If you’ve heard about bespoke packaging, don’t know how it differs from branded options, and aren’t sure whether it would serve your business, this is the blog to read.
With over 30 years of industry experience and a deep understanding of packaging in all forms, we’re here to help cut through the noise and understand the basics, enabling you to make decisions that will grow your brand.
Let’s start with basic terminology.
The core difference between off-the-shelf, personalisation and bespoke
There are several packaging options available to retailers, each offering a set of advantages. This allows brands to invest in whatever best suits their needs in terms of budget, timeframe and aesthetics.
Off-the-shelf packaging
Manufactured in bulk and designed to meet specific sizes and specifications, this is an acceptable, cost-effective choice for those needing quick, easy solutions. With zero customisation options available, you will buy and use it as is.
Personalised packaging
Usually produced using higher-quality materials than the off-the-shelf options, this can be customised with your specific branding, making it look as though you’ve produced it yourself. Personalisation is generally restricted to the exterior of the container, and the structure itself remains consistent with basic industry standards.
Bespoke packaging
Unlike the others, bespoke packaging is made to order, with designs and manufacturing processes usually starting from scratch to suit a particular product, aesthetic or functionality.
Involving tailored blueprints that specify materials, finishes and fabrication, mockups are typically produced first, ensuring that compatibility and performance levels meet expectations.
Building the concept from the ground up allows bespoke packaging companies to tailor textiles, construction and print specifications to suit the product within, supporting its journey to the customer and how it is received and used. Whilst typically more expensive than its comparable off-the-shelf equivalent, the benefits are often worth the investment.
Distinguishing between the terms “bespoke” and “personalised”
There is often some confusion about how the above terms are used and what they mean within the packaging industry.
Personalised items are essentially pre-existing packaging products that can be branded with logos, messaging, or images. These are added to the finished product as a post-production process.
With a bespoke packaging product, branding is applied at the original manufacturing stage. This is usually done in the flat form before conversion to the finished product, allowing for a greater level of customisation, including edge-to-edge and inside-outside printing.
These are the key differentials:
1. Uniqueness
Custom packaging is simply modified, whereas bespoke means it’s made on demand and to your exact specifications.
2. Focus
Personalised containment spotlights branding, but bespoke includes an immersive experience.
3. Complexity
Personalisation can only be done within a standard format, but going bespoke requires complete innovation.
4. Logistics
Personalisation can usually be done within ten working days and costs slightly more than off-the-shelf options (depending on technical requirements), whereas bespoke designs require an upfront investment and long lead times.
There’s no dispute that both have their place, but one extends that benefit, providing superior protection, unique aesthetics, optimal flexibility, and a calculated customer experience.
The benefits of going bespoke
Packaging is the first interaction a customer has with a product, influencing the comparisons they make with similar items on the shelves and marking the initial step towards building brand image and loyalty. Get this right and you will:
Establish a targeted first impression
From how you visually differentiate your offering to the way you denote quality, the aesthetics, materials and practical applications you use will help deliver a unique product experience.
Consolidate your identity
Elements like typography and colour choices influence how you tell your story, setting the bar for your brand.
Create an emotional connection
A well-planned unboxing experience creates anticipation, excitement and satisfaction, encouraging social media exposure and amplifying user-generated content (UGC).
Guarantee optimal protection
Customised packaging that fits your products seamlessly will help you mitigate costly breakages and returns.
Champion sustainability
You’ll have the freedom to select materials that suit your carbon footprint goals and cement your reputation as an eco-conscious brand.
Elevate perceived value
If you align your packaging with consumer needs, values and lifestyle aspirations, it will raise the perceived value of your product, allowing for a higher price point.
Key features of bespoke packaging
More than just a short-term investment, bespoke packaging is a means of growth, giving you more standing, consistent retention rates, positive referrals and a greater market share.
For brand owners seeking clear identity and on-the-shelf visibility, it’s a no-brainer. And, in a retail environment where consumers are putting online shopping first, it will help bridge the gap between clicking a mouse and real-world engagement, strengthening the emotional connection needed to secure buy-in.
To help you achieve this, our expert team will guide you through every step of the process, guaranteeing that each element, from brand perception to product safety, is nothing short of perfect. This service includes the following.
Constructional design and components:
We’ll factor in:
- Customised dimensions that reduce material waste and provide structural protection for your products.
- Special inserts designed to offer high-level protection for fragile or pressure-sensitive items.
- Unique shapes to differentiate you from your competition and support specific needs.
- Ease-of-use from magnetic closures and crash-lock bases to ties, zip-locks and ribbon pulls; the choices are open-ended.
Quality material selection:
We will help you find textiles that accommodate everything from sustainability and special storage requirements to volume and weight:
- Folding boxboard
- Corrugated cardboard
- Paper
- Fabric
- Wood
- Wicker
- Leather and PU
- Tin.
Finishes and aesthetics:
From personalisation (branding) to special textures and effects, we’ll make sure every element of your bespoke packaging is flawless. This includes:
- Embossing and debossing for extra depth
- Tactile coatings, including laminations and soft-touch features
- Metallic foils – stamped on for a luxe aesthetic
- Customised printing and embossing to showcase your brand.
- A range of available print methods, including flexo, litho and digital.
360° functionality
We’ll align with your product journey and adapt your packaging to fit special needs, such as:
- Durability to withstand transit and handling
- Damp and heat protection
- Tamper-proofing to ensure product integrity.
Add-ons
With endless options available, start imagining features like:
- Silk or cotton liners
- Branded tissue paper, ribbons and bows
- Personalised tags and stickers
- Interactive elements, for example, QR codes.
How to choose the right bespoke packaging supplier
We aim to be an extension of your brand and will go the extra mile to deliver flawless results. Expect us to:
- Offer a complete strategy covering performance, sustainability, customer experience, and scale.
- Challenge your brief and come up with solutions to any problems.
- Suggest long-term value rather than short-term fixes.
- Be honest about cost vs quality.
- Provide an almost endless list of possibilities.
- Stay agile, flexible, and versatile.
- Grow and innovate with you.
- Work well under pressure.
- Give you realistic deadlines that won’t disappoint you.
Find out more about our bespoke packaging services by connecting with our sales team today.
