Personalized insert cards in particular work well for creative entrepreneurs, crafters, and homebased sellers — not only are they affordable, many shoppers appreciate the thoughtful details that go into these cards. Moreover, these “extras” help them stand out in a crowded market, as larger-scale companies typically don’t use them, and when they do, the cards tend to lack a personal touch.
In this article, we discuss the three most popular and versatile packaging insert cards that can help Etsy sellers and small business owners enhance customer experience, build brand loyalty, and encourage repeat business.
Thank You Cards
A personalized thank you card is the simplest and least expensive packaging insert card that shows your gratitude to customers for supporting your business. This thoughtful gesture can humanize your brand and help build brand loyalty.
This packaging insert card also lets you showcase your other products, share your website and social media handles, and offer promo codes and discounts.
Content and Design Tips
- Greet your customers by name.
- Express your gratitude and be specific about why you enjoy your experience with them.
- Encourage future interactions with them, whether it’s via social media or by leaving a review.
Care Cards or Instruction Cards
Care instruction packaging inserts offer benefit to both customers and brands. They enhance customer experience, strengthen brand professionalism, curb customer complaints, and help prevent damage from incorrect use of products.
Clear and well-written instruction cards also help educate customers on how to properly use and maintain the product, which in turn saves you money by minimizing the probability of product returns due to damage.
Content and Design Tips
- Create numbered or bullet lists to make the instructions easy to follow.
- Use simple language when writing your care copy.
- Incorporate icons or diagrams, if needed.
- Always include contact information for inquiries and issues.
- For more complex instructions, use QR codes to guide users to video tutorials or product registration, and make sure that the QR codes work before you print.
- Save on printing costs by including thank you notes on the reverse side of your care or instruction cards.
Product Review Cards
If you want to gather customers’ feedback and have a better understanding of market trends, you can add a product review card to the packaging. Encourage them to leave an honest review on your online shop or share their experience on social media and to tag you.
A mix of honest feedback (including not glowing ones) can help build a more authentic and transparent brand image than a review page with perfect scores. Ultimately, it will help you get better at improving your product and your customers’ experience with your brand.
Content and Design Tips
- Encourage customers to leave honest and detailed reviews.
- Use a simple, clear call-to-action like “Review Us,” “Join Our Community,” or “Follow Us.”
- Avoid offering incentives, like discount codes, to get honest feedback.
- Consider using QR codes for easy access to online review pages.
6 Tips for Success When Using Packaging Insert Cards
There are best practices that apply to all packaging insert cards, even though they come in all shapes and sizes and have different functions.
- Use a compact size. The standard postcard size (4" x 6”) is a popular option because it offers enough space for a simple message and fits well in most packaging.
- Keep it concise. Use simple language and a clear and scannable message.
- Match design with your brand aesthetics. Your packaging inserts’ style, color, and tone should match your overall brand identity.
- Work with a pro. Professional printers like UPrinting offer extensive customization options and special finishes like foil stamping and UV Spot, which are not possible with DIY printing.
- Consider custom shapes. Use custom-shaped insert cards to reflect your brand identity.
- Use the correct QR code size. If you’re including a QR code in your design, it needs to be at least 0.8” x 0.8” for easy and quick scanning. Also, there should be a white space around this element, at least 0.25”, to allow the scanner to distinguish it from the surrounding text.
Well-designed packaging insert cards can help transform a standard product delivery into a memorable and pleasant unboxing experience that encourages repeat business and fosters customer loyalty.
If you want to add personalized touches to your packaging to make customers feel valued and appreciated, UPrinting can help you achieve this goal. We offer a wide range of customizable promotional and packaging inserts, including thank you cards, flyers, sales sheets, brochures, postcards, kiss-cut stickers, and catalogs.
