Consumers are more satisfied with their purchases if beauty products have attractive packaging. This rule also applies to sample boxes. If they are customised and consistent with the design of the cosmetic packaging, customers are more likely to return for the full-sized product. Let’s take a closer look at this rule and identify the elements that are important for sample packaging.
As there are so many cosmetics available on the market that look alike, the design and the quality of sample packaging is extremely important. From this article you will learn what to look for when you want to order boxes, sachets or containers for cosmetics samples.
What is the role of sampling in customers’ purchasing decisions?
You can communicate to customers that your product will make their skin more beautiful, their hair shinier and your cream will reduce wrinkles. You can also pay influencers for favourable reviews. But if you don’t let your target audience test your product, you probably won’t attract many new customers. This assumption is borne out by the numbers. In a survey conducted by Gartner L2, as many as 50% of respondents admitted that it was a cosmetics sample that prompted them to make a purchase. Such high effectiveness of free samples in making purchase decisions is confirmed by many other studies. Incidentally, it is worth noting that although product testing has a long history, sampling gained in importance in the cosmetics industry during the pandemic. Here you can read more about whether giving customers free samples is an effective marketing effort: Does giving away cosmetic samples boost sales?
Why is sample packaging important at a cosmetics launch?
Getting as much publicity as possible is what marketers aim for when they launch a new cosmetic. Attractive, customised sample packaging can work wonders. This allows the brand to obtain customer reviews on social media which are more trustworthy because they are not sponsored. Unique sample packaging can fuel emotions and make consumers more likely to share their impressions online, e.g. on Instagram. Customer experience is fundamental to the subsequent sale of cosmetics. If a sample box is associated with adequate values and emotions, a strong relationship between the brand and consumers can develop as soon as at the first contact with the product. As a result, marketing activities that follow will require much less effort, for example, you will be able to convince customers more quickly to buy another product of your brand.
What are the best practices for cosmetic sample packaging design?
First of all, giving out samples to customers must be an investment that pays off. Production of sample packaging should be efficient and cost effective. The trick is to design such packaging that will allow consumers to recognise the brand among hundreds of others, while staying within the production budget. It is important that the colour scheme is distinctive and the typeface consistent with the brand’s visual identity. However, in order not to fall into a cliché, it is worth adding something unique to the design. One example is hand-drawings – a talented graphic designer can customise a drawing to match your brand identity. This will create an unconventional packaging that customers will not be able to ignore.
Does the eco-friendly approach matter?
Organic cosmetic samples in round plastic containers that will not decompose for hundreds of years? This approach does not resonate with the expectations of today’s informed public, so it is better to look for green alternatives. The best decision your company can make is to put the samples in boxes made of premium cardboard. This will ensure that the packaging is consistent with the brand’s values and meets today’s customers’ expectations. Customers are more likely to support companies that reduce their carbon footprint, so green packaging can boost cosmetics sales.
What does the low quality of the packaging tell us?
Sample boxes will not arouse enthusiasm of the target audience if their quality leaves much to be desired. It is not uncommon for poor quality packaging to cause customers to label a brand as unreliable. That’s why, as a manufacturer of premium cardboard packaging, we thoroughly inspect the quality of boxes for compliance with specifications. The sample packaging we produce is free of mechanical failure, as we detect any possible defects at the source. As a Polish manufacturer, we meet the strict standards and requirements of the European market.
360-degree sample packaging
From the original design of the cardboard packaging, through the efficient and sustainable production, to packaging and shipping samples to the customer. At Burgopak Poland, we offer comprehensive services for cosmetic brands that want to distribute samples to potential customers. We analyse requirements, target groups and thus come up with solutions that will bring the best results. Given the fundamental importance of samples to cosmetics sales, our end-to-end solutions allow companies to delegate some of their tasks, and all the responsibility for performing several types of services is allocated to one business partner.
Summary
With most beauty products being very similar to each other, companies should take proactive efforts and try to do their best to strengthen the consumers’ emotional connection to the brand. As originality is a key value, start to look for ideas to boost cosmetics sales by asking yourself this question: what makes your products visually intriguing?
Contact us to learn more about how your brand can reach potential customers with premium packaging.
Reference:
Premium Beauty News, L’échantillon, atout majeur et multicanal de reconquête des clientes beauté, https://www.premiumbeautynews.com/fr/l-echantillon-atout-majeur-et,20598?utm_medium. Accessed: 30/08/2022
