How Can I Make My Subscription Box More Premium?

You may be looking for ways to make your Subscription Box look more premium, but there are so many ways to accomplish this. Whether you're looking for alternate options on the market, or customers are no longer happy with what you give them, it's a problem many brands face.

The market has never been more competitive, and supply chain issues will always ebb and flow, so you have to find a differentiator for your brand. Something that stands out, and gets customers to share their unboxing videos online.

No matter what brought you here, or what you think is the best choice, we've got a handful of tips to get your creative juices flowing! So take a look at these tips and get started on a new design.

The very first step to making your Subscription Box feel more premium is to list your goals and define what premium means to you and your customers. You can't hit a moving target, so you need to start somewhere and filter all your decisions through this list.

Get Inspired By Other Brands

Once you know your brand's definition of premium, it's time to look around and see what others are doing. Perhaps a new competitor entered the market, or maybe one of your vendors changed their product offering. Look at how they differentiate themselves from other brands in their space.

Survey Your Current Customers

So you have a list of goals, and it looks like everyone else out there. Now let's get real about what your customers actually care about! Try setting up a survey asking questions about their experience with your brand, how they found you, loyalty cards, etc. Knowing what makes them tick is key to making them happier with your products or services in the future.

You could create different graphics and see which they prefer most with a survey. There's Survey Monkey, Google Surveys, or even a social media survey. Figure out the easiest way to ask your customers for feedback, and get started.

Create A Mood Board

Before you start any new design, it's time to create a mood board. Use Pinterest to collect images that represent your brand and the idea of premium service.

You don't have to copy the visuals exactly, but these should serve as inspiration for your own team! Add images from competitors or other brands you admire and use them to build your mood board.

Now that you have a mood board, it's time to create your ideal customer profile. This sounds intuitive but here are some tips from our own experience:

Our customers care about the same things we do: family, friends, and their pets! They're likely young at heart, and love seeing new trends in pop culture.

Do they prefer sleek black packaging, or more sustainable designs. What is going to make your Subscription Box stand out for them?

Carefully craft this person - they'll influence every decision you make going forward.

Depending on your volume and current marketing strategies, you might be a great candidate for High-Speed Digital Printing. Digitally Printed Subscription Boxes opens up the doors for your brand to take your marketing to the next level, and look so much more premium.

Prototype A New Design

Even if you don't decide to use High-Speed Digital Printing for your Subscription Boxes for the entire production run, it's the best way to be prototyping your designs. Work with a manufacturer like Bennett Packaging to start a design process that allows you to touch and feel an example of the finished product.

Print Alternate Graphics

One way to start looking more premium is to simply have more than one graphic sent to customers. The more you swap out your graphics, the bigger and more impressive your brand will be in the mind of the customer. Digital Printing has no printing plate costs, and no waiting sometimes two months for them to be created. That's what makes it a great choice for e-commerce brands today.

Related: 5 Design Tips For Subscription Boxes

Use Sustainable Marketing Messages With Digital

Switching to Digitally Printed Subscription Boxes is a great way to give your brand a boost of sustainability. That's because Digital Printing is more eco-friendly than traditional printing methods. It uses less resources, creates less waste, and takes less time to produce.

If we listed all the reasons why Digital Printing is great for your boxes, this blog would become a book! So take our word for it, and check out High-Speed Digital Printing.

There's a lot of material options available for corrugated because the industry has been around for so long and still innovating. Whether you're using plain Kraft, Mottled White, will have a huge impact on how your Subscription Box looks and feels. Not to mention it will have an impact on what artwork will work best.

For example, printing a block of white on Kraft will typically have bleed through. Most manufacturers will recommend you change your artwork, but if you're just ordering online there won't be anyone to advise you and you will end up with a big surprise.

If you're not experienced in the corrugated material industry, there are helpful tips out there, but the best person to talk with is a manufacturer. They will have the best designers and knowledge about what you should choose because they work with the materials every single day.

Coatings can completely change the look and feel of your Subscription Box in ways that you have to see to believe. And just like the materials, the manufactures can recommend you the best option for your goals.

Varnish

The options for Varnish come down to Gloss, Matte, Strike-Through Matte and Satin. These coatings can protect your Subscription Box from scuffs and scrapes, and impact the overall shine of the print. They aren't as protective as the other coatings, but are affordable.

Learn more about Varnish Coating for Packaging.

UV Coating

This coating is one of our favorites at Bennett Packaging, but it could cause some adjustments to be made to other parts of your box. It isn't compatible with certain inks, foil stamping, and other production processes. But it is a safer eco-friendly print that keeps the packaging recyclable.

Learn more about UV Coating for Packaging.

Aqueous Coating

This coating is an exciting alternative to Varnish because it has a large range of options that can not only protect your packaging, but impact how it feels to touch.   It has a huge variety of options to help you dial in a premium feel to your Subscription Box, but again has some limitations. Our favorite option is the Soft Touch coating that really makes the box feel special.

Learn more about Aqueous Coating for Packaging.

Perhaps what you need is to simply hire a professional photographer, and print those images directly on the packaging. Using high-resolution images can completely change the look of your Subscription Box, and might be the x-factor for your new design.

Depending on your printing process, volume, and current vendor, you might have to make some adjustments to use the images you have. It's important to lay out the entire plan before you begin designing, that way you don't run into production issues down the line.

Color schemes are so important, because they communicate silent things about your brand that customers pick up on. Whether you made an intentional choice or not, it is a choice that impacts your sales.

When you built your customer profile, you should've come up with a list of colors that your customers respond to. Try to find resources online to flip through different color schemes until one stands out to you.

In the end, maybe you don't have to completely change everything. Maybe all you need is a fresh set of eyes to look at your Subscription Box, identify areas that can be updated, and modernize it for your current audience.

Starting over isn't a bad thing. It can be a huge opportunity to reinvent your entire brand and box for the better. Never be afraid to take big chances when it comes to your packaging.

The best person to talk with is a manufacturer. They will have the best designers and knowledge about what you should choose because they work with the materials every single day.

Learn more about corrugated packaging, coatings for your Subscription Boxes, or color theory by contacting Bennett Packaging today! We are ready and waiting to partner up with you on creating an amazing new design that not only looks good but appeals to all of your customers' senses as well.

Contact us today to get started on a premium subscription box quote.