The best of limited-edition packaging – what makes it a success?

Limited edition packaging seems like an easy win. Just tweak your standard pack a little, slap a limited-edition label on, and your product will fly off the shelves, right? Well, not exactly. Limited edition packaging is an art, a carefully constructed piece of design that elicits a particular impulse from the brain. The rewards of a limited line are great, but they’re not a given. At New Vision, we specialise in the special, and excellence is our standard. Here are some insights to help your special edition packaging shine. 

Choose the right packaging partner 

The most important step is to partner up with the right team. Special edition packaging is its own beast, a unique combination of creative design flair with a dash of psychology. Many of the big players in the packaging manufacturing and converting industry are great at standard, long-run design and production. But, when it comes to limited edition products, ‘standard’ should be the last word on your mind! 

Partner up with a specialist with experience in creating limited edition packaging to ensure your  lines have that exclusive feeling you’re looking for. At New Vision, we know how to craft packaging that leaves jaws on the floor, in the boardroom and in-store. When you team with us, you’ll get a partner who’ll work with you to understand your brand and collaborate on the design and management of your packaging every step of the way. This means you’ll get a finished product that’s on brief and on brand, whether you want a plastic-free easter egg carton, a 3D advent calendar, or a luxurious gift set printed inside and out. 

Make it seasonal and limited 

With the right packaging partner, limited edition packs can be a gateway to year-round success. However, if you don’t have the budget or product range to craft enough limited lines to last all year, you can maximise your product exposure by running very limited seasonal products. Research shows that 43% of consumers see limited edition products as seasonal, so the most effective form of limited editions are very short-run products tied to seasons or events, such as Christmas or Halloween. 

Another benefit of these very short-run seasonal products is that they induce FOMO – the fear of missing out – in the consumer. FOMO is a powerful force when used properly, however, consumers are becoming more aware of its use as a marketing tool. This means it must be deployed sparingly and, most importantly, genuinely. Claiming a product is limited edition and then extending its lifespan for years might seem like a good short-term sales booster, but it will have long-term negative effects as consumers begin to treat your brand with cynicism. 

The challenge when crafting packaging that’s only on shelves for a few weeks out of the year is the speedy turnaround. It can be demanding for standard packaging manufacturers to meet these tight lead times, especially in the post-pandemic market when the industry is stretched like never before. That’s why we offer an eight-week lead time on all our projects utilising standard materials, so you can make the most of your product’s short lifespan. 

Think outside the box… 

Limited edition packaging can be much more than a fancy design on a simple box. We like to think outside the box in every sense of the phrase, working with our customers to make truly special packaging. With a little imagination and an expert partner with experience in working with a range of materials, almost anything is possible. 

Take our work with artisan sweets brand Candy Kittens. They wanted a luxury advent calendar that stood out from their competitors. We worked with them on the idea of a kit that consumers could put together, making a 3D tree as well as an outer box. The minimalist box contrasted with the extravagant tree advent calendar making for an unforgettable opening experience that delighted consumers in ways they wouldn’t expect. It fits with the brand theme of luxury while turning the traditional concept of an advent calendar on its head. The materials used were relatively commonplace for luxury packaging – we used FSC board stock and printed with spot gloss varnish – but what made this project so spectacular was the creative thinking that went into it. 

…and inside the box 

The exterior design of your packaging should be only half the story. It encourages them to buy, yes, but you should treat this as the first step on a long journey of brand loyalty. By turning the act of opening your packaging into an experience, you can forge a connection with your customers that can last a lifetime. 

This was part of our brief when working with Beauty Secrets on a gift set containing three perfumes. Taking just five weeks from concept to dispatch, we created an exquisitely finished metallised board box with a vivid gold, red, and pink design. Finished with a bow, the box kept the products from view until opened, holding the perfumes in a vacuum-formed tray with an opulent gold top card. Rounded off with a brand message printed on the inside of the box lid, the luxurious set proved to be highly Instagrammable – an invaluable trait in the social media age. 

By hiding the products from view with a premium metallised and gloss varnished outer carton, this gift set was made to build a sense of anticipation in the customer. Thanks to the bespoke display inner sleeves topped with metallised gold card, we made sure the inside of the box didn’t disappoint. 

Understand your brand 

Limited edition packaging should deviate from your usual offering in some ways, but it should still fall in line with your brand’s identity and values. You can use it to put an extra emphasis on the messages that are important to you, creating packaging that looks great but also has a real impact and underlines what your brand is all about. 

Our Easter egg collaboration with supermarket giants Aldi is a notable example of this. Aldi is committed to sustainability, as are we, which made this partnership a great fit for us. They wanted to represent this in their Easter egg packaging while making a splash at the same time, so they asked us to make a 100% plastic free Easter egg pack. The challenge was that they wanted consumers to still be able to view the egg through a window, so a simple closed carton solution was out. 

Luckily, simple isn’t really our thing anyway. We created a card clam and sleeve design that slotted inside an outer carton, creating a high barrier, high performance pack. The egg was displayed through a window made of clear wood fibre, meaning it looks and feels like plastic – but you can put the whole thing in the paper bin for recycling. The egg was a smash hit on the shelves, and it looked as sweet as it tasted, all while underlining Aldi’s reputation as an eco-friendly supermarket. That’s the power of well-designed limited-edition packaging! 

This kind of innovation only comes when you’re experienced in excellence. At New Vision, we have access to the best designers in the business, all the materials on hand to make any component of a pack, and the imagination required to fulfil any brief. Get in touch with us today to learn how we can make your most creative ideas into a successful reality!