Putting your best foot forward is always important, especially if you are running your own business! Whether it’s a passion project like baking for friends and families, a craft business during the holidays or a booming business venture, representing your product is key. For most business owners, you will not have the time to make a good impression on every single person personally, which makes having great packaging a very important and pivotal part of your marketing plan.

Searching for a new box, basket or packaging for your product? Here are a few things to keep in mind!

Effective packaging can not only win over new consumers, but keep current users away from your competitors.

Always keep in mind that when you’re changing your look, you shouldn’t stray too much from your original packaging because it can deter your current customers from buying… they may not even realize your new packaging is you!  There are many large companies out there that have unfortunately fallen a victim to just that! One of the most famous examples is when Tropicana unveiled a cold looking packaging. “Years ago [Tropicana] went to this very clean but kind of cold-looking logo, and their sales dropped 20% in one month,” Olson Chief Creative Officer Dennis Ryan told Business Insider. “Some pundits said they weren't recognizable," Ryan said. "They didn't trust [the new logo]."

Okay, but what if you didn’t radically change your logo, and just want a new gift basket box for the new year?

Packaging can communicate new brand positioning.

If you’ve developed a new product that is, say, geared more towards a younger generation, you can alter your look to create a new perception of the brand. Packaging Digest wrote a piece entitled “The Millennial factor: How a generation of consumers is transforming today's packaging landscape” that pulled rather interesting stats about how millennials tend to favor “limited edition packaging” over others. “Limited-time-only rollout of personalized packaging has the ability to create unique connections with consumers who might be mulling a purchase,” they explain. “nearly one quarter (24%) of consumers like packaging that has an appealing design [dedicated to a] limited edition, seasonal or special release.”

With numbers like those, there’s no denying that packaging can truly close the sale. When a consumer has your product in their hand… it’s the last thing they have to consider before purchasing!