How To Choose The Right Packaging Material For Your Products

September 14, 2022 Box Material

Packaging material is any material, wrapper, or container used to protect and handle products in the box. It is the main tool for branding and product presentation in the retail market.

Key Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing Your Products’ Packaging Materials:

Calculate Your Packaging Budget
Considering Product Storage And Shipping
Analyze and Compare Nature Of Materials
Sustainability Of Product Packaging
Consider Product Marketing Aspects
Provision Of Good Unboxing Experience

Choosing the right material for your product packaging is quite a complex task because it can impact your brand authority and business success in the competition.

What Are Different Types Of Product Packaging Materials?

Different packaging materials are available in the market for encasing different products. Some types of material used for packaging products are:

Paper-Based Kraft Material
Cardboard Boxes
Rigid Packaging Boxes
Bux Board
Folding Cartons
Corrugated Fiberboard
Chipboard Packaging
Plastic Wraps
Aluminum Foils
Stretch Film
Shrink Film
Polybags
Roll Bags
Bundling Film
Seal Bands
Flexible Pouches
Strapping Materials
Skin Packaging Films
Blister Packaging
Clamshells
Foam (Polyurethane)
Plastic Bottles
Aluminum Cans
Glass Jars
And many other packaging materials

You can choose any packaging material for your product packaging with different additional elements to make your dream custom boxes.

First of all, you must consider your industry while deciding on a packaging material for your product encasing. Whether you own an e-commerce business, cosmetic brand, or food chain, your material will depend on your product nature, characteristics, and requirements.

Calculate Your Packaging Budget

It would be best for your brand to keep an eye on your packaging budget and calculate it with the help of measuring product weightage, size, and characteristics. Knowing the cost of your encasing material and products’ shipping will benefit you. Different factors influence the overall price of a packaging material that depends on your choices.

So, if you have any confusion regarding deciding on the right material for your products’ packaging remaining in your budget; you do not need to worry as, in this guide, we are going to tell you hidden facts about custom boxes that can save you a lot of money; you can get custom packaging materials at an economical cost.

Brand owners think that expensive and high-quality packaging materials create quality product packaging and provide a good experience to the customers. In addition, customers are willing to pay extra money for premium quality packaging. Sturdy and rigid boxes need extra material and embellishments to produce quality product packaging during storage and shipping, which increases the overall cost of the packaging material.

On the other hand, you can opt for cost-efficient materials, such as folding cartons, for product packaging with a high-class feel.

Flexible folding cartons are the best alternatives to rigid packaging boxes. They are easily foldable and shipped flat in bulk, saving a considerable cost for brands. This material produces extensive opportunities for striking color printing, finishing with other aesthetic features that make them more lucrative for buyers.

Choosing the right custom packaging material is a key strategy to fulfill your product storage and transit needs on a specific and limited budget.

Considering Product Storage And Shipping

If you know your product’s life cycle, you can choose the right packaging material for fragile items as well as durable products. Your product life cycle includes factors such as:

Product storage
Stock distribution
Delivery destinations
Retail market display

Packaging, storing, distributing, and shipping your products’ packaging are important things to consider while choosing the product materials. Considering these elements is essential to securely land your products in your target customers’ hands.

Varieties Of Packaging Materials For Retail Goods

There are different varieties of packaging materials available in the market for producers. If your product is fragile, expensive, delicate, and luxurious, then you definitely need sturdy and protective material for packaging your products, like rigid boxes and corrugated material with different strength levels, and customized according to a particular product need.

Rigid Material

The rigid material is sturdy enough to protect the products. This cardstock allows extensive opportunities for color printing that make the product packaging striking for onlookers. You can customize this material into any shape, size, and style. That is a perfect option for delicate and gift products’ packaging, and you can embellish your custom rigid boxes with aesthetic elements and enticing artwork.

The production of structuring of rigid boxes is costly compared to other packaging materials. Though, they can attract customers to your products with eye-grabbing printed designs and communicate with consumers in the right way. Custom rigid packaging boxes provide users with a good experience and pleasing feel. This way, the rigid material helps brands boost their sales quickly.

According to statistics, 61% of consumers say they are inclined to repeat the purchase of a luxury item if it comes in premium packaging. Consequently, rigid packaging boxes (set-up boxes) are also known as luxurious and premium quality boxes that can attract buyers to the branded products. In addition, the rigid packaging material is less eco-friendly than cardboard and Kraft paper materials due to the application of protective coating, lamination, and PVC.

Corrugated Fiberboard

Corrugated fiberboard, also known as corrugated cardboard, is made from three layers of brown Kraft paper stock. It is the most common type of product packaging on the globe.

Custom corrugated boxes are the perfect option for e-commerce businesses due to their thickness level, lightweight, lower shipping cost, seamless customization, recyclability, and durability. These features make them the perfect packaging material for shipping products and their encasing. They provide exceptional support and protection to any retail product.

Moreover, corrugated material is also used in the food industry for different edible products’ packaging, such as pizza and cakes. It is a highly used material for products shipping worldwide. The corrugated packaging boxes allow exterior as well as interior printing.

According to a survey by Statista, corrugated packaging’s value in the global market is expected to touch $294 billion US dollars by 2023.

Cardboard Material

White cardboard material is the best option for product display in retail stores. Custom Cardboard Boxes are lightweight and eco-friendly stock like Kraft Boxes that you can get at a competitive price. In addition, this material allows for fascinating printing on it and can attract customers to the products.

If you customize cardboard boxes well, considering your product needs, specifications, and customer preferences, you can increase your product promotion better than your competitors in the highly competitive market. 67% of American customers prefer paper-based and cardboard packaging (Ipsos).

So this way, you can decide about choosing your product packaging material considering your product specs and requirements and manage your product packaging budget accordingly.

Furthermore, retailers consider different factors regarding product packaging, like they see if they have space to stock and store the products or not. They prefer a product that suits their store conditions and storage capacity. So, customizing the box structure is also important for brands with product material choices.

Folding Carton Packaging

A folding carton is the best option for lightweight products’ packaging. You can customize them in different ways considering your style, design, and printing preferences, making them attractive for retail shoppers. In addition, there are many advantages of using Custom Folding Carton Boxes.

Some Of The Folding Cartons’ Prominent Benefits Are:

Allow color printing and alluring finishes
Cost-effective and economical option
100% durable, handy and recyclable
Nature-friendly and biodegradable
Best for lightweight product packaging

Whereas, Their Drawbacks Are:

They are not perfect for heavier and delicate items
No ideal option for e-commerce packaging

Recycled Buxboard Boxes

There are many other product packaging material boxes available in the market, like buxboard boxes and chipboard boxes. Bux board is an eco-friendly material made from recycled paper material which is used for different food packaging like cereal boxes and delivering products directly to retail shops. The buxboard packaging is the perfect option to give die-cut shapes to the product box.

Furthermore, custom buxboard boxes are a cost-effective packaging option for a large variety of products and can be easily customized into any size, style, and shape.

Chipboard Packaging Boxes

Custom chipboard boxes are the perfect option for delicate products’ packaging items. Chipboard, also known as particle board, resembles cardboard, but it is not corrugated like cardboard and is not hollow. Chipboard packaging is based on rigid paperboard made from recycled paper pressed into different thicknesses.

The chipboard material is available in different levels of strength (density). Custom chipboard packaging is sustainable and is a perfect idea for retail brands to wrap their various products with full security.

Sustainability Of Product Packaging

It is important to know that customers nowadays are more conscious about sustainability in the packaging material. They prefer buying products packaged in eco-friendly and biodegradable boxes. Many top-level brands have shifted to sustainable and green packaging boxes for their products. Moreover, manufacturers are using recycled packaging boxes to cut down packaging waste in the ecosystem.

It is essential to clarify that customers are giving more preference to eco-friendly packaging material over money to save the planet from hazardous and damaging elements. 49% of consumers do agree to pay more money for eco-friendly packaging (Ipsos).

Customers are willing to pay more money for the products that come into eco-friendly product boxes. So, you can invest in these packaging boxes without any hassle.

Consider Product Marketing Aspects

Considering your target market and consumers’ age group, gender, and region while choosing your packaging material can benefit your brand more than you think. With the right custom packaging box material, you can satisfy your customers and promote your products among your customers, growing your business fast in the competitive market. Furthermore, you can add lucrative finishes and artwork to your custom product boxes, keeping different factors in mind.

To promote your products in the market, you can create astonishing custom display boxes with cardboard material having unique customization and colorful printing. You can add additional detail about your product and brand on your product boxes. This way, you can not only promote your products in the competitive retail market but also beat your competitors in your competition and strengthen your standing in the market.

Provision Of Good Unboxing Experience

It is understood that product packaging is the first interaction with target customers for brands. The packaging is what enhances the overall experience of a product. You can see plenty of content regarding product unboxing on social media in different formats, such as videos on YouTube and unboxing images on Instagram. These platforms play a key role in guiding potential customers about a specific product and making their minds to purchase a product or ignore it. In other words, the unboxing experience impacts packaging customers’ buying behavior more than we think.

Attractive packaging will urge customers to try the product and share their experiences on social platforms. This way, you can get free-of-cost advertisements and promotion of your products among your target customer base and boost your brand recognition in the market.

So, manufacturers must choose the packaging material that provides customers with a happy user experience. People prefer to get easy-to-use and easy-to-unbox products when they go shopping. That’s why, to make your product boxes convenient to use, you can structure them well considering the product type, add handles and use window pathing to allow customers to see the product inside the box and securely carry them to their target destinations.

In addition, you can add other add-on options on product boxes like magnetic closure, window die-cut, inserts, and small product separations. These add-on options can provide the perfect unboxing experience to consumers and satisfy them with your brand.

When product packaging comes to additional finishes, then matte/glossy laminations and foil stamping can help attract customers to your branded items as well as protect the products from hazardous environmental factors. This way, you can create a memorable product unboxing experience. Rigid material allows extensive opportunities for these embellishments that make a product box exceptional.

In short, you need to consider different package design ideas and add-on feature options especially for gift boxes while choosing your packaging material. The material is the first step to creating customized packaging boxes for your products.

Last Words!

Still not confirmed about what packaging material fits your products? Get in touch with CustomBoxesMarket now, send us a quote, and share your ideal packaging designs with requirements! We will create top-notch custom printed boxes using the suitable packaging material for your products and make your branded goods outshine in the retail marketplace, remaining within your budget.