Multiple parcel labels increase customer satisfaction

Last weekend a purchase from eBay arrived, a new rabbit hutch from Home and Roost on eBay but what made the purchase stand out is that included in the packet of screws, along with the instructions they always include a small bar of chocolate and packet of Haribo to eat while you put the hutch together. It’s a small gesture but much appreciated and as you can imagine they got stellar feedback.

Small touches can make a big difference and a new psychological study from Avery UK (the world’s largest supplier of labels) has revealed just how much labels really matter when it comes to consumer decisions and customer loyalty. The in-depth research centres on small businesses and the power and influence of their own shipping and product labelling.

The study explored important aspects for anyone selling goods either online or face to face. It considered how various label designs affected how much someone was willing to pay; how they made people feel towards a company and how likely test subjects were to make a repeat purchase.

Fascinating Findings

The results have uncovered many insights into how small businesses can make label design work for them but two major principles really stand out. They involve the eye and the brain of the consumer:

1. Catch the Eye

   It may sound obvious but if a label can grab customer attention above all the competition then you’ve won half the battle. The Avery UK eye-tracking experiments confirmed that bright colours and large labels help your potential consumer stop and look; while bold lines, borders and stripes mean that your label could be viewed 42% more than plainer labels nearby.

2. Engage the Brain.

   Now that you have a consumer’s attention, the best way to hold it and convert it into a desired outcome (like a purchase or a positive opinion of your brand) is to make the brain think and engage with the product or package. This can be achieved through emotion, information, priming, heuristics (helpful decision-making shortcuts) and curiosity.

Multiple Labels Multiply Positive Results

A very clear and intriguing finding in the study was that the use of multiple labels when shipping items increased positive emotions in the recipient and led to a higher likelihood of customer loyalty and repeat purchase. In fact, using multiple labels on a shipping package could increase brand love by as much as 129%, perception of quality by 116%, purchase intent by 113% and word of mouth recommendation by 135%.

Small businesses are missing a trick if they only use one plain address label. It turns out that a package can evoke positive feeling toward a brand just by adding a few extra carefully designed labels.

“While we don’t recommend businesses stick labels on their packages for the sake of it, there is a clear business case for going above and beyond a simple plain address label. An address label, a company brand label, a return address label and a friendly special message label will give enough space to get across the important information, your brand, your professionalism and your heart for your valued customer.”
– Fiona Mills, marketing director at Avery UK

The special message label, in particular, will help attract attention and can influence future purchase behaviour. Examples of this include adding labels that say things like ‘Open me’, ‘See what’s inside’, ‘Handmade with love’ or ‘Just for you’. Meanwhile, personalising your messages will make your customer feel even more special.

Do you add additional labels over and above the shipping label to your parcels? If not is it something you would consider doing?