and stays intact during shipping and handling.

Finally, at TricorBraun we manage the entire complex packaging process to ensure that your bottle, your closure, your decoration—and every custom component—is of the highest quality and delivered on time. Our proven track record makes us your one-stop-shop custom packaging partner of choice from concept to commercialization.

Talk to a packaging consultant now, whether you’re looking for a stock package or a groundbreaking custom design, TricorBraun’s proven process will guide your packaging decisions from napkin sketch all the way to the retail shelf.