4 Features Your Companys Product Packaging Must Have
Product packaging is a significant part of operating a successful business, and not only for large corporations with bottomless budgets. SMEs need to take packaging seriously because it can make or break a customer’s experience. This is because most shoppers are reactionary and will purchase things instinctively.
Therefore, the proper wrapping will encourage more people to pick up your items and head to the checkout. From this perspective, it sounds straightforward. However, as an entrepreneur, you understand that this isn’t the case. If it were, 50% of businesses wouldn’t fail within the first five years, as https://www.investopedia.com/ points out.
Still, this doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Although appealing to consumers is tough, it’s by no means impossible, not when you know how to use product packaging to your advantage. The key is implementing the correct features as they will catch people’s attention and engage them more effectively.
All that’s left to do is ensure you leverage the elements that customers enjoy, even if they don’t know it yet. There are lots of ways to do this, but the easiest is to consider the four features underneath. These are tried and tested within the industry.
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Simplicity
Infographic created by MGS Machine Corporation
Why do you hear about the virtues of simplicity all the time? Is it because it’s now a cliche? Almost certainly. Of course, there’s another reason – it works. In a world of unparalleled choice, it’s almost as if your senses are drawn toward the packaging that denotes some sort of calm and tranquility.
The contrast helps your products to stand out from the crowd because it’s devoid of fancy bells and whistles. A prime example is a drain cleaning company from Europe. Buster is taking on the powerhouses of the European industry, such as Mr. Muscle, by adopting a minimalistic approach to marketing.
For example, the normal graphics you would expect to see on a bottle of drain removers, such as clean kitchen and bathroom sinks, are gone. The simple and neat packaging helped them to become a market leader in England as sales experienced an almost 50% rise. Data from https://grocerytrader.co.uk/ says its market share is as high as 33%.
This showcases how you can compete with your rivals, regardless of their wealth and industry standing. The example highlights how a previously unknown brand took over the UK drain cleaner market with simple packaging techniques, something that’s accessible to everyone.
Five-Year-Old Appeal
You might not sell to kids, but this doesn’t mean you can’t use them as a barometer for the effectiveness of your packaging. In short, the five-year-old test means that customers as young as five will understand what you’re selling. They might not know why, yet that isn’t the point. Let the adults worry about that!
Once you can explain your product to a five-year-old, you can be pretty confident that anyone who comes across it will develop a connection. Children are smart; however, their brains aren’t wired for marketing and advertising at a young age. As a result, if you can describe it to them, it shows the simplicity and power of your brand.
Usually, this technique requires a logo or icon that they will remember. For instance, if you asked your son or daughter to go into a store and buy a red can of soda, they’d come out with Coca-Cola. Alternatively, if you wanted the cookies with blue and white colors and a splash of milk, they’d return with Oreos.
If you can curate the type of relationship that the brands above do, you’ll ensure consumers come back weekly.
Companys Product Packaging: Point Of Orientation
Placing your products on a shelf and shouting louder than the rest of the competition won’t work. Someone will shout louder than you, leaving your packaging to sink into the background, never to be seen again. That’s where a point of orientation comes in handy as it provides products with the appeal they require to stand out.
Using shapes is a surefire way to grab shopper’s attention and communicate what you’re attempting to get across. Of course, shapes are played out in many ways since they are used by brands across the board. As a result, you need a niche within a niche, which isn’t easy to find.
They do exist, though. For example, cusps are sharp and pointy, making them less smooth than standard product packaging. Body care products, such as Nexxus shampoo, use them very well because they make everyday items feel more exciting and sexy. You won’t know where the point of orientation you choose will work unless you test it beforehand.
At the likes of https://globalthermoforming.com/, you can utilize a rapid prototype. When the design process is done, you’ll receive a figure indicating how the finished article will look. By judging the prototype, you can evaluate whether your point of orientation is on-point.
Company Product Packaging: Implement Emotional Engagement
When someone looks in your direction, what do you do? The answer is, that you look back to see what they are staring at. As long as they are looking in your direction, your response will always be the same. It’s an evolutionary tick that has survived centuries of tinkering with the human brain.
You can use this to your advantage by understanding that an emotional engagement will almost make people compelled to look in the direction of the product you’re selling. Most brands assume color is the way to go since some of the most notorious marketing triumphs use vivid shades.
In reality, you can just as easily have the same impact by putting a face on the packaging. The eyes, whether real or cartoon-like, will make shoppers feel as if something is staring at them, even if the item is looking slightly away or past them.
With these elements, your products will have a higher chance of selling more units, even if they are in a saturated market competing against bigger brands. In a nutshell, that’s why your company’s product packaging must have them.
