8 Low-Cost Packaging Ideas for Your Small Online Business

In 1974, the Italian company Ferrero introduced the Kinder Chocolate Egg. The tiny toy inside intrigued children.

And what a joy – to get it, they had to eat a delicious milk chocolate egg. Marvelous! It’s no surprise that this product is still being sold all around the world.

Looking at this example can help you come up with your own packaging idea for your small business; the key is to make sure it generates an emotional response.

Affordable Package Design Solutions for Small Businesses

You also want your packaging solution to be cost-effective and:

1. Promote your brand

2. Make the right associations

3. Beat your competitors

Just getting started? There are still affordable ways to craft a lovely-looking package.

Meet our small business packaging ideas that will help you make a name for yourself.

Best Packaging Designs in a Minute

Budget packaging is a creative challenge if you have taste and some basic painting skills.

Check it yourself: get a simple box and find a marker or paint in a complementary color. Write your brand’s name or a welcome word, or even decorate the box with drawings if you have some artistic talent.

Consider the Starbucks trick.

Starbucks baristas write the names of their customers on their coffee cups, encouraging visitors to take a picture of their coffee and share it on social media, thus boosting the brand. You can do the same!

Bonus hint: product packaging for small businesses must be sturdy enough to endure transit by mail. Cover your handmade designs with something like epoxy resin or decorative lacquer to make the package waterproof.

Include a Card with Your Packaging Box

We’d recommend making things a little more personal by including a small business card with each order tucked neatly inside the box.

After all, custom packaging for small businesses is not the only way to impress your customers.

Ideally, customers will open the box, see your card, and share it with others or go to your website and write a review. Small business packaging ideas are simple but effective.

Experiment with thickness, structure, and colors.

See whether fancy fonts or simple hand-painted graphics better suit your vibe. Having the best packaging for small business sets you apart from your competitors!

Bonus hint: social media encourages active sharing. There’s a chance you might get tagged in someone’s stories!

Grandma Would Have Appreciated This Package

Let’s go vintage! Decorate your box in that fashion and stand out from the crowd. For instance, you can print out 17th-century botanical illustrations – they are spectacular!

• Pick the best picture

• Print it in color on in monochrome

• Glue the image to the box

• Hide uneven cuts with decorative straps

This is one of the most effective small business packaging ideas.

Going the extra mile will mean you create a truly memorable box that your customer won’t throw away.

If you get a hexagonal or octagonal-shaped box, it will create a truly vintage look, as this shape was used in the 19th century.

Bonus hint: to make sure your brand’s name is noticeable, use vinyl stickers or a sealing wax stamp with your logo.

Soft and Protective Packaging

If you want to emphasize the value of the contents, use a soft, protective wrapping material. This doesn’t have to break the bank, either!

There are plenty of relatively cheap fabrics you can buy to put inside your package.

Use sackcloth, affordable types of organza, or synthetics in multiple colors. Packaging ideas for small businesses can be impressive yet affordable.

This exclusive treatment is a strong hook, and when a person feels valued, a positive association with your brand will come naturally.

Bonus hint: expand fabric decorations. Stitch them to your cardboard box, add some buttons, and the package will become as valuable as its contents.

Bows and Ribbons for Small Business Boxes

Transform your box in a second by placing a bow on top of it. A beautifully tied ribbon gives the package an enticing look. Now it’s not just a cardboard box to open: it’s a quest!

• To tug the end of the ribbon

• To see how it slides off the top

• To open the lid of the package and relieve that mounting anticipation

A presentable-looking box will be suitable for a gift. So, there’s a chance your customer will order the item once again and give it to their friend or sweetheart.

Though this is a rather cheap packaging for small businesses, it performs well.

The bonus hint: you can print your brand’s name or a special design on some ribbon to make an impression on your customers.

Engraving Packaging Ideas 

Have you seen the 1961 romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany’s?

In one scene from this classic film, the main character makes an engraving on a simple plastic ring instead of buying an expensive one. At that moment, its price became invaluable.

For special occasions, you can order engravings yourself. This packaging design for small businesses is a bit more costly, but it’s well worth the extra expense.

Choose your brand’s name or a word combination that will be associated with your production.

Bonus hint: engagement ring boxes, wedding bands, or other gifts for that most special of days are kept for years on end. So, take advantage of this!

The Best Packaging Ideas Are Affordable for Startup Businesses

We truly hope that you now have enough variations to come up with your own unique packaging style.

Having read this list of ideas, you may have noticed that small business packaging ideas share one thing in common.

A plain post-office cardboard with a colorless bubble wrap inside only provides safe delivery. Start working on the emotional impact of your package, and you will see your brand grow.

As you can see, packaging boxes for small businesses can be customized without much investment.

These simple yet striking package designs are accessible to anyone ready to spend some time on them.