Currently, every cosmetic brand, whether large or small, has its own online store. Rather, many well-known brands only operate through e-commerce and have no physical stores. E-commerce provides beauty brands a convenient way to do business and is equally useful for consumers because they get their desired product sitting at their homes.
With so many benefits, E-commerce has a drawback that there is a chance of damaging the product during transport. This makes sturdy yet appealing custom e-commerce packaging an integral part of the e-commerce business.
Therefore, let us help you explore how to design your cosmetic packaging to make your brand ecom-ready.
E-commerce Cosmetics Industry Statistics
Here is how the E-commerce cosmetic industry is flourishing in the modern days.
Online Sales are Expected to Make up 19.2% of Beauty Industry’s Total Revenue in 2024
According to Shopify,
- Consumers will spend around $88 billion only in online cosmetics shopping this year
- 71% of shoppers always browse a retailer’s website before any purchase
- 19.2% of the total online sales will come from the beauty industry
Online Cosmetics Market is Expected to Reach an Estimated USD 22.46 Billion by 2029
Mordor Intelligence has shared the trends and forecasts about the online cosmetics market size and share analysis. According to them, the current $14.96 billion industry of cosmetics will reach a size of $22.48 billion in 5 years.
52% of Online Shoppers Report Shopping Internationally
As mentioned in the 35 E-Commerce Business statistics by Forbes, 52% of shoppers shop online internationally and the rest abandon their carts because of extra shipping charges.
What is E-commerce Ready Packaging?
In an e-commerce beauty business, consumers browse the products through their screens, and the beauty products they buy are transported directly to their homes. Keeping the principle through which e-commerce beauty brands work in view, it is obvious that the product packaging must,
- Appear eye-catching to the consumers making them buy the product
- Protect the products from external factors during transport
Therefore, aesthetically designed, ergonomic, and strong cosmetic product packaging is considered E-com-ready. However, that is not all. Cosmetic packaging design is one of the major parts of brand identity.
Therefore, it helps you distinguish your brand in the cosmetic market and provide consumers with an unforgettable unboxing experience.
Why Do You Need Ecom Ready Packaging for Your Cosmetics Brand?
E-commerce cosmetic packaging is much different from beauty product packaging sold in physical stores and malls. So, let us learn the reasons why you need e-commerce-friendly packaging for your cosmetic brand.
Durable Enough for Shipping to Keep Product Safe
In contrast to physical beauty stores where a customer buys a product directly from the shelf and cannot claim compensation for any damages to the packaging that occur after buying the products, the e-commerce beauty brands are responsible for the products and their packaging until the customer has received and unboxed the product.
Therefore, the packaging must be sturdy and durable enough to protect the product from any potential damage and ensure its safety during storage and shipping.
Keeping the Package Compact and Lightweight
While making e-commerce packaging durable, cosmetic brands also need to work on the weight and size of custom cosmetic packaging. This is because large and heavy product packaging increases the cost of shipping as it is not travel-friendly.
Compact and lightweight packages are transported at a lower cost and are also portable for consumers.
Premium Ecom Packaging Encourages Repeat Purchases
Beauty product packaging is not the only thing that influences customer’s buying behavior. But, it is surely a major factor that determines if the consumer is going to buy the product again.
Thus, premium e-com packaging can boost sales for your cosmetic brand.
Increase Customer Satisfaction and Positive Reviews
E-commerce cosmetics products reaching the consumers in unshattered and aesthetically pleasing packaging provide satisfaction to the customers. Additionally, good Ecom packaging protects the products from environmental factors. So, the customer receives the products as fresh as new and positively reviews them.
Consequently, positive reviews improve your brand image.
Staying True to Brand Image, Style, and Tone
Ecom packaging can come into play to build the brand image for your beauty brand as it is a physical form of representation of your brand. Thus, you can use e-com packaging to show your brand image, style, tone, and goals to your consumers and also prove that you are staying true to your roots.
Provide an Exciting Unboxing Experience to Consumers
As you choose e-commerce packaging designs for your online beauty brand, you have to ensure that your target consumers feel a sense of joy and satisfaction when they unbox their first parcel.
Not only will it turn your first-time buyers into regular ones but it will also yield positive reviews for your brand. As a result of positive reviews and recommendations, you get more customers.
Elements of E-commerce Ready Packaging
To protect cosmetic products from environmental factors and wear and tear during transport, here are the must-have elements of E-commerce Ready Packaging.
1. Corrugated boxes
You need a corrugated box to keep the items in an order and secure for your customers. In contrast to plain cardboard boxes, corrugated boxes have multiple layers of cardboard material. Thus, they offer better protection.
Here are two types of corrugated boxes used in cosmetics.
E-Flute
E-Flute corrugated boxes are 1-1.5mm thick with enough endurance against crushing and compression to protect the cosmetic items inside the box.
B-Flute
B flute boxes have a thickness of 3mm and they are mainly used for packaging bulk orders.
2. Padded Mailers
For small orders that are not prone to damage during transport, padded polythene mailers are used. The material, weight, and manufacturing process of the mailers are cost-effective while the pads inside the mailers protect the products.
3. Bags and Envelopes
Whether you pack your cosmetic products in padded mailers or corrugated boxes, you need bags and envelopes to ship the product. Envelopes contain the cosmetics labels and shipping details of the cosmetic products.
4. Packing Peanuts/Bubble Wrap/Kraft Paper Mesh
As the external box of the beauty products comes across compression and wear and tear, you can add a layer of bubble wrap to offer extra strength to sensitive products.
Steps to Creating Custom E-commerce Packaging for Your Online Cosmetics Brand
Here is how you can design and manufacture custom E-commerce packaging for your online cosmetics brand from scratch.
Step 1: Determine Budget, Target Market, and Sustainability Goals
First things first, you have to assess different types, materials, and qualities of the cosmetic packaging along with their prices to know their cost. Then, determine your budget for packaging in a way that the cost of packaging does not affect your net profits.
Moreover, know your target market, their mindsets, and requirements to create product packaging that suits their requirements. For example, you can manufacture eco-friendly packaging because of the increased demand for sustainable cosmetics jars.
Step 2: Analyze Competitors Packaging to Create Identify What You Can Do Differently
If you want to make your mark in the e-commerce cosmetic industry, you have to bring innovation to your packaging designs. So, analyze which type of packaging your competitors are providing and popular trends to create unique packaging designs that spellbound your target audience.
Step 3: Add Value Through Premium Protection, Design, and Unboxing Experience
While designing your e-commerce packaging, know that you are not only making boxes for your products but offering experience to your consumers through cosmetics packaging. In the case of online businesses where consumers cannot test the product in stores, you can win the hearts of your potential consumers by providing value to them.
For this, make ergonomic and lightweight designs with durable protection that also offers an exciting experience.
Step 4: Consider Product Package Size and Dimensions for Minimal Risk and Damage
The smaller the product packaging size, the better it is. This is because small packages occupy less space and keep the product secure by preventing it from moving around. Consequently, there is little to no risk of damage to the product.
So, choose the package size dimensions that fit the cosmetic container.
Step 5: Explore Different Outer Package Options and Thickness for Advanced Protection
The outer packaging of the ecom cosmetic boxes comes in different thickness options. Depending upon the weight of the cosmetic cream jar that you are going to pack inside, you can choose any of the E flute and B flute thicknesses. Commonly, E flute packaging offers the optimal level of thickness for shopping cosmetics.
Furthermore, you have options to choose from any of the following outer packaging designs,
- Roll end tab lock boxes
- Regular slotted corrugated boxes
- Tuck top boxes
Step 6: Analyze Different Printing Methods for Your E-commerce Packaging
For the outer and inner boxes of an e-com-ready cosmetics package, printing is done to display your brand image and details of the product. Here are two options for printing.
1. Digital Printing
In digital printing, ink is transferred directly from the printed onto the packaging box or flyer. Although the print is not high-quality or very clear, it is cheap and works well for minimalist designs.
Thus, you can go for digital printing on external boxes as these boxes are prone to damage during the transport.
2. Offset Printing
In offset printing, the print design is moved from a plate to rollers and then ink is applied from rollers to the cosmetics boxes. This elaborative process ensures that the artwork or minor details of your printing design are clear.
However, with better quality, comes a greater cost. Thus, it is used on the inner boxes which do not suffer any damage.
Step 7: Consider Different Insert Options to Keep Product in Place
Even if you make compact packaging that allows little product movement, the shape of the container might not allow it to be fully packed. So, you can try the following inserts,
Foam
When packaging a whole set of cosmetics in one box, foam inserts serve as a good choice. You can make room accurately according to the shape of the container in your foam insert and place the product inside it without any concerns about the beauty products flipping around.
Paperboard
Just like foam inserts, paper or cardboard inserts can also be used to organize and place the products in an e-commerce packaging. In contrast to foam inserts where you make a perfect shape for your container, paperboard inserts have a specific pattern to keep your products in place.
Plastic
Lastly, plastic inserts can be used. While their design is the same as that of foam inserts, plastic inserts look cheaper and are mainly used for inexpensive products.
Also, note that foam inserts give a luxurious look to the products.
Step 8: Promote Brand Through Promotional Additions
Are you aware that you can promote your brand through cosmetic packaging? If not, let us help you understand what you can do to enhance your brand awareness.
1. Custom Thank You Message
Always place a custom thank you message card inside the box with the name of your customer. It makes the consumers feel like the product is specifically sent for them and you appreciate their purchase.
Additionally, it delights them to see the message as they unbox the package. Consequently, they buy from your brand more often.
2. Cross-Promotion Brochure
In addition to thank you messages, you can also insert cross-promotion brochures in the cosmetic box to motivate the customers to buy more products. For example, a 10% discount code for their next purchase.
Furthermore, you can add your business card to the e-commerce products’ boxes for connected packaging.
Choosing the Right Custom E-commerce Packaging Provider for Your Cosmetics Brand
The right custom e-commerce packaging is essential to lay the foundation of an online beauty brand because it reduces the concerns of the consumers about any damage to the product by environmental factors and transport in addition to enhancing their unboxing experience.
We shared the ways to make your beauty brand e-com-ready in this article. Moreover, you can contact us to help you through your journey.
