Custom boxes are not just about giving your packaging a professional look but also enhancing product protection and reducing shipping costs and waste.

Custom boxes also play a critical role in customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Now, more than ever, consumers demand eco-friendly, personalized packaging with specific features that deliver a memorable unboxing experience.

Here’s a breakdown of what people want from custom boxes. Knowing their preferences can help you design your packaging in a way that can turn shoppers into loyal customers.

1. Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Materials

A 2020 consumer sentiment survey published by McKinsey showed that 55 percent of US consumers were “very concerned” about the environmental impact of product packaging. Thus, custom boxes made from recycled, renewable, or biodegradable materials align with their values.

Brands that use custom boxes made from eco-friendly materials show their commitment to reducing their environmental impact. This move can enhance brand loyalty and boost sales, as many consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products and packaging.

However, eco-friendly packaging is not just about using sustainable and eco-friendly materials. Sometimes, it’s also about using less material to minimize waste and environmental impact.

2. Memorable Unboxing Experience

A thoughtfully designed custom box reflects brand identity and creates excitement and emotional connection with customers. Simply put, it takes more than fancy packaging to deliver a memorable unboxing experience.

Shoppers generally appreciate personal touches like handwritten messages and “unexpected” additions (such as small gifts and free samples) because they show a brand’s attention to detail and gratitude toward customers.

3. Personalized Messages

Customers appreciate product packaging with a personalized message because it shows a company’s effort in building a genuine relationship with them.

Custom boxes with personalized messages also add emotional value to a product and create a human connection, thus encouraging social sharing.

It is important to use personalized messages that reflect your brand’s voice and tone (Is it playful, formal, friendly, or something in between?) Also, consider including the customer’s name or special occasion, if applicable.

Although you can use simple thank-you notes, consider more elaborate and product-focused messages like “We hope you’ll love using it for years to come,” “We created this just for you,” and “We hope you love it!”

4. Excellent Print Quality and Brand Messaging

Customers love it when brands pay close attention to packaging and associate visually appealing custom boxes with positive experience and premium products.

High-quality packaging has vibrant, high-resolution prints that allow the brand’s messaging (i.e., a company’s value, mission, and personality) to shine through.

By contrast, blurry or faded prints on custom boxes can make them look cheap, even if they contain premium products.

5. Customization and Personalization

Customized and personalized boxes create an emotional connection that increases customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. People have an inherent desire to be recognized and appreciated, so seeing their name or receiving a personal message creates a feeling of exclusivity — as if the product was made “especially for them.”

Personalized packaging also reinforces your brand identity, helping customers recognize your brand even before they open it.

6. Size and Fit Optimization

Customers love perfectly sized boxes because they offer better protection for the product and deliver a visually appealing presentation. Additionally, right-sized packaging means less mess and clutter, which is important to eco-conscious shoppers.

Many customers don’t like opening oversized packaging containing undersized items because it can be misleading — i.e., it makes the products look bigger than they actually are. Also, excessive packaging or filler means more waste to dispose of, leading to a less satisfying unboxing experience.

7. Convenience and Ease of Opening

Consumers value speed and simplicity, which well-designed custom boxes can deliver. After all, easy-to-open packaging often eliminates the need for scissors or knives and gives quick access to the product.

These custom boxes may also feature smart lock mechanisms to reduce waste (since there is no or minimal need to use tapes and sealers) and to prevent people from damaging the products due to incorrect or forceful unboxing.

8. Reusability and Multi-Functionality

Many consumers care about the environment and want to reduce their carbon footprint. Thus, they appreciate reusable and multi-functional custom boxes that they can repurpose as planters, storage boxes, keepsake boxes, and toys. Boxes with built-in dividers or compartments can also be used as organizers.

When companies use custom boxes that can be repurposed, customers feel they are getting more for their money. This increases their satisfaction and brand loyalty.

9. Transparency and Label Information

Clear and honest labeling shows that a business has nothing to hide. Customers also appreciate it when they can easily access relevant information about a product because it enhances their shopping experience.

Aside from building trust with customers, brands that pay close attention to their labels increase the perceived value of their products and services.

10. Materials with a Unique Texture

People remember how packaging feels in their hands, from soft-touch matte and embossed logos to the slightly unrefined texture of kraft paper. These unusual textures can make the unboxing experience feel extra special.

Customers know if a brand has gone the extra mile when it created its packaging, so they appreciate custom boxes with intentional and thoughtful designs.

11. Visually Pleasing Designs

People love custom boxes with visually appealing designs because they tap into the emotional and psychological side of shopping. In addition, they are more likely to photograph and share well-designed packaging on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Social sharing and user-generated content are free marketing that offers a wide range of benefits, from higher conversion rates and improved customer satisfaction to enhanced brand authority and increased brand awareness.

12. Security and Tamper-Evident Features

Many shoppers are concerned about product integrity and authenticity, so they appreciate it when brands use custom boxes with tamper-proof features, such as security seals and QR codes.

Tamper-proof custom boxes are especially important for food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other products ingested or applied to the body.

13. Value Perception

Customers often assume they will get high-quality products if they see well-designed custom boxes, even if they haven’t opened them yet.

Also, shoppers who need gifts for their loved ones prefer buying products in visually appealing boxes because they don’t have to spend time and effort adding a touch of elegance to the packaging.

10. Materials with a Unique Texture

People remember how packaging feels in their hands, from soft-touch matte and embossed logos to the slightly unrefined texture of kraft paper. These unusual textures can make the unboxing experience feel extra special.

Customers know if a brand has gone the extra mile when it created its packaging, so they appreciate custom boxes with intentional and thoughtful designs.

Shoppers love thoughtfully designed boxes because they deliver a convenient and memorable unboxing experience rather than just being functional. The use of high-quality packaging also shows that a brand values its customers.

If you’re ready to print custom boxes that can impress your customers, check out UPrinting boxes templates to help you create visually appealing, functional, and brand-centric packaging. You can use these templates for mailer boxes, product boxes, folding cartons, shipping boxes, and wine mailer boxes.

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