Upgrade With Digitally Printed Packaging
Creating digitally printed CBD and Cannabis packaging is one of the best ways to penetrate today’s competitive market. Using digital opens up a wide variety of opportunities that other one-size-fits-all approaches just can’t. And due to all the label requirements, you have to be careful with your designs.
The modern Cannabis and CBD customers are more conscious of the products they choose, and more discerning of products on the market. The days of making a sale by simply being on the shelf are over. There are so many reasons that working with a Packaging Manufacturer can be a great benefit to you and your brand!
If you’re looking to introduce a new product to the market, refresh your brand to improve your brand awareness, or you are a new brand all together, read on to learn about how Digital Printing can make an impact on your business.
Table Of Contents
Know The Regulations
The current market is still forming, and currently the laws vary state by state. So that means you need to be aware of all the regulations to ensure you are acting within the regulations.
It’s best to follow the basics that are in every territory, because they’re likely to become the standard law overall. This includes tamper-evident packaging designs, child-proof seals, and clarity of the ingredients.
The biggest issue facing the market right now is the fact that only half of all THC content listed on packaging is accurate. This will become a growing issue year after year.
The “Made For You” Approach
First, let’s discuss the approach of making a product specifically for a customer. Digital Printing opens up the opportunity for VDB (Variable Data Printing) and that means you could specifically target customers with unique packaging prints.
You move packaging from the commodity to become a personal experience that customers will come back for!
When designing your packaging, think about it from the target customer’s perspective.
Is this made for me?
The payoff for branding that takes a targeted approach means that their product and packaging becomes an instagrammable experience. Rather than being a throwaway element, the packaging is part of the experience.
Find Your Audience
Think about the market. Cannabis and CBD have been expanding into a variety of niches. Through branding and packaging design choices you can speak directly to a target customer.
How do you find them? Read this blog to learn more about creating packaging designed to target specific niches.
Digitally Printed CBD And Cannabis Packaging
Digital Printing is the future of the industry, giving brands access to things analog methods simply can’t.
Removing printing plates from the equation, which is a one-color at a time process, means that you significantly cut production cost and time.
Colorful designs like gradients have not truly been possible until Digital. Now you can actually use color psychology to reach your customers more clearly at retail and online.
A small design change using other methods means starting over - more money and time. Digital allows you to adjust the artwork on the fly, working with the market, not guessing.
Here are some design tips to create an effective Retail Packaging from the ground up:
Color Science
First think about the color choices. Each color speaks to the customer on a different emotional level, that's something all designers know. Why not use that in the store?
Here's an actual opportunity to put that knowledge into practice and create something that matches your brand in a powerful way.
Match Your Brand Colors
Most manufacturers claim they will match your brand colors accurately, but they're not actually equipped to do that. We have some of the best printing capabilities in North America, and promise we can actually match with 100% accuracy.
Product Showcase
Custom packaging allows you to create a unique approach to your product presentation. Are you selling pre-rolls in a cigarette style box? Or a kraft brown rustic look with a die-cut window to see the CBD inside? Digital allows you to prototype and find the best option.
Brand Awareness
Whether you’re creating a new product to target a niche, or expand your brand’s collection of products, creating a design that has a unified look with slight alterations for each SKU is a great way to increase your brand awareness.
Eco-Friendly
Finally, Digital Printing is already much more eco-friendly than other printing methods, the numbers are there. But with our equipment you can create a packaging design that helps reduce your carbon footprint - which is a great selling point!
10 Advantages of Digitally Printed Packaging
1. No Minimums
Digital production allows you to create short-run designs for all of your SKUs, not just a signal design / look. Or quickly create alternate designs for test marketing.
2. Get To Market Fast
Have a new product and need to get to market fast? Digital cuts down all the production time to an INSANE degree! Change your designs on the fly, it’s as easy as emailing a file.
3. One-Pass Printing
A single pass direct-to-corrugate process is a complete game changer. This cuts down on production time, and potential production problems.
4. Consistent Printing Quality
No print variance. Every print that comes off the production line is the same as the last. Accurate and repeatable.
5. Create Multiple Designs
No more one-size-fits-all designs. Print as many marketing variations as your team can create. Every season, SKU, sale, or promotion deserves a unique look.
6. Incredibly Fast Prototyping
True-production proofs that reflect final product quality with 100% accuracy.
7. Variable Data Printing
Talk directly to your customers with unique printing created specifically for them. This has never even been possible until Digital!
8. Environmentally Friendly
Cut your packaging waste down immensely. Use digital inks that are better for the environment. Your new packaging will be more recyclable than your previous design.
9. Replacement For Labels
Get rid of the additional cost and time of labels for your different product SKUs. Simply incorporate your information into the design.
10. Marketing Integrations
How many innovations have entered the market in the last 5 years? What if you started using QR codes, or other ideas, in your packaging?
Related: Printing Coating Options
4 Emerging CBD Categories For Packaging
When CBD hit the market, most brands went after the same categories; supplements, oils, and tinctures. But soon the market for these specific products became cluttered.
The next step was aiming CBD at other market verticals that hadn’t been penetrated. As these verticals grow, it will take more innovative designs and marketing approaches to reach customers.
Here are 4 emerging opportunities for CBD Categories:
1. Beauty + Personal Care
First, the health and beauty categories have always been a booming market. Now that CBD has entered the mix, there’s been a huge growth spurt!
That means creams, gels, balms, lotions are where the business is. These all need pumps, tubes, and jars for applicators - and these need packaging designs to create a brand that attracts customers.
2. Supplements
CBD has begun to penetrate the supplement market with tablets, capsules, softgels, and even gummies. There's a variety of health categories that can be sold to here.
This needs glass and plastic jars, ziplock bags, and more. Again, the packaging options to standout at retail here are huge!
3. Beverages
Next, the beverage category has exploded! This has been a very exciting category to watch. Kombucha, tea, soda, beer, wine, alcohol, the growth has been tremendous.
That means cans, bottles, pouches, carriers, mother cartons, mini bottles, are all the rage for brands to diversify their look. What’s the best packaging you can add to your beverage to create an experience for your customer?
4. Pet Care
Finally, pet care has been a surprising category. CBD has attracted health and wellness customers, and those customers all want the same products for their pets.
Typically aimed at anxiety, pain relief, and even inflammation, these products can take a ‘scientific look’ or a ‘natural look’. All of these oils, supplements need packaging!
Cannabis + CBD Business Is Growing!
The Cannabis and CBD markets have exploded, and the customer categories have grown with them. Some are looking to smoke for recreational purposes, others to ingest for health reasons.
The market is expected to hit $22B soon! Every piece of these categories is currently a wild, wild west of growth. Finding ways to standout in the market with your packaging is a critical step to business.
Some of the biggest competitors are now entering the ring; Amazon, Petco, even Corona, don’t miss the boat!
Bennett Creates Custom CBD Packaging!
Bennett is a premier packaging and retail displays manufacturing company striving to protect and promote our clients' products with customized corrugated solutions. When you work with us, you’re part of the family. We will partner with you every step of the way.
With our fully-integrated design-to-delivery process, we can be the single supplier source. We are an award-winning manufacturer of virtually anything corrugate. We offer everything from plain brown shipping boxes to sophisticated, high-graphic printed point-of-purchase displays, and everything in between.
