Let’s face it: Marketing is a glamorous world that keeps on bringing into the limelight fresh and shiny things like social ads, influencers, and AI chatbots that guess what's your next snack.

However, if we look closely, we can see a humble hero quietly doing the heavy lifting - packaging. I mean the box, pouch, or wrapper in which the product is delivered to you. Packaging is still among the most underrated and neglected channels in the marketing world in 2025.

The First Touchpoint and the Lasting Impression

Imagine: You buy skincare products via the internet. The parcel arrives at your place. Do you toss it aside, or do you find yourself pausing because the box is gorgeously designed, maybe with a witty quote or surprise freebie inside?
That’s packaging at work, providing a sensory, memorable moment before you’ve even tried what’s inside.

And, what if packaging was not the only thing consumers felt excited about but also that they shared it online?

According to a Dotcom Distribution study, 60% of online shoppers say premium packaging makes them more excited about their purchase and far more likely to post about it. "Unboxing" is not a passing fad in the social media era. #Unboxing videos get billions of views every year. Thus packaging becomes the first influencer, especially, for small brands.

Storytelling on a Surface

The pack that holds your product is more than just a container; it is a work of art. Intelligent companies use that to their advantage by reflecting on the pack: their quirky origin stories, eco-friendly pledges, or customers' testimonials such as "Wow, you are amazing!" on the inner side of the flap.

Packaging can make a mundane soap feel like an experience. It can turn a chocolate bar into a nostalgia trigger.

Brands like Paper Boat built a legacy by turning every bottle into a mini-memoir of Indian summers and childhood treats. Not a national ad in sight, just labels doing all the talking.

Silent Sales Rep That Never Clocks Out

Store shelves, virtual or physical, are crowded. Packaging is the 24/7 sales rep that makes your product stand out.

Bright color, a witty tagline, or a distinctive shape are some of the ways that lure the customers. The proper packaging gets more clicks and cart adds even in an online world, where thumbnails are king.

We live in a world where 90% of the information is visual. Your packaging is communication here, making split-second decisions for the browsing consumer.

Built-In Referral Engine

Excellent packaging is talked about. Maybe it is the eco-friendly box which you plant to grow basil, or the hilarious by-the-way instructions inside. These things are getting photographed, tagged, and talked about, thus turning one customer into a micro-influencer and creating organic word-of-mouth, still the most valuable marketing you’ll never fully control.

Values, Identity, and a Likely Second Life

The present-day consumers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, examine packaging to find the proof of the given values. Is it recyclable? Does it support a cause? Is the brand going green in the right way?

Packaging provides the answers to these questions immediately, with an honesty that can be felt by hand, which an ad banner can never match.

Bonus: Smart design means your pack can find a second life, used as storage, decor, or crafts, keeping your brand top-of-mind far past purchase.

Why Brands Ignore Packaging and Why They Should Care

Marketers are so focused on the newest digital trends that they often forget about the packaging. But think about this:

• The packaging is the one thing you have to pay for regardless. So, why not make it work twice?
• The “impression” cost on a pack is the lowest one can find, as the same pack can be looked at, touched or photographed multiple times without additional cost.
• Moreover, the pack is the only communication medium that is undoubtedly going to every single customer.

Quick Tips for Packaging Power

• Invest in design. Good looks aren’t just for social; they drive real referrals.
  Tell your story.
• Use the pack to share your mission, quirks, and customer love.
• Be sustainable (and say so). Eco matters to today’s buyers.
• Surprise inside. Easter eggs, jokes, or bonus content create delight and drive sharing.
  

The Final Wrap

Though people are obsessed with what is going to be the “next big thing”, the box is still holding its ground. Packaging connects shelf and share, online and offline, first touch and memory for a lifetime. If you treat it as your most important marketing channel, your customers will do the rest - their way, with stories, snaps, and loyalty that you can’t buy via another channel.

Therefore, the next time your are strategizing, don’t forget about the pack. It has been waiting in the wings for its big moment.