What a White Label VIP Customer Care Service Could Add to Your Business

April 29, 2019 Concierge, Loyalty4 Minutes

sales

As a business looking for opportunities to get ahead in the marketing and service focus of modern retailing, your first instinct may be to do it all yourself. Unfortunately, that is not always the best solution.

Building a customized, high-touch VIP customer care solution from scratch by attempting to meet the exact specifications of your business can be time-consuming and complicated. That’s because building your own solution can lead you to make mistakes, like spending too much money developing tools and solutions that already exist in other formats, or you may miss out on resources and expertise in the specific space where you need a focused solution. Or you simply don’t have the bandwidth to train, monitor, and launch a specialized high-touch customer service team.

These pitfalls are easy to avoid if you opt for a white label solution, rather than building one yourself. White label products and services, like the Vivabox VIP White Label Customer Care Service, help you deliver on your Brand Promise & Customer Care commitment using our outsourced team who operate under your “banner” — that’s the white label part.

Vivabox’s White label VIP Customer Care Service offers you the following benefits:

  • High-touch, limited quantity & limited time only rewards, gifts, influencer packages, and pop-up shop gifts, and special experiences need a specialized customer care team experienced in delivering above and beyond. We do that for you.

  • Our team uses software, yes, but they’re people. Real people. Customer care experts adept at delivering special products and special value to your most important customers.

  • It’s quick and easy to brand. We represent your aesthetic, tone, and service level as if it was…you! White label solutions are generally fully integrated, which makes branding easy. You can be free from concerns about needing to spend time and money on research or development because white label services are doing the work for you. Simply enough, we help propel your brand’s experience for you so you don’t have to cut corners that could backfire on your brand identity.

  • You can scale your services portfolio. The most significant benefit of using white label marketing is to broaden your offerings. You don’t need to specialize in each and every service that you offer, and outsourcing provides a much broader range of services for your business.

  • You can focus on your core competencies. Core competencies benefit from scaling your services. In many cases, the solutions that companies hope to build themselves fall far outside of their areas of expertise. It’s not smart to stretch your resources to do something that doesn’t fit within your core competencies. Pre-packaged solutions offer your business an opportunity to trust the experts in the specific space you are focused on, and avoid making the same mistakes that others have made before you.

  • Improve your customer loyalty, retention, and NPS. Broaden your rewards and event strategies. With a third-party provider taking responsibility for most important service delivery, you can focus more time and effort on managing your retail spaces, relationships, and product array. Every time your Growth or Marketing team comes to you with a special promotion, or award tier, you won’t have to say no to them just because you don’t have the capabilities in-house.

White label solutions, like the one Vivabox provides, help businesses use unique branding and high-touch customer care so you can offer a product or service without investing in infrastructure or technology creation. Done and done — at the speed of today’s retail environment.

Looking for a solution? We can help.

Headquarters

9211 Corporate Blvd Ste 110
Rockville MD 20850

Satellite Offices

Dallas, TX
Paris, France
San Francisco, CA
Scottsdale, AZ

Email

info@vivaboxsolutions.com

Phone

800-529-1988

Minimum Order Quantities:
RPET Totes: 3,000
Kraft Shoppers: 5,000
Rigid Boxes: 3,000
Folding Cartons: 5,000


ShopTalk 2019. The 10 Things Impacting Your Business Today & Tomorrow. VBX 2-Min Summary.

March 8, 2019 Creative, Logistics, Retail Kits2 Minutes

sales

The engaging themes (scientific data point of most attendees and most number of mobile phones aimed at speakers and slides) at Shoptalk Las Vegas this past week were: accelerated change, AI, AR & VR-assisted experiences, influencer marketing, and the role of IRL store associates.

Our summary:

  1. Shopping should be fun & social (literally and via mobile).

  2. Buying should be easy.

  3. Corporate silos need to make way for the pure fluidity of IRL —> Digital that consumers move through on their self-guided journeys to conversion and potentially, loyalty.

  4. Caution Inhibits Innovation.

  5. Hone a physical retail competency that creates moments worth lingering for.

  6. The mobile screen is your new window display.

  7. Change the metabolic rate of your company (esp. senior leaders)

  8. Make Influencer and digital activations part of the product development process – not so late in the game. We call it the new marketing supply chain.

  9. From Erik Nordstrom to Barney’s and Crate & Barrel executives, there was a light shone on the changing role of physical stores and the store associates inside. There was recognition that physical stores are a convenient (or at least can be) place to manage returns and for in-store pickup that puts CX front and center. Recognizing that means looking at the ways associates are trained and incented because this is a critical moment for consumers and can engender real loyalty. Additionally, it means (in our opinion) looking at attribution differently – for example, Nordstrom shared that 50% of their store visits begin online.

  10. We’re struck by the efficacy of a high-concept custom box/bag kit to help bridge the shopping & buying divide. Like retailers and brands, we are leaning into smart packaging to make these experiences even more interesting for the consumers and to reveal new first-party data.

    Vivabox works with CPG, Beauty, Mass, Specialty, Club, and Drug and in every category, the right trial, education, loyalty, and influencer box respects the privileged role of being in someone’s hands and home. Now that’s a brand experience worth sharing, talking about, and remembering.

Looking for a solution? We can help.

Headquarters

9211 Corporate Blvd Ste 110
Rockville MD 20850

Satellite Offices

Dallas, TX
Paris, France
San Francisco, CA
Scottsdale, AZ

Email

info@vivaboxsolutions.com

Phone

800-529-1988

Minimum Order Quantities:
RPET Totes: 3,000
Kraft Shoppers: 5,000
Rigid Boxes: 3,000
Folding Cartons: 5,000


Augmented Reality (AR) 'Smart Packaging' Opens Up New Packaging Potential

February 25, 2019 Brand Packaging, Creative, Retail Kits5 Minutes

sales

We talk a lot about how packaging is one of the few tangible relationships a brand has with the consumer, as well as its importance to a brand’s narrative and loyalty. This recognition is based on the density of smartphone ownership, sales trends, and overall connectivity.

During a time when everything is mobile (yet everything still has a barcode), augmented reality (AR) packaging, aka digital or smart packaging, is here. It’s the next frontier in experiential branding because it offers enormous untapped potential for retailers and brands to revolutionize packaging and the way they connect and engage with consumers today.

At a time when marketing departments are spending more on digital advertising than ever before–and users are connecting to the web through mobile more than ever before–brands are sitting on an unrealized mobile marketing channel that’s been dormant in every supermarket, home, office, and shopping destination until recently.

AR packaging has become a new way of expanding a brand’s narrative–to offer background information in clever ways and to offer consumers a way to attach to the brand emotionally. It provides another innovative dimension to packaging that gives consumers a surprising experience.

A great example of smart packaging can be seen with Anheuser-Busch, which created a collectible Budweiser cup that lit up in response to crowd noise during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. There was a circuitry built into the beverage packaging that responded to environmental sound with LEDs that flashed, which visually riled up the crowd’s energy during games.

Packaging Digest (Aug. 29, 2018)

Packaging Digest (Aug. 29, 2018)

Another interesting, smart packaging design comes with “auto-replenish,” which was created by Amazon to support products that are regularly used and need regular refills or replacement. Products can use smart packaging to notify consumers when it is time to reorder so they can request more through their Dash Replenishment Services (DRS).

Researcher Pan Demetrakakes explains, “So far, smart packaging has been thought of mostly in terms of connection to ‘passive’ online information, like recipes or discount offers. However, it has the capability to unlock the full interactive potential of the internet.”

In light of such research, founder of London-based branding agency SharpEnd, Cameron Worth talks about the potential for smart packaging to integrate with the Internet of Things (IoT): “Traditionally, there has been no way to close the gap between the brand and consumer via the product, but now with the IoT, we can use smart packaging to bring brands directly into contact with individual consumers and use this opportunity to build brands post-purchase.”

At Vivabox, we are actively building event and influencer kit experiences with AR and thinking about how trial and loyalty consumer journeys can be impacted with smart packaging.

Although there is a practicality in association with the Internet and ordering, brands also have the opportunity to develop deeper brand connections through stories. For example, pasta sauce brand Francesco Rinaldi recently updated their brand with a smart packaging feature that enabled consumers to interact with brand spokesperson Mrs. Rinaldi. This digital approach allows consumers to pick up the jar from the shelf, scan it, and hear the story of the product directly from the brand “mascot.”

Packaging Digest, Dec 13, 2018

Packaging Digest, Dec 13, 2018

These variations of smart packaging also offer brands some essential opportunities/thought starters:

  • Imagine picking up a trial item, turning on your AR to hear from the perfumer who made the product waxing poetic about the formula and the ingredient origins Star Trek style in the aisle of the store or pop-up.

  • Extend the available real estate for product messaging and promotional offers.

  • Increase brand engagement especially via social sharing while this is still relatively new.

  • Serve contextually relevant information at the point of purchase and consumption.

  • It also drives better consumer data by offering real-time data analytics on a serialized basis, creates a better understanding of users, and helps deliver more measurable results and value-added benefits to customers.

Vivabox can help you with better packaging and connect you with AR experiences to help take your brand story to the next level of digital packaging sophistication.

Looking for a solution? We can help.

Headquarters

9211 Corporate Blvd Ste 110
Rockville MD 20850

Satellite Offices

Dallas, TX
Paris, France
San Francisco, CA
Scottsdale, AZ

Email

info@vivaboxsolutions.com

Phone

800-529-1988

Minimum Order Quantities:
RPET Totes: 3,000
Kraft Shoppers: 5,000
Rigid Boxes: 3,000
Folding Cartons: 5,000


How Packaging and Branding are Bringing CBD Mainstream

January 29, 2019 Brand Packaging, Retail Kits11 Minutes

sales

Research that addresses the benefits of cannabinoids (CBD) on the human body is becoming more recognized and accepted, and the awareness of wellness, skin care, and CBD is part of that growing recognition. PSA: cannabinoids and get-you-high marijuana are not the same things. CBD does not contain the ingredient that gets you high (THC).

There is still a ways to go, as the FDA continues to move slowly in its endorsements for cannabinoids and it is not yet legal in several states, but there are many companies, startup and established alike, currently embracing–within legal parameters–CBD in beauty and beverage products, especially as state and federal laws become more inclusive of CBD products.

As the public becomes more aware and accepting of the benefits of CBD in beauty products (and beyond), branding and packaging will be a key step to consumer trust and confidence, especially in these transitional stages.

More than that, though, new entrepreneurs and brands are doing away with marijuana-leaf logos and demystifying the dosing and buying of CBD by providing education and premium packaging designed to increase both understanding and acceptance of these products and this ingredient.

First, a Quick Science Lesson

In a recent CBD for Life article, they explain that scientific researchers have shown undisputable CBD connections beneficial to the human body. “It is because of how CBD communicates with the endocannabinoid system,” the article said. The human body has a system of endocannabinoid neurotransmitters, or receptors, and “These receptors are spread throughout the body, but are observed mostly in the skin.”

What has been scientifically proven is that the human body has a natural endocannabinoid system, which means there is a chain of receptors that connect every part of the human body, from the tissues–to the nerves–to the mind. Phytocannabinoids are produced in nature (the marijuana plant system, for example) and can be consumed by the human body to create a relationship of benefits. Although cannabinoid products can be found in other types of plants, like echinacea, liverwort, pepper, and even chocolate, CBD in phytocannabinoids just so happens to have the most potent and beneficial effects for the human body.

CBD and the Beauty Industry

According to a January 2019 report by Beauty Packaging, “Cannabis is known for stress-reducing and pain-relieving benefits. Use of CBD products [for skin] can reduce redness, irritation and even acne.”

Neiman Marcus recently introduced their CBD beauty line and Kim D’Angelo, beauty buyer at Neiman Marcus, recently explained that

“Cannabis beauty brands are becoming increasingly popular and CBD products are the next big thing in beauty.” Such products are comparably priced to other luxury brands like Sephora, L’Oréal, and Estée Lauder.

https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/ildi-pekar-sleeping-mask-infused-with-cbd-oil-1-1-oz-30-ml-prod219110020

https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/ildi-pekar-sleeping-mask-infused-with-cbd-oil-1-1-oz-30-ml-prod219110020

Neiman Marcus I-Pekar CBD Oil Skin Care

Another well-established company, Barneys New York (as well as their locations in Chicago, Beverly Hills, and Las Vegas), has also released a new CBD skin care line “Lab to Beauty.” They promote their products by touting “the pure potency of plants, combined with the healing effects of CBD.”

https://www.barneys.com/product/lab-to-beauty-the-cbd-drops-506111933.html

https://www.barneys.com/product/lab-to-beauty-the-cbd-drops-506111933.html

Barneys New York “Lab to Beauty”

More so, independent startups like CBD for Life and Fleur Marché are offering quality products and walking consumers through the process if they are unsure of their state’s legal boundaries. Furthermore, their packaging starts to play more on the natural, sustainable elements of cannabinoids rather than the more stereotypically rebellious aspects.

https://fleurmarche.com/

https://fleurmarche.com/

Fleur Marché

Of course, because of current restrictions, they are only sold in locations where states have already legalized medicinal and/or recreational use as well. Although this is an initial hindrance for the mass consumer, the trend shows CBD and other cannabinoid products are becoming more accepted and could soon be in a store near you, or at least online ordering without repercussions. It is the subtle and medicinal message that continuously needs more strategic attention.

Why Packaging and Branding Matters

Now that we have addressed scientific and legal issues (phew!), let’s get down to how packaging becomes the perfect bridge between consumer skepticism and confidence, as well as overcoming cannabis industry stigma.

Most consumers are still unaware of the differences between hemp, THC, and CBD–and the image of legalization is a narrow one, which depicts a “4:20” recreational lifestyle or, say, images of Shaggy from Scooby Doo: “Zoinks!” This is an unfair representation, and many consumers are starting to understand this. But the packaging and branding industries can easily help alleviate this. Here are a few examples:

First, Vivabox has been addressing the importance of sustainability with our clients, and in an industry like cannabinoids, it is a primary concern. As organic products take a lead in more sustainable packaging (or at least they should), the CBD industry tries to adapt similar branding and packaging objectives: from the Earth, for the body. These connections are beautifully symbiotic.

For those consumers who are already on board with CBD (or any other cannabinoid product), it is an added perk: brown glass bottles, eco-alternatives to bubble wrap–like green wrap or corrugated bubble wrap–and packaging made of 100% recycled boxes, soy ink, and recycled filler/packaging paper. And for those who require more subtle branding and packaging, leave off the marijuana leaf in the design, or at least downplay it.

Consumers are savvy and they don’t want to be reminded of the stigmatic images (even if they rationally know much of it is incorrect). If consumers are dropping premium prices for premium CBD products, they also (if only subconsciously) require smart and subtle branding and packaging. It is a tightrope walk these days, but packaging can also create change in perspective and offer consumer confidence.

Here are a few examples of how Sephora (current client) is creating a balanced brand and packaging campaign:

https://www.sephora.com/search?keyword=cbd
Sephora: Herbivore Organic, Lord Jones, Kiehl’s, Josie Maran, and Milk Makeup CBD products

For instance, although there are marijuana references, “Kush” and “Dope,” for Milk and Josie Maran primary packaging, it is not at the expense of good branding and messaging. More so, the Kiehl’s and Herbivore pale green glass (an organic go-to) and high-end typography and packaging suggest they are in on the fun of being able to publicly talk about “weed” while not forsaking their commitment to high quality products.

The rhetorical strategy here does not shy away from its contents but rather marks it acceptable by way of common packaging found in similar non-CBD beauty products. As for the following packing for Vertly, apothecary and luxury elements are used to validate CBD’s confirmed medical and beauty benefits.

The conversation is inherently, “Why would Sephora, Barney’s, Neiman Marcus support this if it wasn’t true?” And the perk? Consumers can buy these and not come off as a “pothead,” and let’s face it: that is what many mainstream consumers fear. This transition from stigma to benefit is all in the packaging. Period.

http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-cbd-skincare-products.html

http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-cbd-skincare-products.html

Yes, informing the general public of the differences between TCH, CBD, and Hemp are important. They have very different purposes, but CBD has the opportunity to brand itself as something outside of the “4:20” culture. The CBD PR movement all starts with education, but really, it is best promoted with packaging and branding first. These high-end companies have figured it out: the medicinal benefits have become better received in many states, and are recognized as having premium perks for those who can afford it. Packaging that reinforces positive branding while eliminating harmful cliches is possibly the most important first step.

Smart branding and packaging (which is one and the same these days) is the best move forward for beneficial products which were once stigmatized, but no longer are. At Vivabox, we’d like to see a multi-branded CBD ‘starter’ kit with great branding, education, trial, and social media hooks. It’s exciting to see packaging as much more than a box. To us, it’s where the story starts.

Looking for a solution? We can help.

Headquarters

9211 Corporate Blvd Ste 110
Rockville MD 20850

Satellite Offices

Dallas, TX
Paris, France
San Francisco, CA
Scottsdale, AZ

Email

info@vivaboxsolutions.com

Phone

800-529-1988

Minimum Order Quantities:
RPET Totes: 3,000
Kraft Shoppers: 5,000
Rigid Boxes: 3,000
Folding Cartons: 5,000


Know Your Customer: Developing Personas for Packaging Strategy

December 22, 2018 Brand Packaging, Creative, Loyalty3 Minutes

sales

The key to a successful marketing or branding campaign starts with understanding your target audience, and, a well-defined audience begins with developing buyer personas. In the age of IG and e-commerce, your primary and secondary packaging design should most definitely be part of your CX process and strategy.

A buyer persona is defined as a well-developed character created from customer trends and demands. Most companies attract more than one group of people, so they find it beneficial to develop three-dimensional personalities with names, ages, occupations, certain social statuses, education levels, aesthetic principles, family size, buying trends, and more. Brands interact with people, not cardboard cutouts, so developing these personas are helpful to create a range of insights.

Simply put, developing personas is important, and it is incredible what insights surface when companies take the time to get to know them.

Personas and Packaging

When thinking about brand development and the multiple personas you must nurture, packaging becomes a primary touchpoint. Outside of the actual product, the package is the most tangible branding tool a business has, and these personalities can have a significant impact on your design strategy.

For example, if you’re targeting an older persona, you may want to work with more traditional packaging or play with nostalgic designs that tug at their heartstrings or work with packaging that can be repurposed. You also want to assess your font size and contrast and including smart and obvious ways to open the package for hands that have lost some dexterity.

If you’re going to attract a millennial persona, you may want to develop a more sustainable solution that works with contemporary or forward-looking design and trends. And be sure it has an element of IG-bait.

Packaging the same product in different ways can be a great way to embrace all of your personas without exclusion.

The Power of Personas

Once your business has developed well-rounded personas, what can you do with them? You can do anything! Hopefully, you use them to make every brand decision. Considering that it is the consumer that creates demand, it is essential that all marketing and branding strategies keep all personas in the forefront of every decision.

Consulting personas for insights into what your audience will identify with and what will capture their interest is essential to determining the shape, font, color, textures, and materials you use in your packaging design.

As you develop your packaging for your personas, don’t forget to measure your successes and room for improvement. Analyzing past data and current customer responses is a great way to test if your packaging ideas are meeting consumer standards and how they may be changing. Don’t let your personas get stagnant. They should be an ever-changing point of reference to keep your brand, and packaging, moving forward.

Looking for a solution? We can help.

Headquarters

9211 Corporate Blvd Ste 110
Rockville MD 20850

Satellite Offices

Dallas, TX
Paris, France
San Francisco, CA
Scottsdale, AZ

Email

info@vivaboxsolutions.com

Phone

800-529-1988

Minimum Order Quantities:
RPET Totes: 3,000
Kraft Shoppers: 5,000
Rigid Boxes: 3,000
Folding Cartons: 5,000