Packaging can delight and fascinate or, on the other hand, make the blood boil. Indeed, it is a testament to the huge importance of packaging as not only a commercial issue but a social one that it attracts such constant attention from brand owner and packaging manufacturer as well as the general public.
Ensure Product Safety, The First Priority
Shoppers rarely admit that their product’s packaging has any impact on them — until they have a problem with it.
As soon as this happens, they not only think about it but react strongly – fuming about how tricky it is to open, re-close or dispose of. We’ve all encountered annoying packs in our time: a set of exquisite jewelry or a fancy watch with a broken packaging, it certainly brings you brand disrepute.
We’ve all encountered annoying packs in our time. Negative experience can leave a lasting impression on shoppers, undermining their overall impression of a brand or product. When packaging does its job well, it adds value to its contents.
Although not the most obvious matter, packaging has a huge role to play in ensuring products can be shipped to customers all over the world, safely and efficiently.
Design Influences Consumer's Behavior
Over and above packaging’s physical requirements – to transport and store products safely and cleanly – it has a unique role to play in the marketing mix. Unlike, let’s says, advertising, consumers interact with packaging over sustained periods of time.
As such, it can reinforce the brand’s real reason for being and build strong emotional connections. When brand owners combine this with investment in packaging/format innovations and quality materials, there is a real opportunity to affect consumer attitudes, change their behavior and improve the quality of their lives whilst all the while increasing profits.
Merely maintaining brand loyalty requires packaging to outshine its competition on every type of shelf it appears, whether physical or digital.
That means design driven by deep product, business, cultural and consumer insight, drawn into a clear brand proposition, translated into a distinctive structure, color palette, typography and visual language.
That clarity gives the crucial split second advantage of recognition a brand needs to reinforce its existing emotional connection with the consumer.
Packaging design is the forgotten tool in the marketing armory. All too often it is still employed to frame a tick list of features and benefits to shout out “buy me” on shelf. Consumers will not be dictated to – they are trying to find a new relationship with brands.
So, marketeers are missing a trick if they don’t take it up a gear and use packaging design as an opportunity to develop an emotional connection as a means for consumers to really feel their brand values. Taking a more intuitive approach to design and letting consumers join the dots cuts through all the noise on shelf.
Trust between designers and clients strikes at the heart of all powerful creative, while a measured collaboration between product, packaging and marketing helps ensure a holistic approach to design.
Design tends to be an under-employed asset. But if used correctly it can unlock the true potential of a marketing campaign.
In today’s connected landscape it’s an integral part of how we share, relate to and understand products. Packaging design not only reveals the sincerity of a brand’s core values; it’s also a chance for products to stand out within seconds of drawing the customer’s gaze.
For Consumers, Looks Do Matter.
In the digital age especially, that all important outer shell is often the first physical point of contact a customer has with a brand so the impression it leaves needs to be a positive one, as this will then influence consumers’ respective thoughts and feelings towards the brand and their overall experience with it.
The look of the packaging, understandably, plays a key role in making this impact. It needs to look neat, presentable and fit for purpose first of all, which will come down to the quality of materials used for example, and then in line with what they were expecting of the brand next.
To achieve this, it’s common for packaging to carry a brand’s logo, colors or other visual cues. But while most brands have mastered this, more can be done by taking into consideration of wider brand values, and then developing packaging solutions that represent them.
For instance, in recent years, an increasing number of luxury brands have adopted more minimalist images in order to represent more timeless and classic brand values, and their packaging elements have been updated to reflect such a shift.
As a result, it is common for designer bags, boxes and inserts to be sleek in design, with minimal branding, often with just a name printed on them while also being in the company’s recognizable colors.
Take Tiffany & Co. as an example. Whether a customer places online or makes an in-store purchase, there is clear preconceptions of what is to be expected from the brand’s packaging.
While color is on obvious one, customers expect the same clean, minimal and sophisticated designs present in all other branding elements to also be reflected in its packaging. And they’re not wrong.
Color & Imagery, The Most Attractive Factors
Color and imagery are the most attention-grabbing aspects of packaging design, according to new research into public perception of packing aesthetics.
C MIC Packaging took a random survey of more than 6000 members of the consumer, of whom nearly 42% said that color was the most appealing feature of packaging, while a quarter said that imagery caught their eye the most.
A summary of the results to the question are:
– 42% of people choose color
– 38% of people choose imagery
– 13% of people choose size
– 21% of people choose shape
– 7% of people choose texture
The findings come during a time where brands need to consider how their packaging functions in the digital realm as well as on the shelf.
Overall, the results indicate that brands do not need to rethink packaging design in its entirety to help promote themselves on the internet.
But changes can be made to take better advantage of the digital world. Jessie, sales director at C MIC Packaging, said: “adapting to the digital age does not require brands to radically overhaul their understanding of the fundamentals of packaging design.
Color and imagery have always been, and still are, incredibly important. “But this doesn’t mean tweaks cannot be made to take better advantage of digital platforms.
Color and imagery work differently on the screen – and now any pictures or videos of your products are in competition with all sorts of other content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. “Making smart decisions and keeping things bright, bold and simple will help your brand stand out in a wash of other online content.”
The Unboxing Experience For Consumers
While this is a test about the functionality of a brand’s packaging, the online route via which it has arrived at a customer’s door means brands need to think far beyond this in the digital age. As mentioned previously, in these instances, the package is often the first physical touch point a customer has with a brand, and as well as meeting their expectations, they also need to be impressed by what they see in order to really fall in love with their purchase.
The whole experience of receiving and opening an order needs to be just that – an experience. That last point is where there is a real sweet spot, particularly for e-commerce sales. The physical distance between customers and an online seller can drive profound disconnect and have detrimental impacts on engagement.
Therefore, by reinforcing the online sales journey by personalising packaging elements, this gap can be narrowed.
Packaging Links Online & In-Store Experience
Another thing that should not be dismissed is the prominence of online retail. Unarguably, global e-commerce sales figures are on the rise, and the Covid-19 pandemic and its related disruption have only accelerated the digital-first shift.
Today’s explosive growth of online shopping can create the impression that packaging is less important. Without the in-store experience.
However, packaging can in fact play an even more important role in connecting with shoppers. They search the web to gather knowledge and explore options, but ultimately go to a store to make their final purchase.
This relationship can work the other way as well – with a shopper encountering an intriguing product instore for the first time and then going online to learn more.
When the product that was ordered online arrives at the home, the packaging facilitates recognition, conveys a sense of quality and can – if well designed – engage the buyer in a pleasing product experience which can drive repeat purchasing.
With online purchases, even the secondary package can create a special moment of connection. For a cogent example, we need look no further than Amazon.com.
Amazon’s deliveries are made in a simple, unadorned box emblazoned with the brand’s familiar smile logo. The arrow under their name runs from the letter A to the letter Z and seeing the smile, a recipient can’t help but smile back at the box.
Reasonable Cost & Size
Consumers care about value for money, so smaller packs will create controversy. They also care about cost, so smaller packs versus increased cost is always a tough decision to predict. The answer is to be as cost effective as possible, looking at efficiencies throughout the entire supply chain and eliminating waste.
Consumer Prefer Sustainable Packaging
When packages can be reused, they are also better for the environment. Sustainability is a question of ethics, and by tapping into consumers’ deep rooted personal values by aligning their activities to them, brands can certainly encourage deeper connections and better engagement with customers.
Over time, this translates to repeat purchases and even brand loyalty and advocacy, which are things all brands strive for. The offering of sustainable packaging, therefore, becomes yet another reason for customers to choose and love a brand and its products, and going forward, this will help set certain companies apart from competitors.
C MIC Packaging: Your Hassle-Free Packaging Partner
Why C MIC? Our Mission is: Change Made In China.
Custom Packaging Printed On Demand
Aware many of your customers are increasingly looking for smaller batch quantities and ever changing artwork, but that the actual structure sizes may rarely change, we feel that our print on demand custom packaging service may well suit your modern supply chain requirements.
3D Mock-up Online Design Platform
You can control the placement of your artwork onto stock structures or your own pack designs for full control of your packaging in our online design platform as you need.
Cost Effective
Printed Transit and Shelf Ready Packaging with ZERO Print Tooling costs. Small to Medium run quantities WITHOUT the burden of print set up costs; ideal for one off promotional packaging and regularly changing marketing artwork on the same box size.
