Backstage in the fast-growing vaping world, the little-noticed e-liquid box is crucial to the vaping product experience, branding and regulation. Revolutionary products often come with underappreciated packaging – look at the Apple iPhone – and as vaping evolves in the 2020s, e-liquid boxes will be integral to that change.

Design and Branding

Another thing that is extremely important in all e-liquid boxes is the packaging design. This is something that goes hand-in-hand every single step of the way when it comes to good branding and advertising. The package you put in consumers’ hands is one of the first things featured in the branding conversation. Customers come into contact with your brand through the packaging, so it has to look sharp and should stand out from the competition. This not only includes having recognisable and smart graphics with bright colours and logos, but also innovative designs that connect to the flavour profile of the liquid inside or the ethos of the brand, which in turn are attractive to more discerning consumers.

For example, a product offered in minimalist packaging might appeal to consumers who wish to convey an aura of modernity and minimalism, while others could be attracted to brighter, more colourful designs that associate fruity or exotic flavours. Beyond attracting attention, the design of a product conveys information about the brand itself – its identity, values, purpose and their alignment with the target consumer’s worldview. This is how a product can come to convey meaning and spark feelings of belonging. For the consumer making the choice to buy, the act of supporting the brand becomes less transactional, merely an arrangement for the exchange of money for goods, and more a statement about who and what the consumer is – in line with what the brand is trying to convey.

Functionality and Safety

After the aesthetics comes the functionality of a e-liquid box. It is important that the e-liquid maintained its integrity and flavour in a good package. That means it has to be sealed properly so that exposure to light, air and heat do not break it down. Also of importance is the quality of materials being used to protect the e-liquid.

Safety features are equally vital. Child-resistant packaging, already mandated in many jurisdictions to prevent children from accidentally ingesting vaping products, is a great feature to have; tamper-evident seals offer added peace-of-mind for consumers who need to be confident that what they buy still comes in the original, uncompromised packaging. Easy-to-use designs allow for convenient, drip-free pouring or dispensing, which mean that the pleasure of using vaping products in the first place is not further compromised by an awkward, cumbersome, messy delivery method that defeats the point.

Regulation and Compliance

The vaping industry and vaping products are so highly regulated (like anything medical or involving tobacco and counting in the billions of dollars in revenues) that there are significant legal requirements each e-liquid box must comply with and meet in order for the company, distributor or store to be allowed to sell it. This includes a clear and legible listing and labeling of the major ingredients in the liquid, for example, vegetable glycerine (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), whatever flavouring may be used, and of course any potential or known allergens such as nuts, milk, soya beans or anything else. But also, the information must be correct! It doesn’t even end there, and it truly does serve as demonstration of trust that the box also includes information about nicotine content.

With compliance comes conformity: standards set by law that dictate size, wording and content restrictions on packaging, as well as legislative mandates on what labels can and cannot say. To adhere to regulations, manufacturers must not only establish a line of communication with governing bodies but also pay close attention and be flexible enough to make adjustments quickly when needed, in order to meet the requisite regulations without sacrificing the design aesthetic or ease of the product as it goes through the pipeline.

Variety and Customization

The Vaping market is extremely diversified now, with a great demand for different e-liquid packages. The different sizeof bottles includingSample ones for promotion and larger bulk cans are available to fit different user needs. Personalized packaging is also requested more and more as popularity is hard to be achieved and kept without special attention. Limited edition of popular design, seasonal flavours or even personalized ones are more likely to attracted customers to buy propperly.

Even the materials used can be customised: glass bottles versus plastic, offering different benefits in terms of sustainability, durability and user experience. A brand with multiple packaging options can therefore appeal to a much larger audience than one that does not experiment as broadly.

Sustainability and Eco-Friendliness

With environmental concerns growing in purchasing habits, packaging sustainability is a growing interest, with many new e-liquids being packed into recyclable plastics, glass or biodegradable materials, while environmentally friendly packaging may also be a future trend, with cardboard or paper casings, for example, being used to minimise e-liquid harm to the planet, without compromising quality and performance.

Highlighting the presence of sustainable packaging is likely to make the brand appear more socially responsible among eco-conscious consumers – an attribute that can improve brand reputation and loyalty by increasing the likelihood that consumers will support the brand compared to its competitors.

Market Trends and Innovations

Rapidly changing technologies and growing sophistication of the consumers have significantly intensified competition in the e-liquid packaging market. Emerging innovations in packaging technologies include complex coatings on the surface of the e-liquid bottle, which are able to display additional information via a QR code or integrated with the respective mobile app. Packaging design in this segment is becoming more experiential and interactive.

To brainstorm, these are the trends we talk about most — minimalist design, eco materials, multipurpose functionality — if a brand can predict and adapt to these it’ll always be ahead of the game and stay competitive.

Conclusion

For manufacturers and retailers, an e-liquid box packaging is not a boring package to be filled and sold. It is a vital part of the whole system, enabling the industry to work. From attracting the consumer to the brand’s product through the design itself, to safety for shipping and child-proof lids to ensure regulatory compliance, the packaging is a key part of a brand’s success. As the vaping industry continues to mature and grows, the bar for more innovative, functional and environmentally friendly kinds of e-liquid packaging solutions will continue to rise. The brands and their supply chains that rise to the occasion will be the vaping industry’s success stories of tomorrow.