Top Reasons Why Your Packaging Is Just as Important as Your Products

Have you been curious about the impact that your packaging has on your overall sales? While it may seem surprising, many customers first choose a product based on the packaging design. With that, it's incredibly important to learn about your target audience and identify their unique interests and desires so you can develop appealing packaging. Whether you're just beginning in your packaging design or have the goal of redesigning, there are many important details to consider when starting your design development.

Make an Impact on Your Customers

Quality product packaging is created by familiarizing yourself with the wants and needs of potential and existing customers. The goal manufacturers aim for is to attract as many customers as possible to purchase a product or service and make a lasting first impression. Therefore, giving special attention to your product packaging is vital as it has an enormous impact on overall sales, business success, and differentiating yourself from the competition. Developing a design that speaks to and attracts your customers should be your top priority, whether this is through incorporating high-quality packaging materials or giving special attention to an eco-friendly lifestyle. Today's consumer market is drawn to brands that attempt to make a connection and speak to their unique interests, beliefs, and lifestyles. It's vital to remember that product packaging directly reflects your company in its entirety, meaning if you want your product to sell, you should invest just as much into your packaging.

Promotion and Display

Product packaging has continued to evolve over the years, and today its primary purpose is to help promote and display a manufacturer's product or service. Manufacturers are encouraged to include any information that a potential or existing customer may be interested in such as ingredients, nutrition information, product instructions, and more. Being transparent about what's in your product is extremely important as many customers are drawn to products that offer any and all information. Discover creative ways to promote and display your product, so you can catch your buyer's eye and build a positive relationship with your customers.

Be Unique

Aside from being transparent about your product or service, it's also recommended to include features that show you're invested in your customers and strive to bring them a quality item every time. There are many tamper-proof, child lock, and resealable features that can be incorporated into your packaging design, so your potential and existing customers know the product they're purchasing is fresh. Whether it's an adhesive strip, zipper, or press-to-seal closure – each of these features will give your customers the peace of mind they're hoping for and help you stand out compared to the competition.

Being creative with your packaging design is vital as this is how you will attract today's consumer market. You can choose from various shapes of flexible packaging, such as a stand-up or lay-flat pouch, which can be convenient for shipping, retail store displays, and more. It's also essential to create a unique packaging design with original, eye-catching graphics and colors. Your packaging design should not only tell the story of your brand and company, but of the product or service itself. If your packaging has resealable features, is easy to take on-the-go, or utilizes only environmentally friendly materials, be sure to showcase these functions as the consumer market of today is drawn to eco-friendly and low waste items.

Solidifying Aesthetic and Functionality

When creating your packaging design, it's essential to look at the big picture and identify how many key elements work together to make your finalized design. While many may think that aesthetic and functionality work separately, they don't outweigh one another whatsoever – instead, they work together. Manufacturers who work to incorporate each of these elements produce a successful packaging design for their products and cater to their customer's unique preferences and desires.

Functionality

A functional product packaging design can be reached in a variety of ways. Still, ultimately manufacturers are encouraged to focus on making the final design hassle-free and convenient for the customer. Today's consumer market is drawn to products that have added customer benefits, which can mean incorporating a resealable feature or something as easy as ensuring sustainable materials are utilized in production. Creating a functional packaging design isn't only for the consumer. It also benefits the manufacturer as flexible packaging is hugely cost-effective and durable, so your product is always kept safe and fresh.

Aesthetic

Packaging design aesthetic is crucial as this allows you to have fun creating your packaging design. You want product packaging that is aesthetically pleasing for potential and existing customers as they're more likely to choose your product if it catches their eye. Work to incorporate unique and colorful design elements so customers are immediately drawn to your product when walking down an aisle. Manufacturers worldwide are creating the same product, meaning your packaging design will help you stand out above the competition and give you the sales results you're hoping for. When developing your packaging design, it's encouraged to focus on a variety of design elements, from texture, line, and shape to color, pattern, and balance.

What About Brand Recognition?

Your packaging design tells the story of your company and the brand, meaning they are often more relatable than many may think. Developing strong branding and packaging to support that branding will help potential and existing customers become familiar with your product and most likely turn them into returning customers. Incorporating your brand into your product packaging creates an even more eye-catching design and helps establish a relationship with your customers through brand recognition.

Understanding the Qualities of a Strong Brand

You're probably wondering how you develop strong branding, especially if you're still working on your product packaging design. Many components go into building your brand, and each plays an incredibly important role in its overall success. Manufacturers are encouraged to identify the brand's story and pinpoint what makes their product and brand different from others. This will guarantee that a lasting impression is made on your customers. The following elements are all suggestions to consider when developing your brand:

• Attributes
• Benefits
• Culture
• Personality
• User
• Values

Considering each of these target areas will help you create a top-notch packaging design that resembles your brand. Becoming familiar with the audiences you're attempting to reach and studying their unique needs is how you'll succeed in selling products in your given industry.

Consumer Convenience

Regardless of the type of product or service you're trying to sell, it all comes down to identifying your target audience's needs and discovering ways in which you can cater to them through not only your product but also the packaging. Today's consumer market is drawn to packaging with added security and physical protection. These features translate that the company is invested in their product and only wants to deliver its customers' the best quality materials. Any important information should be incorporated into packaging, so your customers know they can trust your product. Potential customers are also more drawn to products that speak to their immediate needs, so focus on how you can catch their attention and develop a relationship.

Exploring Inspirational Package Redesigns

While deciding to redesign your packaging may seem daunting, it can be useful, especially if you're not getting the results you've been hoping for. Manufacturers are often so eager to get their products out on the shelves that essential elements are missed in their packaging design. Whether customers catch on to missing details, a packaging redesign also translates that you're invested in providing your customers only the best of the best. Choosing to remove your items from shelves for a packaging redesign can be time-consuming, but in the big picture, it will pay off through increased sales, improved first impressions, and further bonding with your client base.

Defining Cause Marketing

Once you've decided to redesign your packaging, it's vital to consider cause marketing, a marketing method that focuses on both for-profit and nonprofit companies. Most commonly, the for-profit company will collaborate with the nonprofit company to develop a product or packaging with a guarantee that the nonprofit company will receive a portion of or all the proceeds. This is beneficial when redesigning product packaging as you now have the opportunity to connect further with potential and existing customers by communicating your support for worldly causes, events, and issues.

You're not alone. Over the years, many established companies have decided to redesign their product packaging to represent and support a cause or foundation or simply because they felt their packaging could be more assertive. A few of these companies include:

• Carlsburg Breweries: Management transitioned to more sustainable packaging to support the evolving worldwide zero waste movement.
  
  
• Coca Cola: To further evolve their relationship with consumers, the "Share a Coke" campaign was developed to encourage customers to spend time with one another over a soda.
  
  
• Lacoste: Identified a desire to support the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) "Save Our Species" campaign by contributing all polo sales to preserving endangered species.
  
  
• Skittles: Company creatives discovered a way to minimize their branding to show support for the LGBTQ+ community by creating a monochrome design and featuring creative professionals directly involved in the community.
  
  
• RxBar: With sustainability and healthy living on the rise, establishing transparency with customers is essential. The packaging was redesigned with better materials, and ingredients were showcased for customers.

Invest in Your Packaging Just as Much as Your Product

By this point, you've hopefully come to realize the role your packaging plays in the sale of your product. There are many reasons why this is true, and you must familiarize yourself with the elements of packaging design. From leaving a lasting impression with your customers or redesigning your packaging to catering to customer convenience and pinning down your brand, investing in your product packaging is just as important as your product – if not even more.