Packaging is used for many different purposes, such as providing protection to the product and promoting the brand; these are the most important purposes. To increase the product's presentation, promotion, and protection to the next level, packaging inserts hold a lot of importance. These are found in many different forms, and some of them, besides the protection of products, enhance the brand's value along with enhancing the customer experience. Among the most commonly used custom box inserts are cardboard inserts and foam inserts.

Based on our years of experience and in-depth research, we will tell you in complete detail in this blog post what packaging inserts are, their types, benefits, and how to design them to get the desired benefits. After knowing all this, you can easily choose the required inserts to pack your product in a professional way.

What are Packaging Inserts?

Additional parts of packaging that are used to provide protection to products along with placing them in separate spots and enhancing the unboxing experience. These are used to pack multiple products in a single packaging as well as for the guidance of customers. There are two main types of these:

• Box Inserts
• Promotional Inserts

If we talk about box inserts, these are specially used to safely pack delicate products such as glass bottles, candles, sweet items, and other fragile items. These keep products separate from one another in the same packaging and keep them safe from collisions. Through printing done on box inserts, you can also pack your brand's message inside the packaging, which raises your brand's voice during unboxing and leaves a lasting impression on customers.

Besides this, promotional inserts guide customers about the products, are used for brand promotion, and sometimes they are also used for customer appreciation. In these inserts, you find thank you cards, discount codes, QR codes, and other types of inserts.

Various Types of Box Inserts

In this section, I will first guide you about the different types of custom inserts for boxes. These are inserts that are very widely used in the packaging industry. Whenever it comes to packing fragile items safely, these play a very significant role in completing the protective packaging. Therefore, it would not be wrong at all to say that custom boxes and inserts go hand in hand to enhance product protection. Box inserts are manufactured using everything from simple, thinner materials to complete, thicker materials. Let’s get to know their types one by one.

• Foam Inserts
• Corrugated Cardboard Inserts
• Blister/Plastic Inserts
• Moulded Pulp Inserts
  

Brands choose the desired one to give a complete shape to their custom insert boxes to provide the required protection and personalized touch to products.

Foam Box Inserts for More Fragile Items

Many fragile items are such that they require extreme protection to safely deliver them to customers, such as glass-made products like beverage bottles, perfume bottles, and other delicate items. To provide them with protection at any cost, foam box inserts are used inside the packaging, such as cosmetic boxes with inserts and other premium rigid boxes with inserts. If the product is not very delicate, lightweight and standard foam inserts are used. If the product is very delicate and also requires a snug fit, then Eva foam inserts are given preference.

You must have seen the use of foam packaging inserts in custom boxes with Eva foam inserts by many other industries, such as jewelry, electronics, medicines, and other retail brands. Brands get these customized according to their products' dimensions so that they can safely ship their products.

Corrugated Cardboard Packaging Inserts

After foam inserts, if there are any safe product inserts in box inserts, they are corrugated cardboard packaging inserts. These are mostly used in the e-commerce industry to keep the product safe in one place inside the packaging. To manufacture these, fluted corrugated materials are used, which are sustainable packaging materials. Candle boxes with inserts are commonly used in the industry, helping brands to ensure protection and sustainability at the same time.

If you have to deliver large, delicate items and also want to improve the unboxing experience to the next level, you should use corrugated packaging inserts. Their use is also for safely packing delicate glass items, candles, tools, jars, and other products.

Moulded Pulp Inserts - Sustainable Options

Molded pulp inserts are made through a molding process similar to plastic inserts, which are used in packaging to safely pack quite bulky products. These are made from renewable resource materials, which is why they are quite easy to recycle or biodegrade. Their use, besides medical devices, is for packing delicate industrial goods, such as glass product packaging inserts.

You must have often seen their use in food, cosmetic, and other retail industries as well. Comparatively, these are heavier than plastic. In a normal routine, you must have seen their use in the form of egg cartons, which provide excellent protection in stacking. Bottle boxes with inserts and ecommerce packaging inserts are also common examples of the uses of these inserts.

Plastic Packaging Inserts

Among packaging inserts for boxes, plastic packaging inserts are very important as the most lightweight and food-safe inserts. Like molded pulp, these are molded according to the product to provide them a snug fit and complete hygiene. For this reason, plastic inserts are used in the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry.

You must have also seen plastic inserts used for packing electronics. Besides this, boxes with plastic inserts are also used to safely pack delicate injection bottles and vials. Food packaging inserts are a common example of these food-grade inserts.

Custom Die Cut Inserts

Whenever a brand gets them designed according to their own choice, based on their products' dimensions and the internal sizes of the box, they are called die-cut packaging inserts. Die-cut packaging inserts provide proper protection to products while also showcasing the brand's personalized image.

Packaging Dividers Dividers

Inserts are designed according to specific products, whereas box dividers are designed in uniform sizes based on the quantity of the products. In these, you can safely pack products of any dimensions; for example, packaging dividers in bakery boxes or sweet boxes are used to pack products separately.

This is why brands use custom boxes with dividers only when they want to safely pack products of different sizes within the same box. Among these, cardboard dividers for boxes are the most commonly used.

Commonly Used Types of Promotional Inserts

Apart from box inserts, the packaging inserts most commonly used to deliver a brand's message and guide customers are promotional inserts. The purpose of designing these inserts is to provide product guides, promo codes, offers, and to inform customers about the brand. As you may have seen, when you purchase any electronic item, it comes with a guidebook or a warranty card.

In addition to this, some promotional packaging inserts are also found in the form of appreciation cards, such as name cards or thank you cards, to win the trust of customers. Stay tuned with us if you want to learn about these inserts in detail.

Thank You Cards and Personal Notes

Brands use thank you cards within packaging inserts along with their products or gifts to appreciate customers for purchasing from them. Based on personal notes, brands build long-lasting relationships with their customers. These are commonly used in jewelry boxes with inserts. With the help of these card inserts, you can build a connection with your customers at a minimal cost while simultaneously enhancing the unboxing experience. They are made of premium cardstock for single and double-sided printing. You have noticed these inserts in custom rigid boxes with inserts for premium products, such as jewelry, cosmetics, apparel, and more.

Discount Card Inserts

Brands follow various strategies to increase their product sales. In this regard, they deliver discount codes along with their products. If a customer has purchased a product from a brand for the first time, the product is delivered with discount card inserts so that they will purchase from the same brand again by using that discount code.

Furthermore, brands deliver insert cards to those customers who are their trusted clients and regularly purchase products from them in large quantities.

Instruction and Information

When discussing custom printed inserts that guide customers regarding a brand's policies and terms, instruction and information inserts are the most significant. Among these, the product usage guide is of the utmost importance. With the help of these packaging inserts, customers can use the product safely and achieve the desired benefits. Skin care boxes with inserts are a common example of these inserts to help customers learn about products.

Referral Cards and Stickers

Referral cards are used in packaging when you encourage a customer to share their experience with friends and convince them to make a purchase decision, in order to avail special offers and discounts from the brand.

Besides this, stickers are used in packaging for brand promotion as well as to enhance the product's presentation. These are manufactured in many different sizes and provide brands with personalization facilities to have them designed in any way they prefer. Stickers are used with gift boxes with inserts to add more glow to gift items and their packaging.

Benefits of Using Printed Packaging Inserts

The use of both printed box inserts and branded packaging inserts is highly important for a brand because they provide numerous benefits, such as:

• They guide customers about the product so they can use it correctly without any mistakes to achieve the desired benefits. This, in turn, increases the customer's trust in the brand.
• Packaging inserts with logo printing boost brand promotion.
• They play a key role in providing an easy unboxing experience for customers.
• Due to their durability and precise sizing according to the product, they protect items from all types of physical damage, such as cracking, breakage, and scratches, during collision, mishandling, and shipping.
• You can have packaging inserts for boxes designed according to your preference in any size, style, shape, printing, and color, or keep them simple.
  

How to Manufacture Custom Die Cut Inserts?

Are you curious to know how die-cut packaging inserts are manufactured? In this section, we will guide you on how you can have designed your box inserts for custom packaging.

• First, you must understand your product sizes and their delicate nature before choosing any box inserts. 
• Before selecting product packaging inserts, you should also define your purpose: whether you want to provide protection only or achieve branding benefits as well.
• Next, to manufacture eco-friendly inserts, you should choose sustainable materials such as kraft, cardboard, cardstock, molded pulp, and more. 
• To give your inserts a premium touch, you can design them with embossing, debossing, foil stamping, spot UV, gloss, matte, and other soft-touch laminations. This will not only enhance the value of your product but also increase your brand's value.
  

Cons of Packaging Inserts

Before you select any packaging inserts, the best strategy is that before making any decision about anything, you should also know about their drawbacks. In this way, you can achieve the desired benefits in a smooth way. Here are some of the cons of custom boxes inserts.

• To print inserts separately, printing costs also increase.
• To manufacture them, there is also a separate and greater use of materials.
• These are designed according to specific product dimensions, so in such boxes, brands face difficulty in offering multiple products.
• People think that these are cost-effective, whereas these are more expensive compared to other fillers.
• Whenever you get them manufactured by any packaging company, these come separately from the boxes, so it can take a lot of time to set the boxes and shipping charges can also increase.
  

Conclusions

You already knew to some extent about packaging inserts, but we hope that after reading about them in detail, you have learned a lot. Whether it is custom box inserts or promotional inserts, they all have their own separate purposes which help a brand achieve its desired targets. If you also need product packaging inserts along with packaging, you can contact Custom Boxes Deals.