Open a folding carton and you find a product. Open a magnetic box and you find a moment. That difference feels insignificant on a spec sheet but can be monumental in the hands of your customer, which is why the question of custom magnetic closure boxes and their value over a standard carton looms large. The answer is often yes, often no, and this guide will help you decide where to spend your packaging budget based on a product’s specific needs.
What Separates the Two Formats
A standard folding carton prints on paperboard with all its die cutting and scoring. After that the manufacturer ships it out in a flat shape. Its lightweight nature makes it highly efficient per unit in terms of weight and cost at scale. On top of that it is also easy to assemble. It serves its purpose well: that is, protecting the product and communicating the brand on shelf. It can also stack up pretty easily.
Magnetic closure packaging is created differently. The rigid chipboard shell is wrapped in printed or specialty paper, and instead of tucking, snapping, or gluing, the lid is held shut by a concealed magnet. The lid can be manually opened with a soft tug, or simply pulls shut itself. Magnetic closure rigid boxes also arrive fully assembled, completely changing the dynamics of both unboxing and shipping.
The Real Cost Difference
We can’t deny it – the price of custom magnetic boxes costs several times per package. Especially when you compare them with folding cartons. On top of that if you order in lower volumes of production it will result in an even bigger gap. This is because rigid boxes require a higher quality of cardboard. They have manual wrapping and sealing, magnets, inserts, and are generally heavier – thus, lowering the number of units shipped in one go.
However, the price per unit is not the sole consideration, as the ratio of “cost per shipped product” can be lower for rigid boxes by a considerable amount. A carton that is thrown away by a customer right after opening is an expense for the manufacturer. Whereas a rigid box can be reused, kept by the client, and shared on social media.
When Premium Magnetic Boxes Pay Off
There are situations when the product packaging actually is a part of what the customer is buying. Premium magnetic boxes are the best solution in such case scenarios. Some of them include:
- Products with High Price Points.
- Gifts
- Brands that come with a Social-first approach.
- Subscriptions
- Limited Editions
- Collector items.
In such instances, the luxury magnetic boxes are not considered a decoration, rather they are given the value of a tool that shapes the whole product’ experience.
When a Folding Carton Is the Smarter Call
A rigid box is not an absolute necessity for all types of products. If you are dealing with products that come with a low profit margin, or you ship products in enormous quantities, you can simply skip this upgrade. Remember that the shelf impact of your product;s packaging will come from its print and not its weight. Retail items on a supermarket shelf tend to benefit more from a properly made and designed carton. A box’s graphic surface area is much larger than a bag’s or pouch’s
Storage also needs to come under consideration. We cannot overlook the fact that a dismantlable carton is much more easier to store than a tough box holding on to its shape no matter what. A good rule of thumb is to think about whether the customer would recycle the packaging right after opening. If so, you should invest more into the product or print quality rather than the closure.
Strength Features
Rigid boxes are less likely to break and therefore reduce the number of product returns due to packaging failure. This benefit is not reflected in the price of a box, but it appears in the customer support budget as reduced costs for processing claims.
If we consider the side of reusability, rigid boxes may not qualify for the objective mainly because they need a considerable amount of paper for manufacturing. But, they do come with a positive side of being reusable time and again without deterioration. Corrugated cartons on the other hand, do promise reusability as well but in a limited amount. The number of times that a rigid box can come in use again may also make its cost worth the outcome.
A Quick Algorithm
Ask yourself these three questions:
- Does the presentation influence the purchase or the gift?
- Will the customers keep it?
- Can your margin absorb the higher unit cost?
If two or three answers are affirmative, go for magnetic packaging boxes. If not, a folding carton is a smart, honest choice. Sensible brands split up this difference by using rigid boxes for their ace products and standard cartons for their regular offers.
Going premium with your packaging is neither a justified nor a wasteful decision. It depends on the need of the hour and the demand of the product in hand. You essentially have to make your packaging in such a way that it backs up the promise your product makes.
