Only when you find the time and space to ponder life do you realise how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising effects on our mood.
You might not realise how sensitive you are to your environment, but several subtle factors can affect your happiness levels, objects being one of those things. Objects can deeply affect happiness, some of which we aren’t even consciously aware of. If some of those things are a necessary part of life – like the packaging of goods – then we may as well attempt to build in a little joy.
Packaging touches so many things and has always been a platform for consumer engagement. Still, with the rise of e-commerce and social media, opening experiences are now front and centre. Even by reading our own satisfaction with our purchases, we can quickly learn to calculate which things make us the happiest to buy. But only when you get out into the world, and the contexts where people interact with your packaging will you be surprised how quickly unexpected opportunities are revealed.
Making every interaction an experience that matters
As the old saying goes, you can’t change a first impression; the first thing a customer sees of a product will go a long way to forming their opinion of a brand.
People just love the unexpected. The surprising touch of branded tear tape can create a memorable unboxing experience, generate positive word-of-mouth, and foster customer loyalty. It’s clever, makes you ask questions, and gives people something else to talk about.
We love the unexpected. This is especially true these days, where the web and smartphones have largely eradicated the element of surprise and adventure from most parts of our lives.
Probably the easiest way to surprise and delight your customers is by adding in things they weren’t expecting. Our total tape solutions are part of a new framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. It’s a strategic way to give unanticipated perks to customers to renew interest, boost purchases, restore loyalty, or educate consumers on new products.
It never ceases to amaze us how many companies don’t quite deliver ‘surprise and delight‘ when engaging consumers with their brands. Think of how excited you get about ordering something online and then waiting for it to arrive. But also remember how consistently disappointed we are when our parcel is dumped on the doorstep in a non-descript plastic bag or boring brown box.
Meeting expectations is now entry-level for brands. Our total tape solutions show that every packaging touchpoint has been considered an opportunity to surprise, delight and deliver benefits around opening, closing, informing and protecting users.
This approach fuels the creation of products and packaging that resonate more deeply with an audience — ultimately driving engagement and growth. Not only that, but we believe this to be a clear marker for what lies ahead when it comes to the future of branded packaging.
Innovations like branded Supastrip® can help to create extra space and room and unlock other, more meaningful opportunities to convey a message. Our customers often find that the very process of delivering key messages at the right time frequently leads customers to what matters most.
The unboxing experience has to tell your brand story. Highlighting the product’s benefits on the inside of the top of the box or a strip of Supastrip® used to open the packaging – an area immediately visible upon opening neatly – can make a strong impression.
In the past, consumers desired brands that were reliable, predictable and consistently met our expectations, again and again. Nowadays, we expect them, and competition means that brands that don’t deliver over and above will struggle.
An easy-open tear tape will go a long way towards making this aim a reality. Tear tapes eliminate frustration in the opening process, which 57% of consumers report as a top packaging issue, turning it into an effortless, satisfying experience for the consumer.
Our products have stood the test of time: ensuring brands are perceived as adding value in every interaction you have with them is more important than ever. Using narrow strips of polymer, our flagship Rippatape® (for paper and board cartons) and Supastrip® (for plastic and film applications) products can be printed in various colours – including authentication inks – and can be used to carry messages, essentially acting as a visual cue to aid easy opening.
Supastrip® Prism, like its Supastrip® and Supastrip® PCR counterparts, can be applied to a range of products that use plastic or paper as the primary packaging across a wide range of FMCG applications, from food and pharmaceuticals to beverages and beauty categories. Designed to tear through various flexible packaging types, providing quick and easy access to the product, pairing the Prism range with an application system and support should make deploying the new range seamless.
And our capabilities don’t stop there. VakTape™ enables the easy opening of heat-sealed, airtight packaging; RE:CLOSE provides a resealable closure function for flexible packaging, but perhaps most crucially for FMCG executives, our portfolio of applicators can be added to both new and existing packaging production lines, allowing for easy integration of tape into your packaging, while best-in-class technical support ensures a seamless process.
An enduring conversation
Brands should actively curate the consumer journey past the immediate contact on delivery. The marriage of creativity and functionality is at the heart of good packaging.
Although it sounds straightforward, quite often it isn’t. From identifying the packs that frustrate and delight to understanding the features consumers value, our expert team at Filtrona Tapes collects and responds to insights around packaging functionality and its role in our lives. With many brands focusing on making online shopping seamless and hitch-free, they neglect the in-home experience and the opportunity to connect.
It’s about considering how customers perceive their interactions with a company and connecting beyond the unboxing moment. In our regular discussions with customers and other stakeholders, we are regularly told that functionality and overall appeal of product packaging design increasingly influence perceived value.
If you take the time and effort to tailor a product and its packaging, customers will see and value this, creating loyal customers who shout about what they’ve received. It won’t go unnoticed if you go the extra mile to surprise and delight your customers with unique packaging elements. And it doesn’t need to cost the earth, either. A selection as simple as choosing a tape can enhance brand communication and protection, bolster consumer convenience, and contribute to an unforgettable opening experience.
Tear tapes are suitable for flexible packaging, carton board and fibreboard, mailing envelopes and packets, and hermetically sealed packaging. They can carry complex designs, promotions, and security features. So, in a devastatingly competitive space, it is more important than ever that companies meet customers anytime, anywhere, when, and how they want.
