The Story of Retrospekt Packaging
In an increasingly digital world, the magic of analog is increasingly enchanting. It’s comforting. Comforting to take a break from the excess of consumption convenience has allowed. Comforting to step back and engage in a more tactile and deliberate experience.
These products, that still prove to be so useful and enjoyable, shouldn’t be haphazardly discarded – left to decay in some landfill. Retrospekt gives them a new life. Faithfully restoring each item to give you a product that performs like it was meant to right out of the box.
We sat down with owner Kori Fuerst to get some insight into her decision to switch to high end packaging, and why she chose to work with Litpac.
What were the issues with the previous packaging?
A special item needed a special box. It didn’t feel right to wrap a 50-year old, fully restored camera in bubble wrap and put it into a shipping box. We pride ourselves on bringing people tangible experiences with analog technology. The unboxing experience is often a customer’s first physical experience with our brand. You’ve given your customer confidence and excitement before ever interacting with your actual product.
Why did you make the decision to change to our high end, turned edge packaging?
As high end boxes come with a bigger price tag, we had to treat this as part of our marketing budget. From that perspective, we knew that a high end box would be more likely to be shared on social media, and we were right! Lots of customers share photos of their camera in packaging on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit, which is just more eyeballs on our brand and product. We also liked the idea of having a keepsake box that could have dual purpose (people will likely use them to store photos) instead of throwing it away. We kept that in mind when making the switch – packaging so good, it wouldn’t get thrown in the garbage. There aren’t many people providing restored SX-70 Polaroid cameras, but we are definitely the only ones who package it in a gorgeous box.
Why did you decide to work with a Midwestern United States manufacturer?
95% of our supply chain is in the USA, and the large majority is in the Midwest. For us, it’s not all about pricing. Working with Midwest sales reps is always a dream. We really value courteous, prompt, respectful correspondence, which is almost a given with Midwest suppliers. We often need an “out of the box” customer service experience because our products are very unique. Litpac was able to see our vision and execute, and they didn’t bat an eye at our relatively low quantities and somewhat unusual product. We also value being able to work with vendors close by with the same communication style as us, especially when we have tight deadlines. There are no guessing games with how long the inventory will be in transit, and that control for us is really appealing.
What were the results of switching to the new packaging?
People love the packaging. One thing we don’t really advertise is that any customer repair (i.e. if someone sends in their own personal camera to be restored) also gets returned in this special packaging. To see something they love and care about returned to them in a box that exemplifies that love and care is really special.
Read more about Retrospekt’s new packaging: Functions like new. Packaged like new.
If you need help with improving your customers unboxing experience, Litpac is here to help. We can work with you to create a custom packaging solution that meets the needs of your product. Contact us today to get started.
