[GeorgettePkg]

Yes, a lot of small businesses use generic boxes and a sticker. When I owned my bakery, I did the same. That's not to say that this solution is ideal; most of the generic boxes are flimsy, tedious to assemble, and give your customers the idea that your product is ... humdrum, not something you'd pay much for. If you're working super hard to bake something amazing, your packaging should complement and introduce your product in a splendid way too -- you need to do something a little different from everybody else. Larger brands don't invest in beautiful, branded packaging for kicks -- it has a major influence on the perception people have of their wares, and contributes a lot to the customer's experience of their product. In terms of unit price being high at low volumes -- we're constantly working to get that down! :D Our minimum quantities for custom packaging are some of the lowest on the market, and our pricing very modest by comparison, because we invest in tooling on behalf of our clients. I think it's hard to see how great our pricing actually is, because it's near impossible to find other packaging companies that do what we do, or put all their pricing online.. :)

[rezistik]

My experience growing up was that the flashier the box was the cheaper the cake tasted. The best cakes came from the bakeries that invested 100% into their products. I loved getting really great products in terrible packages, it had a certain feeling to it.

That being said, I love branding and really hip bakeries and coffee shops with awesome branding will always woo me too.

[anexprogrammer]

My experience too.

To add to that, the bakery I'd like to buy my bread and cakes from is the one that probably closes due to no branding. In fact it probably looks like a holdover from the fifties inside and specialised in just being a shop, not a brand.

It's a little sad to me that brands have become so much more powerful than the product, though I'm not immune either. I do try though - I'll risk the bad experience and try the family cafe or unknown coffeeshop in preference to a starbucks or costa. Does mean I get something rubbish occasionally.

Ironic that Starbucks such are a huge success but make terribly bland coffee. I've several friends who collect their mugs, but will never drink their coffee!