Brands/Products
Here is Why Packaging Matters for Your Business
It wouldn’t be wrong to state that packaging is a crucial determining factor in how your potential customers perceive your brand or company. That said, investing in high-quality produce packagers will help your brand get the attention of your target audience.
You might want to look at packaging from the buyer’s perspective as it will help you determine what will grab their attention and boost your sales. Think about this, you are entering a store and picking new products to take home – understandably, the first thing you will see on the shelf is the packaging before the product itself.
Here are crucial reasons why packaging matters and why you should never skimp on the product packaging:
Demonstrate Brand Identity
The better the packaging, the better you will connect with your target audience; however, you must ensure that the packaging creates a perfect impression of your business and the product(s) inside the packaging.
While designing the box and packaging of your products, you will want the packaging to serve as a reminder to your customers about your business and products. To incorporate brand identity in the product packaging, you might want to focus on the following aspects:
- A clear display of your business logo on the package/ box.
- Use of attractive colours, fonts, and brand trademarks.
- The box should have a good first impression on new customers.
- Ideally, the packaging should also rekindle old memories of your loyal customer base.
When it comes to effective packaging, you might want to ensure that everything that is written on the packaging is informative and things that your customers need to know.
Boost Customer Experience
You might have heard about the unboxing experience before – it is all over social media, where potential buyers share their unboxing experience with the world. That said, smart business owners use their product packaging and the subsequent unboxing experience as a marketing strategy.
As a newbie entrepreneur, you might want to think back to the days when you were a kid on Christmas. Remember those days when you would wake up really early and run to find your presents underneath the Christmas tree.
Reminiscing back, you might realize the excitement about the colourful presents that are elegantly wrapped, and as you tear them apart, it is pure thrill, excitement, and exhilaration going through your body.
Today, as an adult, you can get the same feeling when you come home and see a package on your doorstep – even when you know exactly what it is you are getting, there is still that level of excitement and bliss when you are unboxing it.
If you are an e-commerce brand and sell your products online, leveraging this emotion is an amazing way to leave a positive, long-lasting impression on your customer, especially when they are most receptive.
How to Create the Best Unboxing Experience
If we look at the packaging – we see that it is the first contact point for your customer, and quality packaging can lead customers to try out your contact for the first time. Therefore, it is most important that you leave a lasting positive first impression.
The first step to designing a perfect unboxing experience is the use of custom packaging. You might think of the box as your stage to present your product to your potential customers when it is opened.
The next part of creating a killer unboxing experience is what is inside the box, which isn’t just the product itself. You might want to print inside the box to add a level of luxury and a little touch of elegance, which is also a great way to say “thank you” and maybe keep a hidden message in there that is only for your customers.
The hidden message can be as simple as a thank you note – printed or handwritten. If you look at the note from the customer’s viewpoint, you will understand how empowering such a note can be by making your customers feel like they own a product. This is also a great way to add to the ideal unboxing experience.
Packaging as a Marketing Strategy
A good-quality box is great for an influencer\s unboxing video – another innovative digital marketing strategy you cannot ignore as a business owner. You need to create a great unboxing experience that is not just for the customer but also because there is a great chance that your product might end up in a social media influencer’s video.
Today’s consumers rely heavily on online product reviews before they buy them. Combine this fact with the fact that YouTube is the second-most popular search engine globally. And you might have already witnessed the role that unboxing videos play in forming an opinion about a product before someone buys the product.
So, if your product is going to end up in an unboxing video, your unboxing experience must be flawless.
Use Packaging to Provide Value
Some people believe that an unboxing experience is a waste of resources; however, the truth is that the best unboxing experiences are eco-friendly. Creating the best unboxing experience is that it is very easy to go overboard with an unboxing experience.
But a good unboxing experience is never about adding more stuff – on the contrary, a good unboxing experience is simply about delivering “more” value to your potential customers than they anticipate.
The product packaging and the unboxing experience are all about delivering more value according to your morals and brand’s value. A good unboxing experience might include the addition of discount vouchers and void fillers and other freebies into the box.
However, a good unboxing experience might also be something as simple as saying thanks and putting the thank you note inside the box.
The Takeaway
It doesn’t matter how attractive and high-quality your product is if you fail to do justice to the packaging. Many small business owners tend to skimp on the packaging while focusing on the product’s quality.
That said, as a business owner, never make the mistake of neglecting the significance of quality packaging.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Business-to-Business (B2B) e-Commerce platforms, such as Alerzo and Tradedepot facilitate faster product distribution for FMCG manufacturers like Unilever, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, PZ Cussons, Reckitt Benckiser, Dangote, Golden Penny, Dufil and Flour Mills.
No doubt digital technology is redefining manufacturing, distribution and retailing which in turn reflects on our day-to-day living. There have been and will continue to be shifts in the way several sectors of the economy operate as the rising emergence of Business-to-Customers (B2C) and B2B e-Commerce platforms in Nigeria typifies how digital technology is driving the marketplace.
After the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, Technology Revolution energised by information and communication technology or digital technology is another big wave that has had an unmatched impact on the world’s social and economic landscape in the 21st century.
At present, e-Commerce is helping manufacturers, distributors and the retail segment of the Nigerian economy to reach their customers faster, deepen market penetration and reach remote locations more easily.
Mr Adewale Opaleye, CEO of Alerzo, a B2B e-Commerce platform, said his company’s mission is to empower the nation’s $100 million worth retail segment through digital products by equipping them to run as profitable and sustainable businesses.
To this end, the role of tech-driven B2B e-Commerce platforms is especially profound in their support for manufacturers, distributors and retailers by enabling efficient Factory-to-Retail distribution for food and consumer goods companies, thereby helping to bridge disruptions in the supply chain.
Manufacturers and business owners no longer have to wait for customers to walk to the shelf or market stall to buy products, as they are daily meeting buyers and prospective users of their goods and services in the digital space, providing them with convenience and uptaking positive user experience.
Through working with fintech companies, payment solutions and financial services providers, B2B e-Commerce companies impact the national economy by deepening financial inclusion and bridging the gap for the unserved and underserved.
The international economy continues to grow even as the COVID pandemic fades. New businesses are sprouting up across the board, and every sector—especially fashion and beauty—is becoming increasingly congested with brands.
An estimate from the Census Bureau showed that 2020, the year of COVID and lockdowns, was also recorded to have birthed 4.4 million startups.
The present issue for entrepreneurs is not just establishing a business but also figuring out how to differentiate it from competitors and grow it until it becomes a force in that sector. And branding is the most potent weapon that any entrepreneur can use to address this situation.
After assisting over 30,000 customers in selecting the appropriate name for their businesses, we know that the most vital phase in branding is selecting the perfect business name. And so, we prepared this article to help you choose the perfect name for your beauty company.
4 Simple Steps to Choosing the Best Business Name
- Create a Mental Image of Your Company
Before you start looking for an engaging name, you should have a clear image of where you would like your business to be in the future since this will influence every action you take for your brand.
Also, do your best to understand everything you can about your business, its field of speciality in the beauty market, and the beauty industry in general, as this will help you choose a name that appropriately expresses all aspects of your organization.
While researching your niche, keep an eye out for your competitors’ offerings, branding, and marketing strategies. This will help you determine what will or will not work and what you will have to do to draw the attention of your target demographic.
But beyond helping you find a name for your beauty business, having a clear mental image of your products and their grand purpose would make it easier for you to find compelling beauty product names.
- Choose an Appealing Tone
The best way to choose a name that effectively expresses your company’s true identity is to ensure it has the right tone that communicates positively and draws a favourable reaction from your target demographic.
One of the simplest methods to do this is to conduct comprehensive consumer research and uncover what precise characteristics your beauty firm must exhibit if it is to attract its potential customers. This awareness can help you decide whether the appropriate tone for your organization is a:
- Intriguing
- Prestigious
- Fun and playful
- Identify Your Brand’s Elements
Most founders focus so heavily on their brand’s tone that they forget to identify and build their secondary elements. These elements are vital because they serve as the core of your brand’s image. They’d brilliantly reflect your company’s distinct identity and personality if executed properly.
So, take out a pen and paper and jot down your thoughts about your company:
- Big ideas: What big ideas are your company championing?
- Values: What values does your company support?
- Benefits: What perks do customers stand to receive from you?
- Emotions: Which powerful emotion(s) do you want your customers to associate with your company?
- Value proposition: What distinguishes your beauty business from other competitors?
- Develop Concise Naming Requirements and Begin Brainstorming
Everything we’ve stated so far will help you identify your naming needs and build solid naming criteria for your brand. Establishing your naming criteria will offer you a good sense of the best type of name for your beauty brand.
Once you’ve determined the best type of name for your brand, it’s time to let your creative energy flow and begin searching dictionaries and thesauruses for words that match your company’s naming needs.
While searching, create a list of short, unique, engaging, memorable, and even symbolic words that will help your company stand out in the beauty sector. The goal should be to generate a detailed list of prospective brand names.
And if brainstorming proves too time-consuming and challenging, you can always use a powerful brand name generator to pick the best name that matches your business’s needs.
Make a Great Impression With a Quality Name
As you brainstorm, keep in mind that customers are drawn to companies with exciting brand names. Why? Because companies with distinct and interesting names, such as Oriflame, Avon, REN, and Urban Decay, are very memorable, and customers can quickly remember and suggest them to friends and family.
Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients such as Nestle, Dell, Nuskin, and AutoNation.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has said that Nigeria will earn $2 billion in advertising within three years of the conclusion of the ongoing reform in the creative industry and advertising sector.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, in Abuja at a technical session of the Task Team on Audience Measurement inaugurated by the government.
Mr Mohammed said the N400 million the country was currently earning from advertising was unacceptable and reiterated the position of the task team to increase it to the targeted level.
He said with the conclusion of the reform process, the entire creative industry would never be the same again, commending the team’s efforts in ushering in a time of great prosperity for the entire creative sector.
“The metrics and data you will be putting together, the Standards of Practice on receipts and payments, and the media monitoring service powered by technology for real-time performance evaluation will create transparency and an enabling environment for all to thrive and be prosperous.
“What most, if not all have always asked for is a level playing field in our great country of more than 200 million people, over 500 radio and television channels, with at least 24 million TV households with the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa.
“I hear you are also working on a sustainable content development plan to ensure a win-win for Content Creators, Production companies and TV and radio broadcasters.
“This is music to my ears and is exactly what Mr President promised when we came into government – reforms that will touch and improve the lives of the common Nigerian man,” he said.
The Minister said that the reform process would also unlock the one million job opportunities in the potential of the creative industry.
He assured that the government would assist with required regulations and open the doors for funding donors to make the reform a success.
According to Mr Mohammed, the government will create a conducive business environment for all the international advertisers and agencies to rush to do business in the country.
The Chairman of the Task Team, Mr Tolu Ogunkoya, in his remarks, thanked the Minister for his vision and passion for the industry and for his presence at the technical session.
He assured that the committee would work hard to meet the November target for the completion of the exercise, noting that the practitioners, including members of the task team, would be the ultimate beneficiaries of the reform process.
Mr Ogunkoya said upon successful completion of the project with its multiplier effects on the industry, the name of Mr Mohammed would be written in gold.
