Types of Packaging: Learn the Pros and Cons

The first thing a customer sees when a product they purchased arrives is some type of packaging. This packaging—although generally not a part of the product itself—plays an important role in your product branding and can even impact the customer experience. So, selecting the right packaging is an important part of selling to customers.

We explain what you need to know about packaging and the different packaging options available to you.

• The importance of proper packaging
• Different types of packaging

The importance of proper packaging

Whether you ship products that customers order from an e-commerce website or run a brick-and-mortar store and need to box up items customers buy and take home, you’ll want to pay close attention to the packaging you select.

Proper packaging typically has three layers.

• Primary packaging. This innermost layer describes the type of packaging that touches the product itself.
• Secondary packaging. The next layer is generally an easily identifiable type of product packaging. It often forms a stock-keeping unit or SKU and is the package most visible to the customer at purchase.
• Tertiary packaging. This last, outer layer is used to package together a number of SKUs and transport them, such as pallets of products being transported from a warehouse to a store. This packaging helps prevent damage and tampering during transport.

While considering each layer of packaging for your products, you may wonder what value proper packaging offers your business and products. Let’s explore a few key benefits of having proper packaging.

Benefits of proper packaging

The benefits of having proper packaging for your business include:

• Protection. You want to ensure your products will reach customers in good condition despite facing concerns like dust, rough handling, and humidity. Well-designed packages can help protect your products.
• Safety. Proper packaging also keeps all the pieces of your product together and helps deter tampering. Preventing tampering is particularly important if the package will be shipped.
• Aesthetics. Your package materials also carry branding potential. One study from the Journal of Psychology and Marketing found that customers are drawn to attractive packaging, and a well-designed package can activate the reward center in a customer’s brain.
• Perception of quality. A clean, neat, high-quality-looking package can indicate to the customer that what’s inside is also high-quality, while a messy package may do the reverse.
• Differentiation. Your package design also aids the warehouse staff and store employees who are selling your products. They can more easily distinguish your products from other items. You also want the products to be easily lifted and moved.
• Ecological impact. Finally, proper packaging can help your company’s sustainability initiatives. When possible, select options that are biodegradable, create minimal waste, and further build a reputation with customers.

Want to experience the benefits that come with proper packaging? Hire a packaging expert using the Upwork platform. They’ll be able to lead you in the right direction when it comes to packaging your products.

Different types of packaging

Let’s break down common product packaging and items to note about each choice as you make your selection. Explore the pros and cons of these different packaging options so you can make the best choice for your business and products.

• Paperboard boxes
• Corrugated cardboard
• Cotton packaging
• Plastic packaging
• Rigid boxes
• Foil-sealed packaging

Paperboard boxes

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Paperboard boxes are common in the packaging industry because they can come in a variety of colors, designs, and shapes. These boxes are made from a paper-based material that’s strong but lightweight. Choose from different grades of paperboard packaging depending on the type of product it’ll package.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Recyclable
• Creative options
• Different grades and options depending on needs
• High levels of personalization
• Can be used for different types of products

Cons:

• Not for extremely heavy items
• May deform under pressure
• Some options, like kraft or coated unbleached kraft (CUK), are less resistant to moisture

Corrugated cardboard

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Corrugated boxes are also known as cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes and cartons come in different degrees of durability and strength. The material consists of three layers: an outer layer, the inside liner, and the fluting or corrugated medium. These boxes are typically made from recycled paper and can be recycled repeatedly.

Pros:

• Widely used for products from pizza delivery boxes to retail packaging
• Can be handmade
• Recyclable and often made from recycled products
• Different degrees of strength and durability
• Very inexpensive
• Can be given an antistatic coating to protect electronics

Cons:

• Not very moisture resistant unless finished
• Doesn’t provide a finished look

Cotton packaging

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Businesses and customers often like cotton because it has a variety of applications. Cotton packaging is generally soft and flexible, which can help it provide a more “premium” feel for many product types. Ethically sourced cotton is also sustainable. Customers may also appreciate that they can reuse the packaging.

Pros:

• Eco-friendly when sourced sustainably
• Reusable
• Easily customizable with dyes, prints, and paints

Cons:

• Doesn’t provide as much protection against products getting banged around
• When it’s not sustainably sourced, cotton isn’t environmentally friendly
• Its soft nature limits its packaging versatility

Plastic packaging

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Plastic is used in different types of packaging solutions, often replacing other materials like glass or wood. We encounter a variety of packages—from flexible plastic wrappers to hard plastic containers—in a wide range of places, such as plastic film and bubble wrap.

These materials are popular because of their durability and ability to avoid contamination during product shipping.

Many plastic options are also recyclable. Plastics have a number that marks them on a scale of 1 to 7. It’s easier to recycle plastics on the lower end of this scale than plastics on the higher end.

Pros:

• Their production process and versatility generally make plastics the cheapest purchase option among common packaging materials
• Lightweight
• Can be watertight and airtight
• Can help store products, even perishable food products, in extreme conditions

Cons:

• Not biodegradable
• Made with petroleum
• Some options are not recyclable
• Concerns about microplastics and plastic pollution have been on the rise

Rigid boxes

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Rigid boxes are used for products like new iPhones. They’re made from a special type of highly condensed paperboard.

In fact, they’re so strong that the construction usually creates boxes thicker than the paperboard used in a standard folding carton. Rigid boxes come with a higher price tag than other types of boxes. They provide quality protection for the products they carry, but their solid form also means they cost more to ship.

Pros:

• Offers a premium look
• Strong and resistant to protect the product
• Good for branding
• Can be used for a variety of shapes and sizes
• Can incorporate extras, such as compartments or windows in the box

Cons:

• Can be expensive to purchase and ship
• Higher carbon footprint
• Often needs to be paired with additional packaging for transit

Foil-sealed packaging

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Foil-sealed bags and packaging are used in certain shipping situations. You’ll often see this packaging used with products like coffee and teas to help extend their shelf life due to the vacuum seal. Other types of products, such as clothing, may also use these types of bags to seal out oxygen and bacteria.

Pros:

• Vacuum seal protects items from oxygen, moisture, and UV light
• Space-saving by condensing products
• Can be branded with prints or paints

Cons:

• Not always recyclable
• Doesn’t provide much protection against being dropped
• Certain products, such as rectangular products, don’t work well with this packaging
• Strong association with food packaging, which might not work well for other types of products

Contact a packaging expert

Packaging can impact the customer experience and people’s perception of your brand and products. Think carefully about the packaging you plan to use and what you want to communicate in your designs.

Achieve your goals by getting in touch with qualified and experienced packaging designers on Upwork. These independent professionals can help you create the packaging that fits your needs. Upwork makes it easy for you to review portfolios and find the best designer for your business. Get started with an independent packaging designer now.

If you excel in designing packaging and know how to create packages that bring together important elements, see how you can build your business on Upwork. Find jobs and clients and then manage your jobs directly on the platform. Build your freelance career designing packages now.

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