Done right and your product’s packaging increases the prices you can charge and attracts more raving happy customers.

But make any of the below mistakes, and you end up costing yourself customers. And even a lot of customers.

So let’s get right to the top problems your retail packaging can cause your customers:

1. It Tears Too Easily

Ever opened a bag of food, only to find it tore without any problem and splattered the contents all over the place?

What a disappointment for your customers!

Not only have they wasted money, but now they can’t satisfy their appetite either.

While food packaging is a great example, this isn’t limited to just food products. This can be true for any product.

When was the last time you tested your products’ packaging for ease or difficulty of opening?

Make sure you give it a run so you know you’re giving your customers a good experience.

2. Not Environmentally Friendly

While environmentally friendly packaging is certainly a requirement in some industries, it’s becoming a requirement for nearly every industry.

A 2020 report by the National Retail Federation and IBM’s Institute for Business Value found “57% of consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to help reduce negative environmental impact.”

This also means many customers will pass you up if your competitors offer an eco-friendly option.

3. You Use Plastic Packaging

We get it: plastic is the cheapest option available.

But customers really hate it because of its environmental impact.

In fact, one survey found 87% of Amazon’s shoppers would choose something other than plastic if given the choice.

Based on its 2019 sales volume, which as you know is much less than it’s been since COVID broke out, Amazon generated enough plastic to circle around the earth 500 times.

Many retailers continue to hold onto plastic packaging, despite all the strong evidence available that consumers really don’t want it at all.

Even if you make plastic that can be recycled, consumers don’t necessarily take the time to actually recycle it.

The problem here may be looking too closely at the short-term in favor of the long-term.

Yes, environmentally friendly packaging will take time to create and cost you more up-front.

But, you have to analyze the long-term benefits: customers are happier, buy more, and have more willingness to talk about you to those in their social circles.

So that’s what customers really don’t want to see with your packaging.

Now it’s up to you to decide what to do with it…or let your competitors innovate and get ahead.