If you run a small business that ships products on a regular basis, you need to stand out in a crowded field. Fortunately, you can use creative and professional packaging ideas to keep your customers delighted with your products and services. The way you package your products for shipping sends your customers a message about who you are as a business and how much you care about them.

Creative Packaging Ideas

Infuse every area of your packaging with creativity that reflects your business, including your wrapping paper, labels, envelopes, boxes and tissue paper. Use customized rubber stamps, embossers and gift tags to add touches of personality. Anything that infuses your brand identity makes your products stand out.

Your boxes and envelopes can make an impression as well. Opt for colored envelopes and unusual boxes when appropriate. Looking for an off-the-wall idea? Consider shipping in pizza boxes that open up or custom-printed mailing tubes to catch your customer's eye.

Wrap each item well as you place it in its shipping box. Creative use of tissue paper and wrapping paper can turn opening a package into an adventure. Consider tying up garments, jewelry, toys, linens and soft goods with a ribbon or a piece of colored twine to make them feel like gifts. Add a gift tag with the customer's name handwritten on it to add a special touch.

The final elements of your packaging process can also benefit from a dash of color and creativity. Package your items for shipping using colorful decorative shipping tape that makes your parcels pop when they're delivered. Add a single sticker or rubber stamp to the outside of each package to reflect your company's personality; it also gets the customer excited about opening up their delivery.

Practical Considerations When Packaging Creatively

Along with aesthetic improvements, you also need to consider functionality when choosing your shipping materials, as well as any regulations governing what you're shipping. Keep your packaging lightweight and compact to reduce your own costs and your customers' shipping expenses.

Develop a standardized process to handle your creative packaging needs, and make sure you have all the equipment to keep your shipping flowing well. Invest in a high-quality shipping scale and a postage meter to minimize trips to the post office, and set up your shipping station with everything you need in place, including envelopes, mailing labels and tapes. Even small efficiency gains can pay off in the long run.

Make sure your packaging keeps your product safe during shipping. If you repeatedly have to replace products damaged in shipping, you're hurting your own bottom line. Opt for padded envelopes, packing peanuts, bubble roll and other protective items when choosing your packing materials, and consider double-boxing truly fragile items. When you're introducing a new product, try some test runs shipping the product to see how your packaging is holding up.

The Power of Unboxing

Opening a package, even one that you ordered and paid for yourself, can be an exciting experience. In fact, the unboxing (or package-opening) experience has become so important to many people that YouTube is filled with videos of people opening their packages.

Enhance your customers' unboxing experience by adding unexpected personal touches to your packages before you ship. A personal note, either handwritten or typed, thanking the customer for the purchase can earn you a lifelong customer. Consider adding coupons or discount codes to encourage future purchases, or create care instructions that are intriguing to look at through the use of die-cut shapes or bright colors.

Your customers love being surprised by a little something extra. Consider tossing an unexpected goodie into each package. Depending on your business, you might add a sticker, a bookmark, an edible treat or a customized wristband. If you give your customer a tiny gift that she appreciates, she's more likely to appreciate you as a vendor.

Use creative packaging to remind your customers why they love doing business with you and to help build repeat business. Adding a personal touch and using unique packaging materials can help you stand out from the crowd while making a positive impression on your customers.