When you think about shopping at your favorite retailer, what things move you about the experience? Is it the way the staff treats you? The products they sell? What about the way your purchases are packaged?

In writing a new On Hold Marketing script for a client who specializes in retail packaging, appropriately named Packaging Specialties, it struck me that packaging is an essential component of the brand’s value and an intrinsic part of a shopper’s experience.

Take Tiffany & Co. for example. It doesn’t matter what’s in that light aqua colored box tied with the white satin-faced ribbon. You know instantly that it came from Tiffany & Co. and that it will be special. But what if their packaging was a plain white cotton-filled box? There’s no magic in that presentation.

Think now about the purchases you’ve made recently. Have you purchased groceries? Clothing? Jewlery?

Your groceries were probably packaged in a generic two-handled plastic bag printed with the store’s logo and/or slogan, just like every other big-box store. There’s no magic in that generic plastic bag.

My favorite neighborhood grocer offers paper bags, and I don’t even recall if the bags feature the store’s logo.  ButI love those paper bags because they remind me of grocery shopping with my mom in the days before plastic became the popular, if not the only, option. Those simple brown bags reinforce the notion that Churchill’s is a simple neighborhood grocer– a place where you might not be able to get exotic spices, but where the cashier knows your name and remembers that you like apples. 

When you’re planning your packaging program, think about the nature of your business and the types of products you sell. Focus on how you want your customers to feel.

For luxe clothing boutiques, structured boxes, coordinating tissue and shiny Euro-totes with ribbon handles fit the packaging bill. Natural fiber bags printed with soy inks perfect for organic beauty stores.

These days, if you can think of it, someone can put your logo on it, so be thoughtful. Choose packaging that will make an impact and help your customers remember why they choose your store.