Get inspired by these cardboard influencer boxes and kits that’ll make your brand packaging stand out (with domestic and overseas factory options at the end).
Of all the new and wonderful internet phenomena out there, unboxing a product in short-form video surely tops the list for feel-good engagement and content. One of the most popular types of videos watched on YouTube and TikTok, unwrapping a package you received from a supplier can produce almost as many natural happy highs as vitamin D does!
Table of Contents
- Packaging is the New Hook
- How Much is Too Much in a Package?
- The Visual Value Opportunity for DTC Brands
- Anticipating Consumer Packaging Needs
- Corrugated Cardboard Influencer Boxes
- Mastering Influencer Boxes
- Why is Kit and Packaging so Important?
- Branded Cardboard Influencer Boxes
- Cardboard Packaging Factories (With Links)
Packaging is the New Hook
Traditional in-store shopping displays a product in its most “natural” form, and that’s the packaging you get it in. It’s on show for the walk-by consumer with a short attention span and an even shorter amount of time to shop in. But not so with DTC (direct to consumer) brand products.
Yes, the product you select is the product you get, so in a sense, it’s just like grabbing a product off the shelf. What differentiates DTC brands from in-store brands is how it’s packaged.
You’ll want to watch my TikTok short on this, which includes visuals and context. You can also just keep scrolling to read it right here on the blog:
Nowadays, packaging represents the entire brand image, including your product’s storefront, shopping experience, overall service quality, and word-of-mouth probability. Unboxing is the moment of truth that builds an emotional connection to the brand, it’s product, and any chance of brand loyalty into the future.
How Much is Too Much in a Package?
In an environment where display is everything, tight fits don’t always produce the best reactions… too small a box and your user may feel cheated; too big a box and they’ll start questioning the price of a product with so much wastage. This fine line all comes down to display; that (gut-punch) intuitive feeling that makes you stand back and smile when you first open the package.
And it must be YouTube-able in its presentation so your user can spread the word about your brand. The key takeaway here is value: value for money, value for experience, value for sharing.
The Visual Value Opportunity for DTC Brands
By the time shipping addresses are confirmed, 95% of the shopping process is already completed. The only thing left to carry that sale through is the anticipation of unboxing what was bought to engage an audience in a meaningful way.
Both Amazon and Apple realized years ago that there was an untapped marketing opportunity in custom packaging. As the rest of the world rushes to catch up on the phenomena, packaging suppliers are rising to the challenge in creative and innovative ways.
Amazon’s consumer base is huge. And even as brick and mortar stores return to some semblance of normal in the wake of the pandemic, e-commerce will need to differentiate itself in a way that makes the shopper feel special.
Anticipating Consumer Packaging Needs
Intelligent design suggests that a brand has a personality and tells a story. In the era of great consumer expectations, packaging must set the bar so high that it doesn’t get discarded once the product is unboxed. That’s how the story repeats itself.
But costs may be a factor in your packaging design choices. As a DTC brand, throwing your profits at a box may seem expensive and frivolous. However you must remember that individualized packaging cannot be compared to a whole pallet of goods dumped in a retail store’s parking lot for offloading. Single products don’t just magically sell themselves, not even in bulk.
That gives DTC brands the perfect excuse to innovate much quicker than retailers and big brands. After all, a DTC brand has a much closer relationship with its customer than other players have with theirs.
The average sale used to take 15-30 days; it now happens anywhere in time from 10 minutes to 48 hours, depending on the product and size of the order. Being in full control of the product ordered – from manufacturing table to literal doorstep – means DTC brands are ideally placed to satisfy their customer’s need for all things value-based.
Corrugated Cardboard Influencer Boxes
If you watched my TikTok short above, you’ll know that I recently got this awesome 3-pack sampler from Sap’s. Their packaging (check the video) was so unique, it gave me a good opportunity to talk about corrugated cardboard influencer boxes.
In the video, you’ll see that the packaging Sap’s used is a little bit different from others by basically doing the print on the inside and then the form to fit the product, which makes it super-appropriate for social media. This is a great look for DTC products and doesn’t come at a super-high cost.
By the way, just a brief shoutout to the nostalgic-like Ivy League 90s branding. I truly can’t get enough of that on any brand. More of y’all should do it.
Standout influencer boxes lead to more content, and thus more successful campaigns. And as we all know, successful campaigns lead to an increase in sales.
Mastering Influencer Boxes
Want to do real-deal influencer marketing? Then your presentation and your whole kit have to be on-point. This is the third of my series on influencer marketing, and I’m going to focus on the kits themselves.
You can catch my TikTok short on mastering influencer boxes below, or scroll to keep reading right here on the blog:
Why is Kit and Packaging so Important?
Well, if you do it right, it will raise your chance of getting a post or more than one post, and then raise the quality of the post.
If the unboxing experience doesn’t stand out enough to work on the feed, then you’re losing attention already and your influencer marketing campaign needs a lift.
Branded Cardboard Influencer Boxes
Most of the kits you’ll see here are from international big brands, but I’m using South Korean ad examples of those kits because they’re just a leader in the influencer marketing space.
Maybelline – The Colossal Kajal Mascara Range
The Maybelline Colossal Kajal kit includes multiple items, wrapped and branded to present as a dynamite stick.
Stonebrick Makeup Kit
An easy way to stand out is by making your influencer kit in the shape of something else, like it’s done here with this VHS makeup kit.
The “Play Your Autumn” kit is a 2020 Fall cosmetics range released by Stonebrick, the Korean cosmetic brand. The kit comprises two distinct Fall moods:
- “The Story of Fall in Seong Su” is a collection of cool tone colors
- “Starry Night of Hip-jiro” is a collection of warm tone colors.
In true Retro trend, the kit’s design looks like old VHS videotapes from back in the 70s and 80s and includes plastic wrap and posters designed to complement the overall look and feel of that era.
Neker Lipstick Kit
The Neker Selfie Red lipstick kit comes complete with a disposable, branded camera for capturing your selfie with bright red lips (or something).
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You can also stand out by having interactivity by making something that people actually want to keep in their houses after. Like this little mirror and cosmetics stand shown below.
OHScent Interior Design Kit
The overlapping and assembly method of this OHScent kit is inspired by furniture and space.
Transparent and opaque, the kit assembles like a structure. The tray can also be used (with others added on) to create a wall sculpture.
SerumKind Skin Cleansing Kit
Your cardboard influencer boxes don’t have to be a huge budget item, either. This tiny cardboard purse by SerumKind was put out when the Jacquemus tiny purse was at its peak of popularity. The kit contains skin cleansing products.
And really, it’s just a folded cardboard version, but it still makes it worthy of getting a post on the feed for the unboxing.
HEAZ UUUUU Gel Nail Kit
HEAZ designed the U-Nail’s influencer kit project.
. The goal of the kit is to create a community of like-minded “nail enthusiasts” who are passionate about their nails, not simply self-care.
The number one rule in your influencer campaign is to make every single part of the experience worthy of making content about.
Cardboard Packaging Factories (With Links)
If you’re considering custom boxes like this for your brand, there’s a couple of options…
PakFactory
A bit more expensive because they’re a domestic supplier, PakFactory has a wide variety of sizes and designs to choose from.
NoIssue
Noissue also has lots of sustainable options and designs.
Once again, domestic orders will come relatively fast but definitely more on the expensive side.
DePrintedBox
If you want to go overseas for a much cheaper price then Deprintedbox is a good place to start.
DePrintedBox is based in Shanghai and they do a ton of things like electronics and random products you’ll find on Amazon.
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