Digital sales have long been on the rise, but the growth of ecommerce has intensified of late due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new landscape has forced many businesses to pivot and re-think their strategies, but new ways of connecting with customers have arisen and opened doors for companies willing to innovate and reach consumers where they are. While many areas of the economy are now starting to reopen, experts predict that the boost to ecommerce will continue. According to a report from Global Data, “COVID-19 will have a long-term positive effect on the ecommerce sector, with even the most skeptical consumers forced to abandon physical stores in response to restrictions on movement.”

Given the trend toward more digital buying, it is imperative for many producers to start or improve ecommerce sales. But, especially for companies whose products are usually sold in brick-and-mortar retail locations, the digital sales landscape may seem foreign. When a customer is used to a tangible connection with your product, how do you create a meaningful relationship with a consumer through ecommerce? Your label is an excellent tool to help attract buyers and create brand loyalty. Here are three easy and memorable ways your label can help you establish a deeper connection with ecommerce customers.

Interactive Elements

Ecommerce sales can feel more impersonal than those that occur directly from your store or from a retailer a customer associates with your brand, especially if your product is available from a third-party seller. An Amazon box is not necessarily going to spark feelings of connectivity with your brand, and you lose the ability to control some of the packaging when your product is shipped through someone else. An excellent way to make sure your customer still gets that all-important sense of connection is to include interactive elements right on your label. Using interactive elements on your label to encourage that consumer to engage further with your brand is a powerful way to build a meaningful relationship with that person.

QR codes are a great way to accomplish this connection, and there are extensive ways to use them to your advantage. They can link to your social media platform or your website where you can communicate in a more extensive way about your brand identity and offerings. Or, even better, how about linking a QR code to a virtual tour of your facility or taking a customer on a journey to meet your team?

We also offer extended content labels , a creative way to interactively engage with consumers. While many OTC pharmaceutical and industrial companies use extended content labels to list ingredient lists and product warnings, how about giving your customers the thrill that comes with physically peeling open a label and finding helpful or creative messaging inside? Any way you go with interactive label elements, you’re sure to establish bonds with your customers that can’t be undervalued.

Terra Origin does an outstanding job at branding their labels consistently across their various products. They use sample pouches too!

Powerful Design

Whether your product is on a physical shelf or being pictured on a website, your design choices play an integral role in how a customer will respond to it. But there is an even stronger incentive to make your design meaningful and memorable when it’s being sold on a digital platform. When a consumer goes to a store to buy a product, they often repeat-buy products that are familiar to them, going to the same place where they know those products are stocked and using color association. While color still plays a key role at establishing an emotional connection through ecommerce sales, one of the most important aspects of your design for digital sales is going to be to make your brand name and identity prominent. While this may seem obvious, keep in mind that if a customer can’t remember your name when they go to search for their next purchase, they won’t have the cues that occur in a physical store to direct them to you!

In stores there is a limited amount of physical space for products, but the vastness of products available online is incalculable. As such, competition for ecommerce sales across all industries is even more fierce. Having a stand-out design is a great way to give yourself an edge. What’s more, keeping your design consistent across your products (and your website and social sites!) will help customers come to recognize your brand and return to you. The Dion Label team are experts are color consistency, matching, and vibrancy, so partnering with us on your labels will give you a leg-up on the digital competition!

We print branded decals for Berkshire Mountain Distillers to help promote their amazing  spirits.

That Little Something Extra

If you’ve ever purchased something online and opened the box to find a little something over and above what you’ve ordered in there, you know the feeling it evokes. It can establish a personal connection, as though you’ve received a gift from a friend. From a simple hand-written note to decals of your brand, adding that extra personal touch can go a long way to creating brand loyalists through digital sales.

One of our favorite ways to give your customers that sense of connection is something many of our partners in the supplement industry use regularly: a sample pouch including a different product than what was purchased. Not only does including a sample help you establish a meaningful relationship with your customer, it has the added benefit of inducing them to try a different product from you and creating awareness around your other offerings. We do more than just labels at Dion, so whether you want to add decals to your online orders or give your customers a sample of the other things you have to offer, we’ve got you covered. You can learn more about what pouching solutions can do for your brand here.

As the proverb says, necessity is the mother of invention. While the pandemic has caused many challenges for businesses in all sectors, why not take this opportunity to innovate and become stronger?

Ecommerce is a force that is here to stay, so if you’re on-board, let Dion Label Printing help you create a memorable label to keep digital buyers coming back. We’ll give you a free quote on your project, and our amazing team will be here to help you every step of the way in this new landscape!