Packaging and Branding: Major Success Factors for the Lingerie Industry
While branding is important to all businesses, it is especially important in the underwear world. Since the lingerie world is so competitive, the most coveted brands like Betsey Johnson, Wilfred and Victoria’s Secret connect with the women who wear their lingerie by creating pieces that convey the company’s unique tone. According to the leading global market research firm IBISWorld the key success factors for a business in the lingerie industry are:
- Proximity to key markets
- Establishment of brand names
- Attractive product presentation
Your lingerie’s product presentation and brand name recognition can both be enhanced through beautiful and effective packaging.
Attractive Packaging Drives Sales on Social Media
Victoria’s Secret get’s a lot of things right, but a major reason for the company’s success is its brilliant branding. The brand’s iconic pink shopping bags and packaging are instantly recognizable. Not to mention each year millions of viewers tune into its annual fashion show on CBS to see the hottest celebrity models walk the runway wearing multi-million dollar jewel-encrusted bras and angel wings.
An important way Victoria’s Secret has solidified its sexy, youthful branding is through its cute, colourful pink pin-striped bags and boxes wrapped with matching pink satin ribbon bows. Similarly, UK-based luxury lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur whose rose gold bras sell for $500, each has become popular on social media for its picture perfect boxes with original artwork and its beautifully wrapped pink boxes tied up with black bows. Likewise, Betsey Johnson intimates are often packaged with bright pink boxes or wrapped in ribbons with playful kissing emoticons. Notice a pattern here? Luxuriously wrapped boxes sell!
It is helpful to turn to social media to see which lingerie styles are trending. Underwear lines that have made major breakthroughs with millennials are also changing their packaging to include images of everyday women wearing their lingerie in more intimate, familial settings. For example, Boux Avenue’s Instagram features images of women wearing its underwear in fun and playful settings like while eating pizza in bed or stretching in athletic lingerie on the stairs. These kinds of post featured on Boux Avenue’s feed get thousands of likes. Using photography shot artistically can appeal to certain demographics, particularly millennials as it creates a more authentic aesthetic than highly photoshopped staged photo shoots.
Also, more female shoppers, particularly millennial women value companies that are eco-friendly, so aim to use packaging materials that are recyclable such as boxes or reusable polybags such as Adidas has done with its silver resealable underwear packaging.
It’s all in the details: labelling and detailed intimates
When women go lingerie shopping, they don’t go to buy a pair of underwear; they step inside the store because luxurious lace intimates and gold trimmed boxes make them feel as glamorous and beautiful as the models they see wearing them. For the modern women, intimates that are comfortable, supportive and well-crafted are empowering.
That’s why top lingerie brands distinguish themselves by giving their intimates extra luxurious features like pink heart-shaped silicon heat transfers on underwear, Swarovski crystals woven onto a bra or labels made out double sided satin. Details like those let the consumer know the product they’re getting is quality and exquisite. Unique has it’s own dye printed labels exclusive for lingerie with a great quality called UNIFINE.
Another way top lingerie makers solidify their branding is via hand and price tags that complement the design of the lingerie– such as Betsey Johnson’s black and pink tags on cardstock and Ella Moss’s ballet pink tags with matching satin ribbon. Lastly, keeping a uniform theme with your packaging, price tags, and heat labels is an excellent way to reinforce your brand’s message.
Modern women value luxury and comfort and no longer are interested in sacrificing either when it comes to lingerie. The industry is highly competitive with a few major players dominating the industry; however, new entrants are making waves via social media marketing, innovative pieces and picture perfect packaging.
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