By Splash Packaging TeamHoliday Packaging, Packaging Resources, Retail, Sustainability in the Packaging Industry

E-Commerce Packaging Ideas for Etsy Sellers

Etsy has become an amazing marketplace for crafty and creative people to sell their vintage and handmade items. However, Etsy’s rise in popularity has made it an extremely competitive space. Where initially packaging may not have mattered much in the small marketplace, now it is becoming more and more important to maintain a positive brand image with unique and recognizable packaging.

Setting your Etsy store apart with creative, unique, and thoughtful packaging is a great way to stay competitive and gain loyal customers. There are many ways to put together creative e-commerce packaging for your items that don’t need to be expensive or time consuming.

Use Unique Box Fillers

Filling a box seems like it would be an easy task, but it can be difficult to find box filling materials that are stylish and effective at protecting your items. There are many options for box fillers ranging from packing paper and bubble wrap, to confetti shred and tissue paper. Tissue paper and confetti shred come in the widest variety of colors and designs so you can tailor it to your overall branding. There are also types of heavyweight packing paper, commonly in natural colors, that are great for protecting your items for shipment. You can even create your own box filler by shredding your own tissue paper or using fabric or other materials.

Protection should be your number one priority for your items, so choose your filler material wisely. Many companies use a technique of double packaging with a protective layer inside their shipping boxes. This can include putting a box or bag inside your shipping box, or individually wrapping items with a protective layer. Be sure to leave no room in the shipping box for products to get jumbled around, as that’s often how things get broken.

For soft good items where you don’t have to worry as much about shipping damage, you can tailor your interior packaging to be more stylish and aesthetically pleasing. Usually some tissue paper or paper shred can be sufficient for packaging soft goods while also offering a huge amount of color and design options.

Personalize Your Shipment

Personalizing your e-commerce packaging is a great way to excite and inspire your customers. Personalization can be done in many ways, some are very inexpensive and some require a bit of investment.

To personalize the inside of your packaging, you can include a hand written note, free samples, free candy or other fun add-ins, or wrap your products in tissue and seal with a custom printed sticker or label. You can create your own custom labels at home with special sticker paper and a quality printer, or you can contact a company who produces them.

Hand written notes have become very popular for small sellers, as a way to really connect with their customers and acknowledge the fact that every single order is special to them. Depending on the culture of your brand and products, your hand written notes can be sincere and sweet or silly and funny.

Free samples are also a great way to keep customers interested in your products and give them a sample of what products they could try next. You can tailor free samples to what you think a customer might like based on what they have ordered. Some companies offer samples with certain dollar amount purchases and let their customers choose the sample. Either way, offering samples is a great way to promote repurchases from first time and loyal customers.

If you want to take things a step further, you can order your e-commerce packaging custom printed with your logo and design, along with whatever information or fun accents you want to include. This requires a bit more of a financial commitment, but can be worth it to enhance your branding.

Create Insta-Worthy Photo Ops

With the rise of Instagram sharing and unboxing, having a good product presentation is more important than ever. When customers open your e-commerce package, they should feel like it’s worth sharing with their friends and followers. This is especially important for small sellers that are looking to reach a larger audience on social media.

Having unique packaging can create a better unboxing experience for your customers, and make them more likely to share your products on social media. You can even host contests and giveaways that encourage your customers to share their products and packaging on social media in exchange for a coupon or chance to win a prize.

Having memorable and shareable e-commerce packaging can start with the exterior box or the interior of the shipping box. Business owners on a budget usually focus on the interior of the box, because shipping boxes can be expensive to customize. When a customer first opens your box, they should be greeted with a visually intriguing display and your brand name. To do this, you can place your products in boxes, bags, or wrapped in tissue and place a card or sticker with your brand name on a visible area.

Promote Your Brand

It’s really important for small sellers to encourage brand recognition, when customers remember your branding they are more likely to make repeat purchases. If you’re on a tight budget, there are many inexpensive ways to brand your packaging.

With e-commerce packaging, you can use labels, stickers, or stamps to brand the exterior or interior of your shipping boxes and bags. You can also use stickers or labels to seal tissue paper wraps around your products. Using a home printer, or print shop, you can create small postcards or business cards, stickers, labels, and more.

An important choice to make when branding your packaging is choosing a logo that is recognizable and unique, and choosing signature colors and styles that truly represent your brand and products. Stick to a signature style with your packaging products to help create a brand image that competes with larger, more established companies.

If you are ready to take the next step and order packaging that is custom printed or hot-stamped with your logo or design, a company like Morgan Chaney can help you develop a program of packaging that fits with your needs and budget.

Keep it Eco-Friendly

Many consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impact that shipped products have, but when a business has no storefront there is no other way to get the products. To counteract your environmental impact, make sure your shipping bags and boxes are reusable and/or recyclable. Also consider using reusable packaging like cotton drawstring pouches, or reusable gift boxes, in your packaging. Although large retailers mainly use bubble wrap or plastic air cushioning, there are many recyclable paper or biodegradable options that work just as well.

Luckily most packaging products are made eco-friendly already, as the factories that make them utilize recycled material in most paper and plastic packaging manufacturing. But when buying packaging, always check that it is made with recycled content and whether or not it is recyclable. You can even ask your customers to be conscious about reusing or recycling your e-commerce packaging.