There is a particular sound a magnetic gift box makes when it shuts. A soft click, almost satisfying to hear as one expensive present was tucked away safely. It’s this one detail that has encouraged countless retail and corporate gifting brands to put tape and tuck flaps into mothballs and say hello to this box closure style.
So, are magnetic closures worth the splurge? Well, in this article, you’ll find out what these types of closures do well, where they struggle, and how brands are using magnetic rigid boxes in retail and corporate gifts.
Corporate Gifting Has Its Own Rules
Corporate gifting plays by a different set of rules entirely. Nobody is fighting for shelf space here, the box is heading straight for someone’s desk or front door, usually as a client gift or a reward for staff.
In such a scenario, however, presentation is paramount. A gift box with the company logo debossed on the lid can make all the difference compared to a nondescript cardboard box waiting to be opened, and this can affect the impression of your gift in the minds of the recipients. For this reason, many companies that provide client gifts or year-end boxes find that investing in gift packaging is a worthy allocation of resources, since the product is no longer merely a gift but a part of the presentation and branding.
Materials Worth A Try
Most magnetic boxes start life as rigid board, noticeably thicker and sturdier than the folding cartons used for everyday packaging. That rigid base then gets wrapped in printed paper, textured stock, or every now and then a fabric style finish for the higher end gifting jobs.
Matte lamination turns up a lot because it hides fingerprints well and leaves a soft touch feel under the hand. Gloss finishes have their own appeal, sharp and eye catching, but they show marks faster, worth bearing in mind if the box is going to pass through a fair few hands before it lands with the end customer.
For anything sold as luxury boxes, foil stamping on the lid, gold, silver, or a tonal colour to match the print, adds a nice finishing touch without the expense of running a whole extra print colour through the job.
Sizing And Structural Basics
Get the sizing wrong and the whole magnetic mechanism falls apart. Too large a lid and the magnets end up straining to hold the weight shut. especially once something with a bit of heft sits inside. Too tight a fit and the lid starts catching or scraping every time it comes off.
Suppliers will typically specify the dimensions of the product. Rather than the box, to ensure that the magnets are applied in the proper place. To allow for a nice tight seal every time. Always request a physical sample prior to production run(s). A screen will never show you the weight or the actual feel of that closing motion.
Balancing Cost Against Impact
Magnetic boxes are not the right call for every product, and pretending otherwise wastes money. Bulk shipments, low margin items, anything heading straight into a warehouse without a customer ever laying hands on it. None of that calls for this level of packaging.
Times when they earn their true reward is anywhere the unboxing moment actually carries weight. When it actually matters how the opening of your box performs. And sets base for the next and actual surprise to come. It is good if you treat it as an investment in premium packaging and not just something that was expensive. Since they will pay you off much more and also change the way your customers will remember your brand.
Before placing a large order, test the mechanism yourself, properly. Open and close the sample a good number of times. Check the magnets sit evenly on both sides, check the lid has not started to warp after repeated use. A weak magnetic seal quietly undoes the entire point of paying more for this style over something cheaper.
Magnetic gift boxes cost more, no way around that fact. But for retail brands and corporate gifting programmes chasing a stronger first impression. The extra spend tends to earn itself back in how long the product stays remembered after the box has been opened and set aside.
