Your Ultimate Guide to Packaging Inserts

Packaging is one of the most valuable marketing tools of any business. But it isn’t just about the box design; there are other components you need to consider, such as the packaging insert. Sure, packaging inserts sound simple and insignificant but think of it as the cherry on top of its brand.

Before we delve into why these inserts are an essential component of your packaging and business, let’s talk about what it is and the kinds of inserts to choose from. Read on!

What are Packaging Inserts?

Packaging inserts are also known as packaging inlays and custom box inserts, which are functional materials attached inside packaging, bringing on a more impactful unboxing experience for customers. We can divide packaging inserts into two categories:

Box inserts – These inserts serve as protection and support for your products from production to unboxing. You can also add print to box inserts to bring the branding inside the packaging with patterns, shapes, and even texts.

Promotional inserts – These aren’t for holding your products but more for communicating with customers. For example, you can add thank you cards, discount codes, and other valuable promos that help increase the marketing value and build connections with your clients. It adds a sense of authenticity while you get to promote your brand.

Note that we’ll focus more on box inserts for this article.

The Different Types of Packaging Inserts

There are different kinds of box inserts to choose from, and what you get will depend on your product.

Corrugated and Paper Inserts

Corrugated box inserts are versatile choices we find many industries investing in, which are usually made of cardboard and paper. Paper inserts are more suitable for small and lightweight products like stationary and cosmetics, which you can fully print on.

It’s more common in the e-commerce industry as it offers strength, structure, durability, and rigidity. These inserts are customized to your product’s shape and size, ensuring protection and support from shipping to unboxing.

There are many high-quality printing and finishing options you can have done on this insert, which enhances the sense of your company’s brand and product with the packaging.

Moreover, this box insert helps establish your brand credibility and strengthen connections with customers as it creates a better unboxing experience, keeps products safe, and enhances the brand narrative.

Corrugated box inserts are also the optimum choice if there is more than one product per packaging. They are also ideal for heavier products that require more protection, like small glass bottles.

Molded Pulp and Plastic insert

Molded pulp and plastic box inserts are more popular among the food industry. It’s a standard option because of its affordability. As such, these inserts wouldn’t have print, and the output appears lower-quality from the surface texture.

These inserts are molded to your product, so it’s convenient and durable. While you can find this in food products, it’s also a suitable option for cosmetics.

You can add coatings, laminates, or varnishes on the molded pulp insert’s surface, which creates a more luxurious feel. Note that molded plastic is less protective compared to a molded pulp!

Foam Inserts

Foam box inserts are a lightweight option, so they help maintain lower shipment costs. These inserts are also more wear and scratch-resistant, making them another great option. They are best suited for fragile items like jewelry, electronics, and glass products.

With foam box inserts, your customization options for designs, shapes, and sizes are almost limitless. Among the different types of box inserts, foam offers an even higher degree of protection. After all, if your packaging falls or is handled roughly, your products will still stay protected from foam’s soft padding.

That said, foam inserts aren’t as eco-friendly and you can’t print on it. You can usually find foam inserts in white and black.

Promotional Inserts

There are also different kinds of promotional inserts to choose from, such as:

· Thank you cards

· Discount codes

· Contact information

· Product instructions

The Benefits of Box Inserts

Box inserts offer a plethora of benefits to businesses, such as:

• Customized box inserts will serve offer additional protection from your products, other than the box itself. These inserts keep them snug and safe during the shipment and distribution process. That way, your customers will be happy without any complaints of damaged goods. If you have multiple products, they won’t jostle around easily.

• Box inserts are actually cost-effective, coming in affordable prices and they won’t significantly drive up shipment weight and costs. Foam is also very lightweight and won’t drive up your shipment costs, while molded pulp and plastic inserts are affordable and easy to create.

• To improve your packaging’s functionality, protection, and overall appearance, you can choose whatever design, size, and material of the box insert you want. Custom inserts complement and protect products compared to generic box inserts or no inserts, which don’t offer the best protection.

• More importantly, you get better unboxing experiences, with customers knowing you care for the product and their satisfaction! Your customers will want to come back for more of your products and share them with their network.

Customs Inserts for Your Packaging

If you’re planning on getting custom inserts for your packaging, here are a few tips:

Choose the best insert for your industry

There are inserts that better fit specific needs and industries. For example, if you sell cosmetics and perfume, we highly recommend investing in corrugated or foam inserts. However, if you are on a budget, molded pulp inserts will do fine, as long as you have it with a customized finish to elevate the aesthetic.

Or, if you sell other products, you can always go for corrugated box inserts, which protect while still enhancing your packaging’s look. If you prioritize security and want limitless design options, foam inserts are for you.

Prepare a dieline file

It’s recommended to prepare your insert and packaging design in a dieline file, either in AI or PDF format. These should be editable in Adobe Illustrator and related software.

Suppose you don’t have a dieline file, not to worry! We can prepare this for you, just contact us and let us know what you want and need in your packaging and insert design. Once we show you the final design, we can create a unique structural design custom-made to fit any product in the insert and packaging.

Wrapping It Up

Hopefully, we helped you learn more about packaging inserts and how this so-called simple addition can elevate your company brand. If you’re thinking of improving your current boxes, feel free to contact us, and we can assist you with your packaging needs now.