9-step guide for successful packaging for subscription businesses

1. Introduction
2. Successful subscription box packaging
3. Research
4. Products
5. Packaging type
6. Strength and protection
7. Sampling
8. Style guide
9. Positioning
10. Loyalty
11. Sustainability
12. Summary

Introduced over a decade ago, the subscription box model has transformed shopping and brand interaction.

Whilst well-known subscription providers dominate the market—the likes of Graze, Birchbox, Hello Fresh, Glossybox, and Gousto are among the most popular—there’s a subscription box for almost every niche.

Consumers can subscribe to receive everything from razors to vitamins and pet treats to beer.

As a result, over a quarter of UK residents (29%) have signed up for a subscription delivery box service. Approximately 15.4 million Brits receive goods in the post on a regular, recurring basis.

The popularity of these subscription services has led Royal Mail to estimate that, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK subscription box market was worth £1.4 billion. Experts forecast this figure to grow to around £1.8 billion by 2025.

If you’re starting a new subscription business or are taking a fresh approach to your packaging, the first task should be to research what your competition is doing.

Take out some free trials, sign up for a range of subscriptions (remember to cancel them in a timely manner), and just get a feel for what other businesses in your area are doing.

Are there elements of your competitor’s packaging that you feel work well? Parts that don’t? Do they include features you hadn’t considered (inserts, flyers, inside printing, etc.)? And is there anything you could borrow and improve on in your own eCommerce packaging?

However, it is vital not to design your packaging to simply be “me too.” Your packaging should be unique and help you with your brand positioning. Therefore, it can be incredibly useful to see what brands selling different products but with similar positioning (e.g., premium, luxury, organic, budget) are doing, too.

To select appropriate packaging, you must first determine the size, weight and fragility of any products you are or will be shipping. You should also consider where you will ship multiple products in the same outer packaging.

Once you have an idea of the size and weight of the products, you can work out the approximate size of your subscription boxes. Your boxes should be slightly larger than required to accommodate everything, plus any protective inserts or void fill that may be required.

However, you should also consider how this size affects postal or courier costs. Ensuring it falls within a suitable weight or size band, such as the Royal Mail Pricing in Proportion (PIP) guidelines, can significantly reduce your ongoing costs.

The vast majority of subscription boxes use corrugated packaging. This is for numerous reasons, particularly the balance between protection and cost-effectiveness.

Another critical benefit of cardboard subscription boxes is the range of designs available. Choosing well can be vital to your success.

For example, you may consider a letterbox-size pack with a pull-out tray to open. You may also want to consider pizza-style boxes (FEFCO 0427 design) to provide a good opening (or unboxing) experience. Larger, heavier items may even require standard cartons (FEFCO 0201).

If you are in any doubt, a custom packaging designer, such as GWP Packaging, can help you choose the best option for your application.

Once you know the weight and size of your products and the pack style you are using, it is essential to ensure that your subscription boxes provide adequate strength.

A single-wall box is the most cost-effective option for lighter items. For heavier items, you may require double-walled cardboard boxes. If you have a returns system where you collect your customers’ empty packaging, you may even want to consider Correx® boxes (which provide considerably greater longevity and reusability).

Besides this, however, you should also consider whether your products need any additional protection. Foam lining, cardboard dividers to separate items, or even fittings to hold items in place can all help prevent costly damage.

Again, if you are working with a well-established packaging company, they can assist with this.

Following on from the previous point, it is rarely a wise decision to leave things to chance.

As such, even if you have gone through an extensive design process with your packaging supplier, getting pre-production samples for testing can help iron out any issues before they affect your customers (and business).

Good packaging manufacturers will be more than happy to provide samples for approval and testing prior to manufacturing them.

With a suitable pack to protect your items, it is time to start considering how you can leverage your subscription boxes as a marketing tool.

Creating a style guide before creating the graphics and layout is often helpful. Elements such as logos, typography, colours and other imagery should all be considered, plus how to apply them consistently on other packaging and alongside your website, emails, and other communications.

An inconsistent application of your branding can confuse customers and make it difficult to connect, engage, and foster brand loyalty.

You should also consider negative space, how colour psychology can affect how your customers perceive your brand, not making designs too busy, and how to reflect the products you are supplying.

There are also several nuances to creating designs for subscription and eCommerce packaging, so ensure you avoid making any common packaging artwork mistakes.

The question here really is, what does your brand stand for?

Do you want to be seen as the luxury option within your segment? The eco-conscious or sustainable option? Or a quirky, unique brand unlike anything else available?

Answering this question and reflecting it in your packaging design can help you connect with your customers. For example, using kraft brown material with white and green inks provides an organic, natural aesthetic that can reflect your brand values. Bright colours can position you as fun and youthful. Muted, clean designs can convey a premium feel.

Besides positioning and reinforcing your brand values, your subscription box packaging can help you connect with your customers.

For example, adding hashtags to your packaging can promote your social channels and drive awareness of your services online. Asking customers to share unboxing videos, schemes for referring friends, and the overall unboxing experience can all lead to word-of-mouth recommendations, too.

It is also essential to consider the final part of your subscription box’s journey—what happens after your customer opens it.

Whilst customers of premium brands may retain the pack (particularly if it adds value for ongoing storage), cardboard subscription boxes are likely to be discarded. It is, therefore, vital to ensure that your packs are easy to recycle and include relevant recycling instructions for your customers.

It is essential to consider how you want potential customers to view your product and brand with your subscription boxes. You must also consider the emotions and feelings your packaging should convey, where it is used, and your position within the market. Doing this lets you create packaging that helps capture attention and ultimately improves sales.

At GWP Packaging, we have been designing and manufacturing successful packaging for subscription businesses and eCommerce companies for many years. Our expert team can provide assistance and guidance at all steps in the process, from initial concept to final manufacture and delivery.

So, if you would like to take advantage of the opportunity provided by packaging for subscription businesses, please get in touch.