“Enjoy some extra coffee on us this morning,” the woman at the drive-thru window said as she handed me a medium coffee instead of the small I ordered. I’ll admit—I felt special at that moment. I received an extra kick of caffeine without having to pay for it, and it came as a pleasant surprise.

Not only was there more coffee, but the thicker medium cup didn’t burn my fingers. It fit better into my cup holder, plus the lid was made with better locking-features and didn’t splash coffee when I opened it. As with most products, awesome packaging can add to the perceived value of the item…I think all of these welcome coffee cup features even made the coffee taste better!

Slightly extra-caffeinated, I got to thinking—how can my clients give their customers more than they expect through packaging?

Ramp up your product’s perceived value by adding:

• A touch of gold or metallic foil stamp to create the feeling of elegance. These special touches imply elegance and craftsmanship. 
• A unique texture (through use of UV coating, embossing or special papers) to provide an added surprise to the senses when the item is touched.
• An unusual shape to the packaging (through a creative die template) to add visual appeal and showcase your product in new way.
• A problem-solving feature. Consider creative packaging to solve a problem, similar to how the coffee lid’s locking features kept me from spilling coffee.

Let’s talk about how we can give your customers that extra kick through creative packaging.