Good Record-keeping Helps New Business Owners Avoid Tax-time Headaches
Using Packaging To Make Your Product More Appealing To Store Owners
Terra Fields
While many companies invest a significant amount of time and money into identifying the type of packaging that will attract customers, few take the time to consider the needs of the store owner when it comes to packaging their products. Before your product can reach the consumer, it must attract the attention of a store owner who wants to place it on his or her retail shelves.
Here are three tips that you can use to help make your packaging more store-friendly.
1. Consider an enclosed box.
Packaging your product in an enclosed box can be a great way to attract the attention of store owners. Products that are fully contained inside of a box are less likely to be damaged by repeated handling when consumers pick them up in a retail setting.
This results in a reduced chance the store owner will lose out on valuable sales by having to throw away damaged items that can't be sold to the public. Boxed products are also less likely to settle during shipping, and the uniformity of the packaging makes it easier for store owners to stock their shelves with ease.
2. Find a way to seal your boxes.
Once you have created an attractive box that will appeal to both customers and store owners, you should find a way to seal your boxes. Customers will want to open the box to inspect your product, but this often results in a mess left behind on store shelves when the customer fails to repackage the product appropriately.
By taking the time to add some plastic wrap or a durable sticker to your product's boxes, you make it more difficult for consumers to open your packaging prior to purchase. This will keep store shelves tidier and could make your product more attractive to store owners in the future.
3. Keep your logo low-key.
While you might think that splashing your company's logo all over your product's packaging is good marketing, this decision could deter some store owners from carrying your product on their retail shelves. Store owners have to think about the aesthetic of a retail shelf as a whole.
Many different products are combined into a single visual presentation on retail shelves, and a product with obnoxious coloring or logos displayed everywhere could disrupt the visual aesthetic. By keeping your logo low-key, you ensure that your product will be able to seamlessly integrate into a store owner's existing visual schematic.
Using your product's packaging to attract the attention of store owners by catering to their unique needs could help you get your product into more retail locations in the future.
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I have been a business owner for years, and I want to share some tips for success with new entrepreneurs out there who are struggling. I have had my share of business ups and downs, but there was one lesson that it took me way too long to learn: Good financial record-keeping year-long keeps tax time from being so stressful. During my first year in business, I kept most business expense receipts, but when tax time arrived, I found out that I needed to save much more than just those receipts. Thanks to technology, I was able to recover most of the documentation I needed, but it was a huge headache. I quickly invested in good record-keeping software and it made tax time much less stressful during the following years.