7 Mistakes in Product Packaging and How to Avoid Them

You’ve got a great business model going on with a product idea that will wow millions. You’re going to need a packaging design that can impress as much as the item in the box.

Having a bland package that doesn’t do anything to help you stand out from your competitors is one of the most common mistakes in product packaging.

On the flip side of this, you don’t want to go so hard with your design that it’s hard to look at. These are only a few things to keep in mind. Check out this guide for an entire list of mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Wrong Labeling

Things are starting to kick off. You’ve got hundreds of product orders to fill in a short amount of time. The stress of the demand leads to you committing the worst mistake that you could ever make.

You put the wrong label on a lot of the boxes. Almost none of the packages end up going to the right places. Clients who got a custom order are getting other people’s packages.

Now you’ve got to process several returns. Not only will this mistake waste your time, but it will hurt you financially as well. This is especially true if you’re not charging for the returns.

The situation is also a huge inconvenience to your customers. Unless you do some serious damage control, there’s a good chance that none of them will order from you again.

2. Going Too Hard on the Designing

Some business owners try too hard to stand out from their competition with their product packaging designs. They have pops of colors and graphics all over the box.

If you go this route, you will gain customer attention, but it won’t be for the right reason. You only have a few moments to make a lasting impression in the mind of a customer.

Don’t let it be sullied by an overcomplicated design. The customer won’t know where to focus their eyes. They’ll become overwhelmed by everything you have going on.

The general rule of thumb is to keep things simple. Allow for some white space on the box. Using too many bright colors can be jarring to most.

Your company’s name and logo need to be clearly written on the box. Don’t crowd a bunch of graphics around it.

That’s where dieline comes in. You can find more information here. For now, we’re going to move on to how you can make your new product packaging a little more user-friendly.

3. Not Being User Friendly

Your customer shouldn’t have to fight with the box to get to their product. One swipe of the scissors across the tape should be more than enough to get the job done.

If the customer has to take a hacksaw to the box to get it open, all the excitement they felt about receiving the package in the mail will go down the drain.

4. Failing to Protect the Product

You want your package to be easy to open, but it should still protect the object that’s inside the box. If it’s allowed to bump around while in transit, it will fall apart before it gets to your customer.

This will lead to an angry recipient and a horrible product review. The first step to avoiding processing a return is choosing the box itself.

It’s going to pass through a lot of hands on its way to your customer. If you go with a cheap cardboard box, it’s not going to be able to hold up. Depending on how heavy your product is, you may want to go with a double or even triple layered cardboard box.

To avoid your product moving around, you’ll need to fill up any empty space around it with packaging materials. Most business owners use bubble wrap and airbags to suit this purpose.

Make sure that you don’t overstuff the box. If you do, it could burst during transit.

5. Printing Mistakes

For the most part, typoing the name of your company on your packaging is no big deal. The worst that will happen is you’ll get laughed at when your customers post the error on Instagram.

Still, it’s something that you need to be on the lookout for. Many associate printing errors with an inferior product. You don’t want that kind of reputation.

6. Using False Statements

Putting lofty claims on your packaging will make you stand out. Customers will line up to buy something that says it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

The problem is that if you can’t live up to that kind of hype, customers may start to scream false advertising. It’s better to simply let the product speak for itself.

7. Not Being Differential

You shouldn’t crowd your box with a bunch of colorful graphics, but that doesn’t mean that your packaging should be so simple that it’s boring. You still want to stand out from your competitors.

Having a generic cardboard box with your logo on it isn’t going to do it. Use one unique color or do something different with your logo placement. That should be enough to prevent your customers from placing your competitor’s product in their carts instead of yours.

Common Mistakes in Product Packaging That You Should Avoid

There’s more to running a business than coming up with a unique product idea. You’ve got to sell it by avoiding common mistakes in product packaging.

All it takes is a single typo or broken item to ruin your reputation for good. For more tips that will help you avoid costly company mistakes, check out our blog.