CMOs, CXOs and anyone responsible for revenue growth should pay attention. The box matters more than most leaders realize.
I’m referring to the packaging around anything you sell. Long before a customer uses your product, they’ve already started forming opinions about it. Packaging is often the first physical interaction they have with your brand, and the first impression can either support or hurt the value you want your customer to perceive. It can cause an emotional reaction and create a brand impression.
A recent RetailWire article shared some interesting data and commentary from Adobe that emphasizes the importance of how packaging influences a customer’s perception of your brand. According to the report, 73% of consumers say premium packaging improves their perception of a brand, and 57% say a memorable packaging experience made them want to make another purchase from the same brand. Those numbers shouldn’t surprise us. Customers don’t separate the product from the experience surrounding the product. They judge them together as part of the entire experience.
Apple, Amazon and Tiffany Understand the Power of the Box
There’s a reason Steve Jobs and Apple spent so much time, money and research to create a box that is as cool as the product in it. And long after Jobs left us, the effort in creating that experience continues.
Tiffany understood that long before Apple. The famous blue box creates excitement before the jewelry is ever seen. I gave my wife a gift from Tiffany. The excitement began the moment she saw the box. Even before she opened it, the experience had begun. There was an incredibly positive emotional reaction.
Amazon took a different approach. Its brown box isn’t luxurious, but it’s instantly recognizable. For millions of customers, seeing that “smile logo” in their mailbox or leaning against their front door creates anticipation that is fueled by convenience, speed and confidence that what’s inside the box will be as promised.
Packaging Aesthetics Tie to Brand Reputation
Packaging doesn’t just protect a product. It protects your reputation. It is a natural reaction for customers to associate the quality of the outside of the box with the quality of what’s inside the box.
This is why premium brands obsess over details that most competitors dismiss. Everything related to the look and feel of the box makes a statement. None of those details change the actual product, but they reinforce that the customer made a good decision to buy from the brand.
