When we walk into a retail store, we often see posters or signage pointing us towards a sales offer or a display stand to promote the latest range. Without these printed prompts, we wouldn’t know where to look for what we need or make a choice on how much we wanted to spend.
Most people love a bit of retail therapy, whether that’s in the form of a day spent wandering around the high street or a good browse online. The difference between these two shopping experiences is notable. Online retailers tend to focus on the post-purchase print journey, whereas instore retailers utilise print to entice customers into stores and convince them to spend more time browsing and ultimately make more purchases.
The online shopping experience
One of the main benefits of shopping online is the wide choice of products available to us. Online shopping gives us the advantage of browsing a multitude of items at once and an option to watch the product videos to decide if that gorgeous dress would suit us, before we make a mad dash to checkout and wait for the delivery to arrive – this whole process can be quite addictive and exciting. The online shopping journey doesn’t need print materials to entice shoppers in the same way it would in-store, which is why the ‘wow’ factor is saved for the ‘unboxing experience’ as soon as it lands on your doorstep.
The unboxing experience
Product packaging is an important part of the customer experience. When a retailer takes extra effort to package its products well, it positively resonates with customers. We all know the excitement of waiting for a parcel to be delivered so we can try on that gorgeous dress, only to be disappointed when a battered cardboard box turns up, with a tatty plastic bag inside, creased receipt and a wrinkly dress spilling out. The unboxing experience is fundamental for online retailers because it leaves customers with a strong lasting impression and you’re more likely to notice a repeat customer if your returns experience is easy and efficient.
How have you made the unboxing experience look? How does it feel? How does it smell? What colour is it? Is it on brand? These are all questions you could consider as you begin to re-evaluate whether your packaging is up to scratch. Beautifully coloured tissue paper protects the product and is the final unveiling before your customer gets to see their item. If you have a new range of products you want to upsell in coming months you could include a branded promotional leaflet or flyer to get your customer’s mind going. Finally, you can seal the deal with a branded sticker to keep all your product packaging in tack and add that final finishing touch.
Retailers should think about their packaging in its entirety. Can the box be recycled? Does it have a rip-and-seal feature? It might seem trivial, but these features mean a lot for the online customer. For some customers, it’s important for them to know they are not generating more waste by ordering from your online store, and it’s an added bonus if your product packaging is easy to open and return if needs be.
Don’t forget how your labels, delivery notes and returns notes present to your customers. These product packaging essentials all contribute to the whole experience, so be sure to review these and make sure they’re in keeping with your ‘unboxing’ vision.
The in-store shopping experience
Our favourite brands are subconsciously ingrained in our minds because we’ve grown to love the sense of familiarity that their in-store experience creates. Their choice of window displays and posters of aesthetically pleasing models wearing the latest season’s trends are enticing to us.
From the moment we walk into any store, whether it’s a designer fashion store, well-known high street retailer or a small independent, we immediately soak up the vibes. The lighting, music, layout, and staff are all equally important to the customer journey, so imagine if all those elements were amazing but the store was missing posters, pictures, signs, pricing labels, branded gift bags, or an attractive window display. We wouldn’t be able to envisage the item on us and we wouldn’t know the cost of the items, or get the much-welcomed dopamine hit that retail therapy gives us. In-store printed products serve to support the overall shop and are vital to an amazing in-store experience.
Our team are on hand to help you transform your store experience with printed products. We work with a variety of retailers from well-known fashion brands to smaller independent retailers. Have a look at some our case studies here and contact us by emailing team@birchprint.co.uk, or call us on 0115 951 2468 if you’d like to speak to one of our experts.
