Tissue Boxes: Convenience Packaging & Interior Design Objects

♦ Strategic Packaging Insights ♦

There are people in packaging innovation who think that tissue boxes are boring to work on. ‘Just’ tissue boxes. I like tissue boxes. And there are several reasons for that:

Convenience:

Tissue boxes are Convenience packaging at its best. A self-feeding dispenser mechanism through which Product Retrieval almost always works perfectly and by far well enough. And all just through the way these folded tissue sheets are interlocking when they are packed in their perfect stacks inside. And through the defined friction of the die-cut flexible plastic film seal. Which also gives the consumer an option for basic hygienic Protection — by stuffing the last tissue back if desired.

Randomness:

Tissue boxes have an element of randomness. Since the cut-outs are mixed as part of the (pre-)gluing process at the folding box converter, it is by chance which motifs are in which box. This is something that you have very seldom in FMCG, only sometimes with Limited Editions — and then the mixing is usually done manually.

Longevity:

Tissue boxes are packaging that stays in use for quite a long time. And this is challenge and responsibility as well as opportunity. Tissue boxes are among the few packaging items in my household that actually need dusting from time to time (good to have a tissue ready then). But apart from that, Longevity can be challenged more aggressively from time to time. The surface can be subject to scratches, scuffs, spilled liquids, pet paws, etc. The structural integrity might be challenged by compression or drops from a table, etc. So it is hard to say for what stress scenario you would want to test a tissue box.

Cocooning:

Tissue boxes follow different rules of design than other packaging. Or better — they are not just packaging, they are Cocooning trend items and interior design objects that allow you to express yourself as part of the Self-Branding trend. If there are good designs available. Or better — designs that you like. And this is why tissue boxes should be customizable. But since we are talking about responsibility — is it a good idea to let anybody design their own tissue boxes? I think people should have the right to do that but they need to be supported to do it in a good way that produces pretty boxes in the end. Otherwise it would be better not to open this Pandora’s (Tissue) Box at all, I guess. We have already seen enough bad examples of customized packaging and do not want to have such atrocities staying in people’s homes for months.

Loyalty:

Tissue boxes are one of those items that can be an important tool for retailers to win and keep (temporary) customer loyalty. When people need to buy tissue boxes and they know that a specific retailer has the motifs that they like the most, they will go there and buy the expensive make-up and the rest on the list in the same place. This can lead to interesting strategies. In Hamburg, we have a local drugstore chain, Budni. As they are much smaller than their competitors, they do not have the same budget for new artworks and thus have some designs that always stay the same — they are saving money and you can rely on getting them there if you prefer continuity (something nobody else offers). And they always have at least one ‘Hamburg’ motif, since people in Hamburg love their city and this kind of localism fits well to a local retailer brand.

What Makes a Tissue Box Successful?

But success does not only depend on the motif, it can come from both Artwork & Enhancement. Thus the long time that tissue boxes are in use is also an opportunity to apply high-quality finishing effects and spend the on-cost with a good conscience. If you have a tissue box with a really good soft touch varnish then it is by far not only the moment at shelf when the consumer decides that this box is worth a premium price. It is the many, many moments at home in which the consumer falls in love with your box (and your brand). And when the product quality of most FMCG goods is anticipated or evaluated, this is influenced by the consumer’s impression of the packaging. So the Softness Impression communicated through the packaging will influence how soft the consumer thinks the tissues are or will be. And:

A soft surface works best with a soft shape.

But most boxes are still square as a brick. Worse even — you could even say they have pointy corners and sharp edges. A disastrous Softness Impression, and for such a product! When SCA launched their new rounded boxes, this was a huge improvement. But the shape alone would still not be sufficient to command the premium price of a top brand when someone just likes the private label motif more. At least not for a consumer who cares more about the motif than about the specific tissue quality. As they are now — a soft shape combined with a really great soft touch varnish alternating with high gloss or pearlescent varnish highlights — they have a great Softness Impression (at least for a cardboard folding box) and thus can be great items of homey pleasure…

…if you like the design.

So there again are responsibilities: in this case for the people who design the packs and those people who decide which designs will be used. I assume that there is a consumer test process behind this, so I guess it is also a responsibility for the people who define the layout of this test process. Maybe there is a trend research on interior design trends going on? Or maybe there should one be going on? The worst thing about having designed, chosen, tested and launched a loser design on a tissue box is the disgrace of being one of the last ones left in the corrugated shelf-ready pack. Just like being one of the last kids to be chosen when teams are formed in sports class…

As mentioned, Packaging can be a very powerful marketing tool for both brand owners and retailers — especially considering that folding boxes are just one way to pack tissues. This is always when packaging becomes an accessory of our ‘self-branding’ and we constantly carry it with us or have it around us.

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I am mentioning consumer trends from GlobalData’s TrendSights system: www.globaldata.com/consumer/about-us/why-globaldata/