Skaggs Creative, a husband- and wife-founded creative branding company has worked with Charlotte Tilbury, Diptyque,  skyn Iceland, Morphe, The Harmonist and many others. Happi asked Founders Jonina and Bradley Skaggs about trends in packaging—such as the unboxing experience and refillable products—and how brands can be more sustainable and stay true to their brand’s DNA.  
 
HAPPI:  Let’s start with the the “unboxing” experience. You say that consumers will still be looking for the unboxing experience-but with less trash that comes with it. So what are some ideas on how a brand can achieve this? 

Skaggs: Print on the inside of the shipping box rather than inserting another box into the shipping box that contains the product packaging, ie. Amazon. Include brand messaging on the inside lid and try not include inserts if not legally necessary.

Create the inserts to hold the products out of cardboard rather than foam. You can even print on them!

The consumer has already made the purchase so there is no need to convince them to make a purchase through a “cool” unboxing experience. The purpose should be to protect the products when being shipped and making 

Make it a learning experience. Include a QR code or URL on the lid of the shipping box to direct the consumer to how to use info/videos, more ingredient info, feedback, and fun stuff that actually builds brand loyalty—be sure it’s shareable info!

 
Happi:  Let's talk about refills. Is this a trend that will really take off in 2022? 

Skaggs: Yes, we think and hope so. If you want to make the “unboxing” experience great, then sell something that is a keepsake that the consumer will want to keep. Then refills become a much more obvious solution. There needs to be a clear difference between the dispenser look and feel and the refill and also in the price. If you look at a soap dispenser, for example, there is little compelling reason to why you shouldn’t just buy a new one. Once it’s clear that the refill costs 50% less, for example, and can refill the dispenser 3x, then you’ll have people start to realize the importance of it. Kjaer Wise compacts are a good example. They are expensive, sexy and well made. A refill is clearly a great idea rather than having to throw that beautiful thing away once it’s empty.
 
Happi: Are there differences between luxury and mass when it comes to refill acceptance? 

Skaggs: Yes, but it doesn’t mean that luxury products can’t also be refillable. We worked on a brand that had two skin care products – a cream and serum. The cream was $400 and came in this beautiful ceramic vessel made by the famous French porcelain company, Bernardaud. They had a refill option because who would ever want to throw something like that away? The Harmonist, a luxury fragrance brand we worked with, had refills for all of their fragrances that included a beautiful copper funnel for refilling the fragrance bottles.


 
 
Happi: What about differences in product categories? 

Skaggs: There shouldn’t be but we do think there is at the moment. Blueland is an example of a brand that is doing it right from being as plastic free as possible to having a core business model based on refills.
 
Happi: Is there anything holding the refill practice back? 

Skaggs: Yes, the vendors and supply chain. They make more money selling the full bottle with all the components. Seems like they could make money too selling refill components. But the real problem is still consumers being open to it. It’s still much easier to go to Costco and buy 120 dishwashing tablets for $30. Education is the key. Look at the slow adoption of subscription services. Now that the consumer has been trained and accepts and wants the concept, the next step is to transition to a refills rather than another full product (like Blueland).
 
Happi: As 2022 rolls in, what are some big picture trends that beauty and home care brands should keep top of mind when it comes to packaging? 

Skaggs: The old axiom, less is more. The consumer will notice and it will make a positive difference in our opinion. This doesn’t mean the unboxing experience has to be boring but it doesn’t need to be wasteful. 
 
Happi:  What is the biggest mistake an indie brand can make when it comes to their packaging?

Skaggs: Some spend too much time and money on the packaging but not enough on what’s inside the packaging. Others do the opposite. Often, it seems they find some other packaging they like and want the same thing. Like all design, there is a process and with packaging there is the added complexity of often multiple components that come from different vendors, engineering issues with how well the components work with what is inside the bottle, etc. This all affects the user experience.
  
Want to hear more from Jonina and Bradley? Check out this Happi Podcast.