Product Packaging is an often overlooked part of the total sales experience you’re providing to your Amazon FBA customers. The care and attention to detail that you as an Amazon seller put into how you package your products are directly related to your product’s success. It’s important to choose the right colors, the right words, and the right tone to provide your potential customers with an understanding of your brand.
Is your brand quirky and whimsical? Or is it modern and professional? Your product packaging does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to telling the story of your product. This is doubly true when you are entering into new markets. Each new market will have its own regional dialect, if not its own language. It’s extremely important to make sure that all of the hard work you do to sell your brand through packaging comes across in every market you enter. Having the correct translation can mean the difference between success and failure, and so can having the best translation service.
Let’s take a look at what goes into making the perfect Amazon FBA packaging and what we need to know in order to translate our packaging for different markets.
1. The Importance of Amazon Product Packaging
Your packaging should be simple, and visually appealing. You should also make sure that it adheres to your brand standards. This means you should make sure that all of your products include your brand name, branded colors, and logo. These components together make up your brand’s visual identity. You can sum this information up in what is called a brand guide which outlines your fonts, colors, and brand attributes in one easy-to-follow guide for present and future use.
This is something you may want to hire a professional for, or if you are comfortable working on it yourself you can use a graphics program like Canva. Online tools like this are easy to use and provide excellent guidance for anyone new to graphic design, or enough versatility for those with more experience.
You should know that Amazon has extremely stringent Amazon list and image requirements. All products must appear alone against a white background. Knowing this, it’s best to choose branding that helps your product pop out against this backdrop. Bright colors, simple design, and minimal writing are important for effective packaging.
It’s also a good idea to include one or two simple selling features on your packaging. This way your customers will have another opportunity to learn about your product simply by looking at the photo. The inclusion of this type of marketing content means you will definitely need to make sure that you hire professional translation services to ensure these statements are still relevant in all of your markets.
Let’s get into it – here’s all you need to know about Amazon packaging requirements for FBA.
Complement your protective packaging with product inserts to improve the overall experience and encourage customers to leave reviews!
2. How Amazon Product Packaging Boosts Brand Identity
If we take a look at the specific packaging of well-known brands, we’ll see that proper packaging doesn’t just make sure your product arrives at the customer’s hands unscathed, but it plays a big role in brand recognition and recall. Take a look at Coca-Cola and Apple; no matter where you are in the world, you’ll know that a product belongs to that brand. That’s the same kind of recall you should aim to achieve with your Amazon product packaging.
Product packaging for Amazon can include elements of your branding – as long as you make sure you’re following Amazon’s packaging requirements to the letter. Packaging is the first impression that customers receive upon collecting your product, so it’s a good opportunity to increase the perceived value of your product through creative packaging.
Furthermore, good Amazon product packaging can boost customer retention. When your packaging is creative, unboxing your product becomes a fun experience. That means you stay top of mind, and customers are likely to keep coming back for more. Just be sure to tailor the experience to your demographic – save the cutesy fun stuff and confetti for the little girls, and the sleek minimalist boxes for the techy customers.
If you’ve decided to work with influencer marketing, your packaging needs to be fun, creative, aesthetically pleasing, and protective all at the same time. Unboxing videos are fun for customers to watch and a great way to spread awareness about your product, so ensure that your packaging is an experience to unbox.
3. Amazon Packaging Requirements
Your packaging must also adhere to Amazon’s packaging requirements, this has more to do with how you send your product to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and how it will be shipped to your customer. Packaging must be self-contained and sets cannot come separately. Make sure you take the time to learn about these requirements. Following the requirements is essential to ensure that the product arrives safely and undamaged, and isn’t lost during the FBA process.
You will also need to make sure your packaging includes a Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) This is the Amazon-specific barcode. You can print these off from seller central. Click the ‘merchant’ tab under the ‘who labels’ column and then simply click the ‘print labels for this page’ button in order to print out as many FNSKU’s as you need. Make sure to cover up any other barcodes. Most markets will require you to have a country of origin sticker on the outside of your packaging.
Here are some best practices for packaging your products for Amazon – these are specifically to ensure safe shipping through Amazon’s FBA system:
- Wrap Items Separately: For products with multiple components (e.g., parts of an appliance), each item should be wrapped separately and placed securely within the box.
- Adequate Cushioning: Use at least 2 inches of cushioning (e.g., foam, air pillows) between each item and the inside of the box to prevent shifting during transit.
- Shake Test: After packing your box, gently shake it. If items move, add more padding or rearrange them for a snug fit.
- Reuse Boxes Cautiously: If reusing boxes, remove or cover old barcodes and shipping labels to avoid confusion during transit.
4. Amazon Product Packaging Design Tips
As mentioned, when it comes to packaging, the more experiential it is, the better. That means your design should reflect your brand identity and cover key points in your product listing, to remind customers of what they’re buying. It’s not necessary to provide too much text on the packaging, but it’s a good idea to provide some information about the product, to further manage customer expectations.
Of course, it’s important to put your brand logo and the product title as it appears on your product listing – perhaps not the full title, given you’re not trying to attract the attention of the algorithm anymore, but at least a reiteration of the title, so customers make the link between the product listing and the physical product itself.
Here are some tips:
- Highlight Key Features
- Your product listing exists to market your product and convince customers to buy. By the time they’ve received the package, this job has already been done, so the copy that you put outside of the packaging should be a reiteration of the product listing – you just don’t need to be as sales-y anymore. Think about putting things like the dimensions of the product, a brief reiteration of key features and benefits (keep it simple and clear), and your social media handles (it’s worthy to note that Amazon is vague about putting social media handles; the policy states that links to outbound websites should not be included, but adding social media handles has not been an issue according to many sellers).
- Targeting the Right Audience
- A massive part of Amazon selling is understanding your target market. Take a cue from the book of Mr. Beast and know your customer! When you understand their wants and needs, it’ll be easier for you to appeal to them through your packaging design. For example, using Apple’s iconic minimalist white design won’t appeal to kids, who prefer more brightly-colored packaging.
- Customer Convenience
- It’s also a good idea to make sure your Amazon product packaging is easy to open, and adheres to standards of sustainability. Sure, you use packaging materials to protect your product while in transit, but try to make these materials as sustainable as possible. Try to use ecologically friendly, recycled, or biodegradable materials to minimize your carbon footprint. Read more about eco-friendly products to sell on Amazon, and why it matters!
- Inserts
- As mentioned, put a product insert into the Amazon product packaging as well. Give a thank you note, a special discount, a request for reviews, and so on – just make sure you adhere to Amazon’s requirements for product inserts, because these are quite rigorous, so sellers don’t inadvertently annoy customers or manipulate them into giving positive reviews.
Design packaging with these in mind, and you’ll appeal to customers on a more personal, intimate basis.
5. The Role of Translation in Amazon Product Packaging
This is A LOT of information and a lot of writing. Striking the right tone and choosing the best words to use is key and you may want to hire a professional copywriter like YLT Translations translation agency writers. Copywriters are trained in effective sales copy and know how to use effective wording on your packaging to pique the interest of your potential buyers.
Depending on how many different markets you’re selling to, inserts are another part of your total customer experience that can benefit from the use of a translation company. It’s important to make sure that all of the relevant information is accessible to your customers no matter what language they speak.
Using language translation services with specific experience in the markets you’re selling to makes all the difference.
You might be tempted to look at a one-off Amazon translation service on Fiverr or Upwork, however, it is very difficult to make sure that the person you’re hiring understands the regional dialect in a way that helps you reach your market effectively. A Spanish speaker from Chile might translate your product information effectively for Spain but will undoubtedly miss the regional nuance. In order to make sure you have the right person for the job, you may have to spend way more time. Time that could be used to look after your selling.
Language and Tone vary widely in different regions. For instance, asking a customer for a review might come across as neutral in one region, but rude or demanding in another. Using a professional, local translation agency will go a long way towards ensuring you don’t make those kinds of mistakes.
Translation services can also offer practical advice about different regions to help your amazon product listing have the biggest impact. For instance, in Japan customers have a much higher expectation when it comes to packaging and Inserts. A knowledgeable listing translation service will be able to point out what you’re doing right and what can be improved in each market.
The good news is, YLT Translations can translate your Amazon product packaging for you!
6. Amazon Product Packaging Don’ts
Here’s what not to do with your Amazon product packaging.
- Avoid Manipulative Requests
- It’s important to be mindful of how you ask for customer reviews. Avoid using emotional appeals or offering incentives to influence reviews, such as “support our small family business” or providing discounts in exchange for positive feedback. Amazon’s packaging guidelines strictly prohibit any attempt to manipulate the review process, so always maintain a neutral and professional tone when requesting feedback.
- Follow Amazon’s Guidelines
- To ensure your packaging and inserts comply with Amazon’s policies, refrain from including any marketing materials or calls to action that direct traffic away from Amazon. Inserts should focus on providing useful information about the product, instructions, or customer service details without leading customers to external websites or stores. Adhering to these guidelines helps maintain your seller account in good standing and ensures a smooth customer experience.
7. Packaging Requirements for Amazon FBA
Choose the right packaging materials to ensure compliance, and boost customer satisfaction. Keep in mind that Amazon has strict guidelines for product packaging. Ensuring that your product packaging keeps with Amazon’s guidelines is a good way to avoid any bumps in the process.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the platform’s packaging requirements:
1. Self-Contained Packaging
Self-contained packaging refers to packaging that securely encloses and protects the product, ensuring it remains intact during transit. The packaging should be able to withstand various conditions throughout the shipping process, such as drops, stacking, and pressure.
Key Points:
- Durable Packaging: Use sturdy materials like corrugated cardboard, polybags, or bubble wrap, depending on the type of product. Packaging must prevent any part of the product from being exposed or damaged during transit.
- Six-Sided Boxes: For boxed items, the packaging must have six sides (a complete box) with no openings or weak points. Boxes must be able to withstand pressure without collapsing.
- Polybag Requirements: Polybags used to enclose items should be transparent and must have a suffocation warning if the opening is larger than 5 inches. The polybag should be completely sealed to prevent damage.
- Drop Test: Packaging should pass a three-foot drop test to ensure the product remains secure inside. If it fails, the product may need additional protective measures like bubble wrap or additional boxing.
- Sealed and Secure: Products should not be able to shift or move within the packaging. Using appropriate padding materials like air pillows, foam inserts, or crumpled paper will help keep items secure.
2. Shipping Sets Together
For products sold as sets or bundles, Amazon requires that these items be shipped as a single, unified unit. This prevents fulfillment centers from accidentally separating individual items within the set, which could cause confusion or frustration for the customer.
Key Points:
- Clear Labeling: Each set must be clearly labeled as a set. Sellers are required to include labels with instructions such as “Sold as a set,” “This is a set. Do not separate,” or “Ready to ship.”
- Single Unit Packaging: All items in the set should be packaged in one container, box, or securely bound together to ensure they stay as a single unit throughout the shipping process.
- Unique FNSKU: The bundle or set should have a unique Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) barcode that tells Amazon’s system that the items belong together and should be shipped together. The barcode must be affixed to the outer packaging of the set, and individual product barcodes inside the set must not be visible.
- Bundled Products: If a set consists of multiple items, the packaging must ensure that they do not move or get separated during transit. Using dividers, internal packaging, or shrink-wrapping items together can help secure the set.
3. Loose Products
All individual products must be packaged as separate units. Each unit must be contained in its own packaging and be secure enough to withstand transit. For example, clothing must be packaged in polybags, and footwear must be enclosed in boxes or polybags without exposing the material.
Key Points:
- Each item should have a scannable barcode that is easily accessible on the packaging.
- If items are not packaged in a secure box or bag, they must be taped or bundled to prevent them from becoming loose or separating.
4. Boxed Units
If you are using boxes for shipping, they must be structurally sound to prevent damage during handling. This is especially critical for heavier or fragile items.
Key Points:
- No Gaps: There should be no gaps in the box, and the packaging must be able to support itself without collapsing.
- Sealing: All openings must be securely sealed with durable tape to prevent the box from opening in transit.
- Weight Limit: For standard shipments, boxes should not exceed 50 lbs. If the product itself exceeds this weight, Amazon requires special labeling for handling (e.g., “Team Lift” or “Mechanical Lift” labels).
5. Bubble-Wrapped and Fragile Items
For fragile or easily breakable items, bubble wrap is often used to provide additional protection during shipping.
Key Points:
- Bubble-wrapped products must be tightly wrapped and taped to prevent them from slipping out during handling.
- Items wrapped in bubble wrap must still have a scannable barcode on the outside for easy identification at fulfillment centers.
- Fragile items should also pass the drop test to ensure they will not be damaged if dropped from three feet or more.
6. Packaging for Poly-Bagged Units
Polybags are commonly used for clothing and small items, but they must meet Amazon’s specific packaging guidelines:
Key Points:
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- Suffocation Warning: Polybags larger than 5 inches across must have a suffocation warning printed directly on the bag or as a label.
- Thickness: Polybags must be at least 1.5 millimeters thick to ensure durability.
- Seal: The polybag must be sealed entirely to protect the product from moisture or dirt.
- Barcode Visibility: The barcode on the product must be visible and scannable through the polybag, or an external barcode must be affixed.
8. Final Thoughts on Amazon Product Packaging
The Critical Role of Packaging in the Customer Journey and Its Impact on Sales and Retention
Packaging plays a vital role in shaping the customer experience, from the moment they receive the product to how they perceive your brand. Thoughtful, well-designed packaging can leave a lasting impression, encouraging customer satisfaction and fostering brand loyalty. It’s not just about protection; packaging influences how customers feel about your product and can significantly impact both sales and retention.
The Importance of Partnering with Professional Translation Services like YLT Translations for Global Reach
As you expand into global markets, it’s essential to ensure your packaging communicates effectively with diverse audiences. Localization is key—professional translation services like YLT Translations help bridge language and cultural gaps, ensuring your brand message resonates in every region. From packaging design to product inserts, precise translation ensures your packaging aligns with customer expectations across markets.
Conclusion: Choose the Right Packaging and Make an Impact!
Professional Amazon product packaging has a dual benefit:
- It helps keep your product safe during transit, packaging and prep
- It boosts customer recall and brand loyalty
By adhering closely to Amazon FBA packaging requirements, and Amazon’s strict packaging rules, you’ll find that you’ll achieve the benefits pretty closely. The specific packaging requirements exist to provide ease during shipping and warehousing, while providing customers with the best experience possible. Make sure you meet Amazon’s requirements to appeal to your customers all over the world.
Now that you understand the packaging requirements for FBA sellers, make sure you follow these in all the countries you sell in. Remember, the type of packaging may not change from Japan to Brazil, but the tone of voice and expression will have to, in order to appeal to your customers all over the world. Reach out to YLT Translations; we can help!