There are a lot of factors that you need to look at when you are marketing a new product. Packaging is one of the most important. Packaging could make or break the success of your product.
If you are still skeptical, you should read the results of a survey by IPSOS. It found that 70% of customers agree that packaging influences their purchasing decisions. The real figure could be higher since some people are probably subconsciously influenced.
Poor Packaging Can Ruin Sales
The shelves of your retail partners are one of the places where your products get the most visibility. To sell your products, you have to win the battle of the shelf. Your products must be attractive enough to catch the eyes of potential customers and entice them to make a purchase. The best way to put your product at the heart of your potential customer is through product packaging.
Product packaging is an integral part of the shopping experience. In most cases, attractive product packaging can trigger impulse buying. How many decisions are influenced by packaging? One study found that 76% purchase decisions are made at shelf. A Harvard professor said that 95% are subconscious, so proper packaging can itself market your product to customers looking for something similar to buy.
As a marketer, you are faced with a daunting task to design packaging that makes a bold statement about your product. It should also tell why these folks at the local store should drop it into their shopping cart. This is where packaging design comes in. The design is one of the factors that determine whether potential customers will reach out to your product and eventually take it back home with them. No matter the product offering, colorful packaging has a significant impact on shopper’s experience. If the product doesn’t connect to the heart of a consumer, nothing can be done.
Does that sound like hyperbole? It is not, as many case studies show. You may be surprised to know that even major brands like Tropicana have bombed with their product packaging. Their 2009 product packaging mistake cost the company $30 million! You don’t want to make a similar mistake.
Functions of Product Packaging
As we know first impressions matter a lot. It tells how consumers see your product. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in. You can’t overlook the importance of good packaging, since it is the first thing that customers will see. Here are some of the most important benefits of packaging in marketing.
Protection
The most important function of packaging is to protect your product. It is designed to keep the products protected from damage caused by weather extremities, human errors and other environmental factors. It keeps your goods protected against dust, breakage and fluctuations in temperature and other hazards that could compromise product quality.
Information
Packaging helps sell and market products. It is an essential tool used to provide detailed information about the product to customers. Your package displays information about nutrition, directions for use, warnings, ingredients, storage instructions and many more. Product packaging can help consumers make an informed decision whether or not the item is right for them.
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Convenience
Goods have to be shipped, stored and distributed. While in transit to the final consumer, these products will be handled in different ways by different folks. With proper packaging, handling the product is easy and convenient.
Security
To make sure that the goods are in perfect condition, packaging is essential. Product packaging will secure the goods from all kinds of alterations while reducing the risk of any pilferage.
How To Use Packaging As a Marketing Tool
Product packaging can serve as a useful marketing tool. It can be used to convey important messages to customers in places you ordinarily can’t reach. And the good news is that many businesses are aware of these strategies and how effective they are. Here are ways packaging can be an essential tool for marketing.
- Transform into a Creative Game
Most businesses are aware of the importance of an innovative design. Many companies are coming up with unique games to create new packages. For instance, some cartons for milk come with a unique pattern that can be cut out and converted into toys. For some, they can convert them into pop-up pictures. Others come with superhero cards. There are also product packaging that can be turned into a board games.
- Print Valuable Information
Products can be more attractive and appealing to shoppers when they can find detailed information about the goods on the label or packaging. This information may include all or any of the following – ingredients, direction for use, collectable images, among others. While designing your product packaging, it is essential to know the needs of your customers. Your product packaging design can resonate with these needs. Some businesses may take advantage of big upcoming events by printing information related to it.
- Prize Schemes
Aggressive marketing is one of the best ways to grab the attention of your potential customers. In addition to providing relevant information on labels, some companies offer customers the chance to win mouthwatering prizes. To do this, most product packaging include a scratch cards with various kinds of prizes. Others make customers get the packaging and redeem it for cash.
- Product Recycling
What better way to tell your customers how you want to make the world greener, healthier and eco-friendlier than creating product packaging that can be repurposed, reused and recycled into something more meaningful? If you are in the coffee-making business, for instance, you can package coffee in a glass mug. Once the coffee has been used up, the glass mugs can still serve a purpose, especially for everyday living. In the same vein, milk jugs can be reused as containers for storing water or any other item that deems fit. Fast food joints can package snacks in reusable plastics that consumers will find a need for even after consuming the snacks. Also, encouraging customers to reuse your packaging gives your brand more exposure.
- Clear Concise Brand and Product Names
It is of absolute necessity that whatever packaging design you opt for should grab user’s attention to your brand. Customers will never buy an item if they don’t know whose product they are buying. This will leave your product lying on the shelf for longer. For this reason, your product name should be clearly and boldly written on your packaging. This is an essential marketing and branding strategy.
All the strategies as mentioned above have the same goal and objective and that is to give your brand more exposure and visibility even after the goods have been used. Any product packaging that has your brand name clearly written on it, or can be reused as a household item will put your brand in the heart of customers. In addition, these marketing strategies if properly implement will give you the result you seek. It is however important to make sure that the prints on your product packaging are of high quality and are not easily removed.
