Dropshippers know the importance of standing out from the crowd. With competitors selling similar products, they can’t stand to lose their distinct features.
For many dropshipping businesses, this comes in the form of special or custom packaging. It’s considered a key aspect by veteran dropshippers, but many have yet to understand its effect on customer satisfaction.
In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about special packaging and FAQs about it.
If you’re looking to get started on special packaging, this article will answer a lot of your questions.
Let’s get to it.
What Is Special Packaging?
Let’s begin with understanding what special packaging is for dropshipping.
Special—or custom—packaging is the type of packaging that’s designed with the business’ product and branding in mind. It’s more than just the supplier’s generic packaging for their dropshipping customers.
Some companies go through extensive research and development just to come up with the most suitable packaging for their product. To them, the packaging has to perfectly fit and protect their product.
But some companies put more focus on the physical features which include the logo, pattern, shapes, pictures, colors, and anything that can be seen with the naked eye.
Regardless, custom packaging is a company’s way to protect their product and make it stand out from the crowd.
Why You Need Special Packaging for Dropshipping
While it’s true that not all companies require special packaging, this type of packaging is indeed beneficial if you seek to differentiate yourself from the rest.
Brand awareness, unique customer experience, and customer attraction are top reasons why you should take that extra step.
Let’s explain those further in the succeeding sections:
Brand Awareness
Special packaging helps raise brand awareness because the customer immediately sees distinct features about your business.
One goal of customized packaging is making the business instantly recognizable. With key features incorporated into the packaging, customers can now recognize and differentiate your brand from the rest.
This should be noted because over 40% of consumers post their purchases if the packaging was memorable. That much free publicity should be a good reason to take your packaging to the next level.
Unique Customer Experience
A top reason behind the popularity of unboxing videos is product packaging. Brands have invested so much in their packaging, that customers now find it equally exciting to unbox their purchases.
A significant number of those who watch unboxing videos were even convinced to buy the product.
With that, it’s now important to keep in mind that packaging is an integral part of the customer experience. If they’ll find that experience enjoyable, it’ll be much easier to convince them to purchase again.
Customer Attraction
The majority of American consumers buy products because of the packaging design. It’s also fair to say that dropshipping customers repeat purchases because of the same reason.
Why? Because before they even get to see the actual product, they first have to remove its packaging.
Now, if the packaging is plain and forgettable, there’s really not much value added to the product. It’s just not that attractive. They can even just opt to purchase from another company that has better packaging.
To pull people in, you also have to make sure that the first layer of branding is attractive.
How to Get Custom Packaging for Dropshipping
The reasons above have probably convinced you to invest in special packaging for dropshipping. The only hurdle that remains is how to get started.
You can either look for a supplier that already offers the service in-house or find partners that can take care of it for you.
We’ll dive more into these options below.
Look for Suppliers with Custom Packaging Services
The easiest step to getting custom packaging for your dropshipping business is to find a supplier that also offers this service.
Once an order has been placed, the supplier can just pack the products immediately and have them shipped. So even if you can’t physically touch your product, you’ll know that it’s packed the way you want it to be.
Partner with A Branded Dropshipping Service
Another easy way to have custom packaging is to utilize a branded dropshipping service.
You can coordinate with an in-house agent to select manufacturers, confirm designs, and pack products according to your liking.
Most of the time, these partners also offer a variety of options for product packaging.
An example of this is NicheDropshipping Branded Dropshipping Service.
Coordinate Between Suppliers
One last option is to choose a separate packaging service to produce your custom packaging and have the packaging shipped to your suppliers.
You can coordinate between suppliers as to when the packages will be delivered, as this has to be considered in the delivery time.
To shorten the delivery time, It’s best if your product suppliers agree to house the packaging even before orders come in.
How to Design Custom Packaging
You can design custom packaging in just a few steps. Although the process is short, people take their time in coming up with the perfect design.
The steps are as follows:
- Step 1: Choose the appropriate type of packaging
- Step 2: Identify the materials for layers
- Step 3: Design each layer
- Step 4: Evaluating overall design
It’s best to start with choosing the appropriate type of packaging.
This includes deciding whether you’ll go for a box or a plastic bag and paper- or plastic-based packaging. Points to consider in this first step include the company’s overall branding and the preference of target customers.
Once that’s out of the way, it’s time to proceed to layers. Usually, products have two packaging layers. The outer layer, which are the boxes or plastic bags, and the inner layer, which are the fillers or packaging peanuts.
Each of these has to be relevant to the overall branding, so don’t just mix and match layers according to your liking. Definitely consider what message you want to convey and what experience you want to impart.
Now that you have a packaging structure, think of a design that encompasses all of these into one uniform design. From the logo placement to the colors of each layer, envision and design your ideal brand packaging.
Make sure all of them compliment and exude your branding.
Once satisfied, have the design evaluated by your peers, or customers. Keep what works and revise what doesn’t.
At the end of this entire process, you’ll get custom packaging that will differentiate you from your competitors.
FAQs on Dropshipping and Special Packaging
How to Get Custom Packaging on AliExpress?
Getting custom packaging on AliExpress can be done in a couple of ways:
- Find AliExpress suppliers that offer the service
- Use a private label dropshipping supplier
- Work with a dropshipping agent
All these three have different pros and cons. Let’s start with finding an AliExpress supplier that already offers the service. The fastest way to do it is by using the keywords “custom packaging” when you look for suppliers.
You might get lucky and immediately find one. But for some, this can take some time.
The other method uses a private label dropshipping supplier. You just simply find a dropshipping supplier and they’ll take care of it for you—from coordination to printing.
Lastly, you can opt to work with a dropshipping agent. If you’re wondering about the difference between a dropshipping agent and a supplier, agents are middlemen that can do everything for you, from sourcing to shipping plus more.
What Are Popular Examples of Custom Packaging?
Currently, the most popular examples of custom packaging include sustainable and minimalist packaging.
Sustainable packaging is eco-friendly packaging options such as paper and cardboard. These are also made from biodegradable recycled materials.
As an example, Amazon has encouraged its vendors to meet waste-efficient packaging standards, AKA sustainable packaging.
On the other hand, minimalist packaging refers to lesser features on the packaging. Fewer colors, distractions, and elements crowd the surface area.
Closing Words
Standing out has indeed become a bare minimum when it comes to dropshipping business. Special packaging is one of the best ways to achieve this, especially with competitors selling similar products.
Getting started with custom packaging can come easy if you choose the right partner. Give us a call and we’ll gladly help you with your custom packaging needs.
