Awhile back we gave 4 simple packaging examples that work great for soap. But, once you have chosen your packaging type, what information should you make sure you include on that packaging? Check out the following list to find out five must-haves for your custom labels or box packaging.
- Company Name/Logo and Bar Name. Make sure people know what kind of bar they are getting and who it is from. The best (and really only) spot for this is on the front of your packaging. A nice descriptive name will give people an idea of the best use for that specific bar (exfoliating, soothing, moisturizing), and a well-placed name/logo will create the bar-to-company association.
- Ingredients. A very important packaging inclusion! Make sure the bar ingredients are on your packaging and can be found easily. The back is a great place for listing the bar ingredients, but if it is already full with bar and company descriptions, one of the long side panel also works well.
- Contact Information (Phone, Email, Website). Whether you do it through email, phone, or website, it is crucial to make it as simple as possible for customers to find out more information about your product and be able to contact you. A full physical address accompanied by a phone number is great, but simply having the basics, a phone number and/or website address or email address, can really increase customer trust.
- Bar Description/Company Description. Make sure customers know what they are getting and who they are getting it from. Simply putting the bar name on the front of the packaging might not be enough information for many customers. Including a simple bar description explaining scent blends, moisturizing characteristics, and/or exfoliating properties gives buyers that little extra information they want. As for a company description, depending on packaging type and available space, this can be either short and sweet or longer and more detailed. Both a simple phrase explaining a company’s core values or a longer description detailing the company’s history, values, and goals work well for a company description.
- Bar Size/Weight. This one is pretty straight forward. Simply include what size your bar is somewhere on your packaging – the front is often a nice place for this. For comparison and value purposes, people like to know exactly what they are getting.
Bonus
If you are using material that can be recycled or is recycled, such as our recycled boxes, you may want to include somewhere on the packaging a phrase that recognizes the sustainability and encourages others to continue recycling the packaging.
Now, between boxes, belly bands, and labels, all this information will fit differently. If you are able to get custom printed boxes, there is generally going to be much more space (every side) for you to utilize. In this case, you will have the opportunity to expand on certain areas, such as contact information (include full address) and company/bar descriptions. With belly bands, two sides are lost, but the bands still provide significant area for necessary information. Labels provide the least amount of space and require using a little less information and a little more creativity.
Packaging is 50% of the soap-selling process and can sometimes turn out to be more of a hassle than expected. Make sure to plan ahead! If you have any questions regarding soap packaging, feel free to leave them in the comments. We hope our list of ideas will help provide insight into what works well on packaging.