Subscribing to subscription packaging

More companies than ever are discovering the benefits of subscription packaging. SPN looked at how Custom Boxes are changing the face of customised subscription packaging today.

By customising subscription units, they are not limited to their physical dimensions. It goes far beyond that by including strong branding and greater product appeal. It is the modern way of creating lasting brand awareness and providing additional value to the subscription services. There are numerous factors that are in favour of using customised options for creating and packaging subscription boxes.

Today Custom Boxes are offering a step-by-step guide to how they outperform other packaging subscription options. Here is a selection of the company’s recommendations as provided to SPN:

Ensure they are a good product fit

What customers value most when subscribing for their favourite products, is the products’ quality. Packaging is the correct tool that ensures that customers get their orders as promised. Custom subscription boxes are suitable for a wide range of product types. Standard, traditional subscription boxes are not capable of housing all types of items, they are also not attractive enough to encourage frequent subscriptions. Whether it is food items that need stronger box materials to keep them fresh, health supplements that require thicker box cuts for protecting fragile bottles, or numerous other product specifications, all are enhanced by the use of specially customised subscription boxes.

Evaluate packaging options

Packaging materials are crucial in determining how the subscribed products will look when delivered to customers. There are many options available for brands to pick the ones that they deem are the best for them. Corrugated boxes are the best option for shipping products. The box cuts include different grades of wall thicknesses. Each of the compressed air- wall-brackets provide resistance to rough handling, varied warehouse conditions, and excessive turbulence during shipping. Cardboard boxes- even though these might not be suitable for long-distance shipping.

“ Your brand can become an instant favourite when it sends products in specially designed custom boxes ”

The boxes can nevertheless be used for local transit and acting as primary packaging for products. These two materials have one thing in common; they are both eco-friendly.

Subscriptions are sent every month or week and call for packaging that is attainable at short notice. Furthermore, customers value highly sustainable packaging and getting their subscriptions delivered on time. Your brand can become an instant favourite when it sends products in specially designed custom boxes, moulded into creative formats.

Design according to functionality

Another benefit of customising is that there are many design options achievable. The real USP (Unique Selling proposition) of subscription boxes is their instant appeal. Customers want their subscriptions to arrive in attractive boxes. Boring and standard boxes are no longer sufficient in fostering customer loyalty; the most important factor in ensuring subscription growth.

These are some of the criteria usually adopted at the design stage:

• A colourful mix of printed patterns and fonts. • Distinctive logos and names printed with print enhancing features. • Creative seals that are convenient to open and close multiple times. • Personalised messages. Customers value a brand that makes an effort to communicate with them. • Inclusion of essential product details such as expiry dates etc.

“ All customers enjoy added value to their shopping habits. The increased brand value attracts higher customer satisfaction and leads to increased subscriptions ”

All customers enjoy added value to their shopping habits. The increased brand value attracts higher customer satisfaction and leads to increased subscriptions. In contrast to this, standard boxes cannot as effectively package the required promotional items in specific boxes. These boxes are often too big and can inflate costs, furthermore, they do not add any extra appeal to the brand.

Advantages of outsourcing

Hiring a third-party box-maker has many advantages.

• It saves the effort of trying to design boxes for every customer’s demographic. • It lowers total packaging costs, as boxes are obtained in the desired sizes using optimum material quantities. • It guarantees that products will be delivered safely. Customised boxes are specifically made for each product and take into consideration their intrinsic nature in order to keep them safe. • Customisation also imparts a professional brand identity, as expert designers pitch their ideas to improve the subscription packaging’s overall appearance and impact.

An additional factor is that the boxes arrive precisely when needed. This avoids investment costs involved in new warehousing for storage. It also dispels with waiting times and saves the tying-up of a lot of in-house time and expense.

Conclusion

At SPN we can see the obvious benefits of customised subscription packaging. It may not suite all applications, however, for those who want to improve their branding and subscription packaging appeal, it is clearly the best way forward. No matter what the size of your business, or its chosen distribution channels, product categories, customer groups, or financial constraints, there is a subscription box waiting to enhance your products…and your profits.