Don't believe in the importance of packaging? Think that as long as your product is great, you'll be just fine? Seventy percent of your prospective customers would disagree.
That was the figure who said poor product packaging could negatively impact their thoughts on a product or company from a recent Ask Your Target Market Survey. And this importance isn't confined to brick-and-mortar stores.
One recent examination regarding the digital and real-world successes of Birchbox and FabFitFun speaks to that. In both cases, the messaging is clear; the design, fun. And both work together to create repeat business from the customers attracted to them.
In the following article, we'll be discussing the reasons why packaging continues to be one of your greatest assets in selling a product. And that's true even if the product's purchased on Amazon or directly through your site. Let's begin!
Part of the importance of packaging design is it tells customers how to find you. How in the world could that possibly be important?
They've already found you, right? Why do they need to know anything else? Won't they just come back to the same place if they ever need anything else?
You probably know enough about buying and selling to know this isn't how the ordinary consumer-brand relationship works. Say you encounter a new local brand while visiting a souvenir shop while on vacation. You're not driving all the way back to this same spot when you run out of whatever it is.
Product packaging gives companies an opportunity to broadcast how they can be found when that customer goes back to their home city. It also can illustrate which social networks you're active on and where to find your blog or website, both of which can deepen your customer relationships.
Another way to take advantage of the importance of product packaging is to speak directly with your target audience. Board games do a wonderful job of this.
How many of you have picked up a box like Cards Against Humanity? This brand does a great job of connecting with their audience (people with off-color senses of humor). It's just a black box, white letters, and the tagline, "A party game for horrible people."
Flip over the box, and you get just a taste of what they mean by that. When creating your packaging, use this as a template.
Insert your product name and tagline. What kind of "people" is it for? From there, you can start to hone in on colors, textures, artwork, etc.
The why is packaging important question is an easy one to answer when you see the emotional response that packages can elicit from customers.
A package can make you feel good about what you're going to buy. Apple has been cultivating this concept for years with its sleek and simple design, as well as its carefully crafted internal compartments and accessories.
Apple does its best to present a prestigious design. They don't want their customers to feel like they're buying "just another" phone, tablet, or computer.
Great packaging covers the basics. It shares information a prospective customer would need to know, such as:
Your packaging sells to both educated and non-educated customers. Remember that as you build out the design.
Selling any type of product -- perfumes, beverages, toys or toolkits with lots of small pieces -- means you'll need something that protects everything and holds it together. Your packaging does this.
To that point, the internal components of your product package are as important as the external. Make sure breakable or bendable items are stored in a secure compartment within the box itself.
Furthermore, equip your packaging with enough security devices to guard against criminal mischief. Whether protecting from damages or theft, packaging can help address loss prevention before it becomes a major issue.
There is more competition for shelf space today -- digital and real-world -- than ever before. To stand out in a sea of what often are competing products, you need your packaging to stand out.
You can do this through clever design, color schemes, and messaging. Focus on each area before moving on to the next, but also make sure they complement each other.
And if you need a little help getting started, we've covered some basics before. If it seems like a lot of work, well, it can be. Consider a turnkey service if you can't spare the time.
People who ultimately end up becoming your customers may not be ready to buy right away. In fact, many people don't become recurring customers from an impulse buy. They weigh their decision before pulling the trigger.
So don't feel poorly about your packaging if it fails to convince a prospective customer to buy right away. That continued prominence on store shelves engages in what is called "impression marketing."
In other words, each time a customer sees your package it leaves an impression. When enough of those build up, they're more likely to buy when they have the need for a product like the one you're offering.
Simply being seen alongside smaller and larger competitors will establish you as a player within a particular market space. Your packaging says to the masses, "We belong here."
That's a winning scenario even if you aren't the top player. That's because a small percentage of something is better than zero percent of nothing.
If your packaging is getting you noticed, then it's ensuring some degree of market share. And that can be especially lucrative depending on what the market is.
The importance of packaging will only grow in the years ahead. That's because standing out from the hundreds of thousands of online and offline retailers will become more and more challenging as new faces enter the market and old ones adapt.
Jansy has extensive experience navigating the global consumer packaging marketplace. And if you need help streamlining your packaging process, or if you'd like to connect on your project, contact us today.
Are you looking to launch your new product with packaging that meets all of these goals? If so, then Jansy Packaging is ready to hear from you. Our team has worked with Starbucks, Victoria's Secret, LG, Oakley, QVC, and many other companies to design, develop, and produce packaging that made an impression on their customers.
