Yesterday afternoon, I had the great opportunity to join industry experts from Oberthur and Cabela’s on a panel at Prepaid Expo. We sat down to analyze how revolutions in packaging design and card manufacturing play a role in helping attract and retain customers. It was interesting to see the differing options available and hear about the issues people are balancing when choosing their packaging.
In particular, Cabela’s boasted carriers with audio (geese honking, mooses mooing) that appeal to their core customer. Trying to balance a substantial, consumer friendly package, with the needs of making sure it is secure and environmentally friendly seemed to be a recurring theme.
I highly encourage people to look at the key metrics that are driving their business and measure their packaging against those. Depending on your focus, these areas could be initial load, reload rate or initial spend with the card. I’ve often seen people get attached to some really creative packaging, but forget to evaluate whether it’s driving the results you need. Arroweye makes a point to show our customers metrics directly tied to our customized products. It’s a tangible way to show our business partners how a specific product improves results at a competitive cost.
At the close of the session, I was reminded of how important it is to gain an emotional connection with your customer in order to build strong brand affinity and a sense of loyalty. Packaging serves quite a few purposes, and I think it’s key to stay grounded in your purpose and not let competing interests stand in the way of building customer loyalty.
