Packaging is often the very last thing that is considered in the rush to get a new idea to market. When it finally is considered it is relegated to the “EXPENSE” column of the financial statements and doomed to a perspective that cheapest is best.
So often buyers take the view; “I don’t want to spend money on a box that is just going to be thrown away!”
Here are four noteworthy unseen product costs, that are often overlooked from this perspective:
- Additional Packaging Labor Costs: All too often companies will add a “little bubble wrap here a few handfuls of popcorn there” without actually calculating the true cost of labour.
- New Business Opportunity Costs: Refusing to invest in branding on the shipping box, means none of the thousands of people who typically see your box in its life cycle, will know it’s YOUR product on the inside.
- Brand Positioning Costs: When a box arrives damaged the first impression with the customer is, “Why would an established professional company ship something like that- am I their first customer?”
- Costs of Damages: The return of the product, the loss of the product to damage, the disappointment of the recipient is all often lost in the equation of unit cost of an item.
Conversely, when a package arrives with the brand name on it, anticipation builds in the client. When the box is opened with contents that have safely made the journey, the anticipation transforms into a positive customer experience. One that meets expectations – and that is a wonderful first impression!