How to add a little love to your packaging this Valentine's Day

This Valentine’s Day, ensure your customers fall in love with your brand, too. Make your packaging a key part of your marketing strategy to ensure you deliver the “wow” factor that will bring them back to your business again and again. Here are some ideas to consider.   

10 tips for your packaging this Valentine’s Day

1. It’s what’s on the outside that counts

Don’t miss an opportunity to sell your brand before the customer even opens the package. The exterior of the gift box is a blank canvas to which you can add your business’s logo, social media handles, and some copy to build excitement.

2. Deliver unboxing magic

This is the big moment…the unveiling that should make customers feel they’ve got something really special in front of them – there’s a reason unboxing videos are so popular on social media. Pay attention to every detail – think beautiful tissue paper, ribbons and stickers.

3. It doesn’t all have to be pink!

Consider which colors best compliment your brand, or give your customers the option to choose the packaging colors at checkout.

4. Make it personal

E-commerce customers value personalization – in fact, 75% of consumers are more likely to make repeat purchases from personalized brands¹. This is especially true for Valentine’s Day gifts, so be sure to allow your customers to include a personal note for the recipient with their purchase.  

5. Send a little love  

Include a thank-you card within the gift box to make customers feel valued – extra points if it’s handwritten! Take inspiration from Australian eco brand Flora and Fauna²: the company’s team members put on their creative hats and author poems, jokes and drawings for customers to enjoy in their packages.

6. Use sustainable packaging  

Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of e-commerce packaging. Prioritize sustainable, recyclable materials, and pack your items smartly – sending out small orders wrapped in reams of packaging is wasteful and risks your brand being shamed by unhappy customers online! Encourage your customers to send any returns in the same packaging, too.

7. Add a free gift

Packaging inserts are a nice little extra that will delight customers and promote loyalty to your brand. You could include samples of other products from your range that you think the customer might like, or use the opportunity to get rid of some leftover stock.

8. Consider reversible packaging

Reversible shipping boxes with designs on the inside can be turned inside-out and used again as gift boxes – a fun and sustainable idea for your customers.

9. Padding doesn’t have to be ugly

Traditional filler types for delicate shipments such as bubble wrap and packing peanuts aren’t the most attractive, and definitely don’t give a “premium” feel. Crinkle paper and natural wood excelsior are nice alternatives – and better for the environment!

10. Make it interactive

Research has shown that when consumers engage with brand storytelling, they undergo deeper cognitive processing and experience heightened positive emotions³. So, an interactive element to your packaging – such as a QR code that links to a personal video – will have a lasting impact.

After the packaging comes the shipping. Open a DHL Express Business Account to give your customers the fast, reliable service they expect.