most of The headphones that people used 20 years ago were black. In 2001, a visionary, Steve Jobs decided to make a few whites to sell them together to a new product: the iPod. Since then, the founder of Apple got that, for years, the headphones-white, they should be associated exclusively to your company. The idea was so powerful that other manufacturers were not slow to copy it, and began to distribute their own models with other colors.

The creator of the famous Mac showed that enhancing the image of a brand and attracting customers can be done through small details and everyday actions to be exploited. Beyond the sector, of the product or of the inventiveness of the entrepreneur, in a world where e-commerce begins to reach figures that a decade ago were unthinkable, and where there is an intermediary human to sell the virtues of the product, there is a common element to any company that concentrates in itself all the possibilities to achieve that less is more: packaging.

"The first physical contact that has the buyer over the Internet with the store is when the package arrives home. With the packaging conveys the value that, as a trade mark, give to the product that you just deliver. Reason that a good packaging and differentiation –whether in design, materials or functionality– going to improve satisfaction", explains the expert in digital marketing José Gómez-Zorrilla. These methods, known in English as branding and packaging experience, has become in the world of e-commerce in one of the new pathways to customer loyalty. And not only thanks to the careful presentation of the package: also for the practicality they offer some models to facilitate the returns or because the material with which they are made contributes to the environment. In addition, for its cost-effectiveness in the long term, marketing experts point out that the packaging will be one of the pillars of Internet shopping of the future.

Two unique presentations to 'engage'

1. The box, the first visual impact

When a person receives a package at home, the first thing you expect to see is something that identifies that what you bought is correct and not an error has occurred in sending, so that the first visual impact should be of a design that bears the mark of the manufacturer. Not only for reasons of marketing: the customer recognizes immediately what was acquired few days ago by the Internet will cause the first positive point of the experience of the purchase, to know that the package has arrived on time and has not been lost. "The colors and their visual impact are fundamental. For two reasons: they generate emotions and connect with the brand and its identity," explains the engineer, design expert Nicola Cerantola in the report The packaging as a marketing element, prepared by the Centro Superior de diseño IED Madrid.

Next to the colors, the logo of the company should be present, because that will be the hallmark of so much of their products as to what they represent. Here, the best thing is that the simplicity prime above of all, something that is not incompatible with the number of sales and that will facilitate greatly the memory of the brand by the customer. Or do someone questions what associate a little bird blue, a cross of red or a crocodile?

2. The factor surprise is in the inside

once you have opened the package, the presentation inside the product, known as the container, and the first display are the key: "That moment is when you connect with the client, and where it materializes the purchase. The packaging procedure and the first visual contact improves the experience considerably. It is essential because it increases the loyalty of the customer", explains Gómez-Zorrilla. In addition, this also appreciates the security of the product inside the box and the simplicity to remove it. For example, you have elements that ensure that the product has not been opened during the trip, that has not been moved or bumped or a sticker of authenticity of the brand.

All this may be accompanied by other elements are not essential but are very useful in marketing, as a thank-you card for the purchase. Gómez-Zorilla affects this aspect: "An example is the coupons that can be included in the submission for future purchases. It is a way for the client to re-connect with the online store of the company, what it does is to recover part of the investment," he says. But there are plenty of examples: free samples, custom details... To continue making a difference, the experience (and surprise) you open a package it has to be in constant change and full of originality. For example, the clothing store, TrunkClub, in addition to send your packages in boxes with the shape of a suitcase, the clothes come folded as if they were inside the baggage, and, in addition, include a card where you give all the details of what is purchased. This reinforces the emotional link with the customers. Some brands, aware of this link, encouraged buyers, with a message inside the package, upload a photo with the product you just opened to your social networks with a specific tag or hashtag referring to the brand.

Another very important aspect is the simplicity: There are products that have a very good design, but it takes 20 minutes out of the box; this is a non-starter. The system must be simple and the article should not be secured with cable ties or plastics that require a knife," stresses Gomez-Zorrilla.

Deals with protection

however, there is something that the manufacturer can not control, and is that the packaging that the courier company that has hired clog your image, unless you reach an agreement. Here, however, the brand will be enhanced not so much by the aesthetics, but for utility: the protection of the product against the potential damage that can occur during shipping, such as shock, temperature changes, the handling of the dealers and even theft. For that reason, the first step is to choose a logistical support package independently for each product in our stock. It is also important to hire a good courier company that ensures a timely dispatch and a safe.

A sustainable packaging

The use of the cardboard in the manufacture of most of the packages and their distribution on the road causes a contaminating impact very high. Reason why the Post office has implemented a new service of packaging respectful of the environment. To carry less ink, and are manufactured with recycled components. With the purchase of every product of this service, is called the Line Forest, Mails intended two cents to the reforestation, and one to the prevention of fires, what makes customer shopping experiences more positive. This initiative has already reforested 260 hectares, with over 92,000 trees of native species from all over Spain.

The packaging not only protects the load, it must also be functional, such as the package to facilitate returns. For example, there is packaging that, through a specific construction, allow you to reuse them for the return of the product. "The return can be a time of frustration for the client. So you have to try the process as easy as shopping online. A good returns process is a key factor to encourage purchase," says Aaron Morera, head of Solutions delivery Post.

Vehicle of the values of the brand

on the other hand, the packaging is also a tool that can function as a vehicle for a key value today: sustainability, which can increase the profitability of the business. In fact, 70% of young people under the age of 35 prefer to shop at responsible companies, according to a report 2016 of the Adecco Foundation. To make the package with recycled products, such as cardboard or paper, may be an option. For example, in 2017, the company running shoes Nike launched a unique model that was packaged in a box made with plastic garbage. "Society demands that a portion of the benefits obtained by the companies are reinvested in these initiatives," stresses Gomez-Zorrilla, who advised to inform the customers of the sustainable projects carried out by the company.