In today’s ecommerce-driven world, many companies are trying to find the balance between brand identity and the importance of consumer privacy. This (in general) applies less to, pet supply, food, beverage, toy, and craft products, and more so to personal care, pharmaceutical and high-end luxury items that require more discretion for a number of reasons. End-users don’t necessarily want a box showing up at their door with all of the bells and whistles promoting the brand name and contents for all of their neighbors (and delivery drivers) to see. This has led to a growing need for “stealth packaging”, where the focus of the branding is on the inside to protect customer privacy and reduce theft/tampering on higher end products.
Discretion Can Become Part of Your Brand Image
It seems contrary to common sense, but sometimes less can be more in packaging/branding. Many startups ahead of launch will have big ideas and bright, beautiful, colorful, bold packaging graphics and spend a lot of time and energy on crafting that perfect logo, tagline and trying to garner attention. Ultimately, it may work for some companies, and not as well for others. We have almost two decades of operation and have worked with companies ranging from small startups to billion dollar brands, and our experience allows us to keep ahead of the next trend.
Many ecommerce brands have had massive success with just a small, subtle logo printed on their packaging. Consider the very popular online healthcare company His and Hers. Most of their boxes just have a small letter “h” on an otherwise brown box. Similarly, the multi-billion dollar Harry’s Razors also features a letter “H” as their brand identifier. We sold them their first box back in 2014, and the packaging aesthetic remains the same today.
In both cases, if you saw the box up close, you would immediately recognize the logo and identify the brand. But if viewed from far away, you would just see a plain brown box. These small brand markers can both convey a sense of who the company is to those in the know, while also maintaining the stealth factor for prying eyes. In a way, you are communicating to your customers that you value their privacy more than your own need for marketing. The most successful companies know, their best marketing is achieved by positive customer experiences.
The Importance of Inside Print
We’ve said it hundreds of times and we won’t stop hammering the point home, interior print is the best value in flexographic printed packaging. Most machines today are designed to run inside/outside in one pass, resulting in substantial savings compared to as recently as only a few years ago when inside printing typically meant a 25-30% price increase per unit. Utilize the inside of the box to really deliver the wow factor to your customers. This is the prime real estate on any ecommerce box, because it is safe from external factors (weather, delivery scuffs and marks).
Keep the Surprise Element
In addition to the highly coveted social media-worthy unboxing moment, the element of surprise applies also in cases where a company is sending promotional or gift packaging. While sometimes it is fun to shake the box under the tree at Christmas and see if you can guess the contents based on the rattle inside, it is always a better unboxing when the opener is truly surprised. When you telegraph the product with bold, loud exterior printing and marketing, you take away that moment.
Please Contact Us Today
If you haven’t worked with us before, please reach out to us for a no cost, no obligation packaging consultation. As always, if you have any questions, one of our branded packaging advisors is standing by to assist, with decades of experience behind them. Please call us at 630-551-1700 or contact us via email at www.SalazarPackaging.com.
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https://www.salazarpackaging.com/e-commerce-packaging-single-versus-double-sided-print/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/2026-packaging-trends-for-skincare-beauty-brands/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/which-print-process-is-best-for-you/