The Power of Packaging For Product Businesses

When launching a product, the packaging can be an afterthought. Packaging the product is the last step in the process, so it's not surprising that businesses often wait until they are ready to launch to start designing the packaging. When the integration of product and packaging is overlooked, you miss the opportunity to use packaging as a powerful marketing tool.

When it comes down to it, packaging design is one of the most strategic tools a product business has to generate sales. However, when packaging is designed well, we don't even realize its influence on us as shoppers and consumers. Why is that? Joe Sparano summed it up nicely, "Good design is obvious; great design is transparent." For any product business, there are three key things packaging design can do.

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Packaging Design Can Create Connections with Customers

While creating connections with customers might sound like an obvious benefit of packaging design, it's often ignored. You've heard of an impulse purchase, and you might think it only applies to items lining the checkout lane at the grocery store. But in reality, almost every purchase we make is emotional. This is why so many brands want to create brand loyalty. "Cult" followings are built by connecting a level with customers so deep that your customers feel your product or brand is a part of their identity. Cult brands are an extreme example. 

So how can every product brand tap into this? Create one or two ideal customer profiles. These are your desired customer, the person you built the product, especially for. What are their needs, interests, and desires? What motivates them? Where do they live, and what does their everyday look like? When you know who you are speaking to with your product, packaging, and marketing, you can craft a connection that feels like a good friend. These customers will become your ride or dies, raving fans, and brand ambassadors.

Every design element for your packaging, from the container, layout, color palette, and messaging hierarchy, should be chosen through the eyes of your ideal customer. What do they want? When a packaging design feels like it was created just for them, your customer will feel a sense of belonging with your brand. And that sense of belonging will lead to brand loyalty and a long-term relationship.

Packaging Design Can Set A Product Up To Compete

For new products entering a crowded category or marketplace, standing up to and apart from competitors is crucial. Because new products are just that NEW, they must give shoppers a compelling reason to try them. Highlighting newness and unique benefits is one way to entice shoppers to take a chance and buy that new product. At the same time, remember, as humans, we're wired to resist change, so adding elements of familiarity will create trust and even credibility. It's a fine line to walk for new products, balancing feeling familiar and standing out. 

One of these things is not like the other. Remember that game? Whether on a shelf or onscreen, the visual impression of product packaging is one of the most robust tools to stand out. Try something different when every other product in the category does the same thing. This could be as simple as every other product comes in white packaging with black lettering, so you add a pop of color or use a natural color material. Just that visual difference can set your product apart from the competition. 

On the flip side, create some familiarity for your new product by picking up on the design cues used in the category. For this, you'll want to look at what all the competitors are doing. Are they using the same descriptive term for the product? Are they all using icons for features? Incorporate these familiar cues into your packaging but add your own spin. This way, you haven't copied your competition, just adapted elements that show your customer your product is credible and trustworthy.

Packaging Design Can Elevate A Product's Price

How do we decide which products are worth a higher price? When you shop, how often do you spend a few extra dollars for a premium food brand or a name-brand face wash when you could just as easily buy the store brand? You likely spend that extra money without even thinking about it.

We gravitate to higher-priced products based on the perception that these items are better. In part, when products have a premium price, we think they must be better because they cost more. But the whole experience of the product has to line up with the asking price (or MSRP if you're fancy) for people to pull out their debit cards. And if the product packaging looks more expensive than the price listed? You've got something that might just fly off the shelves.

You'll see this a lot in product categories where the product or result of using the product isn't immediately tangible. Think cosmetics, skincare, and even golf balls. Customers purchasing these products buy into what the item can do for them, not necessarily the thing itself. So the design of the packaging becomes a representation of that benefit. Because the design has to communicate that not-yet-realized transformation, you'll see a variety of textured materials in the skincare aisle and lots of metallic foils on golf ball boxes. 

Creating a package design that increases the price of your product is about choosing materials, finishes, and design elements that feel more expensive. When you craft an outside presentation that looks and feels luxurious, customers trust that the product inside will feel the same.

Conclusion

That's right, packaging design has the power to create connections with customers, set products up to compete, and elevate product prices. Mind-blowing, right? This is why it's so important to view packaging as an integral part of the product. Start working on a packaging design strategy alongside developing the product.