Texture on folding cartons and rigid boxes continues to make its way from prestige to mass in many categories at retail. For decades prestige rigid boxes were wrapped with textured fabrics and highly embossed wraps. These highly textured surfaces entice shoppers to reach out and touch them, inviting more senses into the shopping adventure and may lead more impulse buying.

Tactile coatings such as Soft Touch, a suede-like coating, and Hi Rise UV are part of the designer’s toolbox that can be done on press and can avoid expensive embossing tooling costs.

But does adding a tactile finish really influence a shopper’s decisions?