First impressions are essential, especially if you have a new business and are looking to gain customers that will repeat purchases from your business. When customers pay more for an item compared to alternatives available, they expect more in return. There are several ways you can alter your product and packaging to ensure it lives up to your customer’s expectations and creates a great first impression. We have some tips that can help your business apply a premium touch to your products.

Materials and finish

When customers buy a luxury product, they expect the materials to be of high quality. This includes the materials used for the product, packaging and mailing box. Customers will be disappointed if they’ve purchased an expensive pair of shoes and they arrive in a mailing bag and the shoe material isn’t robust. Consider every material used in your product and whether it can be improved to provide a more premium experience for your customer. When it comes to packaging, you should avoid cheap plastic or standard cardboard. Instead, finish your packaging boxes with a luxurious matt colour representing your brand and your product’s quality. When a customer picks up your item, they should feel the quality of the materials almost immediately. 

Well-crafted

All products need to be put together in some way or another. Clothing needs to be stitched and sewn to create the final product; furniture needs to be constructed; and even makeup needs to be crafted to create the perfect shade and the right combination of ingredients. The crafting element of your product should be done with care and using knowledgeable people that have the right qualifications and experience. Creating products cheaply will lead to defects and problems occurring. Customers expect a product they’ve paid extra money for will be crafted by professionals without cutting corners. This will inevitably cost more money compared to using cheap factories in China to produce items. However, you can use this as part of your marketing strategy; telling customers how and where your products are crafted can help you justify the higher price tag and gain more customers. 

Customised boxes 

Nothing says premium products like customised boxes for your packaging. When you invest in designing a customised box, you can have a compartment for every element of the product. In addition, you can use the box to inform the customer about your business and your products. Adding your brand logo, colours and messaging to the box can create a memorable experience for each customer. When customers are delighted by product packaging, it improves their view of your product. Unique and interesting packaging can also help you to gain more customers. Keen social media enthusiasts will create unboxing videos of your product, which is great for brand awareness and widening your reach. When you create a custom box, make sure you test it thoroughly, it needs to delight your customer and protect your product. 

Customer service 

If you have a premium product that your customers are paying more for, they’ll also expect a premium experience from your customer service team. You should ensure you are able to answer customer questions quickly and professionally and do everything you can to resolve issues quickly. A customer’s experience can be turned around with the right level of customer service. They may even leave a review to tell others about their experience and how easy and simple it was to deal with the customer support team when they had an issue. 

Consistent messaging 

A premium product and packaging aren’t enough to encourage customers to purchase. You also need to ensure that your marketing materials are premium and your messaging is consistent at all times. Even one social media post that uses a poor reference or bad imagery can change a customer’s perception of your brand. All marketing materials should go through an approval process to ensure they’re in keeping with the brand values. 

If you get it right, you can make lots of money from a premium product. However, this takes time and investment, don’t expect customers to want to pay more initially if they don’t understand why your product is worth the extra money.