Come on, admit it – we've all strolled down the aisles of a store and picked up something just because it was pretty. Perhaps it was the colors that got your attention, the font that seemed to be the most reliable or even the fact that it appeared to be more upscale than all of the other things lining the side? That's not accidental. That's what great packaging is all about.
In the overcrowded market, your packaging is likely to be the first interaction your brand has with your customer, from Ahmedabad's supermarket shelves to Amazon's product listings. And this is the problem, that conversation takes less than 7 seconds.
Let's face it, packaging design really does impact sales, help develop your brand, and ensure that your customers keep returning.
It is not possible for customers to read all the labels on a shelf. They scan and they glance, they make split-second decisions. Research has proven that in under 7 seconds, a consumer makes a first impression of a product – and the packaging makes all the difference.
Stale, crowded or low-quality packaging will lose them if the product is good, you have the best of luck. Conversely, a good package will convey in the user's mind quality, credibility and value before any word is read.
Consider packaging the silent salesperson. It's on sale everywhere, in product photos online, and in videos of people unboxing new products on social media, 24 hours a day.
The beauty of consistent packaging design is that one of the best aspects of it is that your brand will be remembered. If your colors, typography, logo, and visual language are the same across all your products in your portfolio, customers can see you almost as fast as they can smell you at the opposite end of a store aisle.
When the visual consistency is like this, it would be easier for the people to shop. Brands that are familiar are attractive to busy consumers. The more they see your packaging, the more they trust it! Trust turns into repeat customers over time.
We've seen this happen in our experience with our products, be it a FMCG or a lifestyle brand that we cater to in India. Brands with a strong visual identity (through packaging) outperform those that don't. Check out our boards on [Pinterest](https://in.pinterest.com/Asensebranding/_saved/) to see what we have in store.
Did you know that, when consumers compare products on store shelves, their packaging design makes about 72% of their purchasing decision? Nearly 75% of shoppers make decisions at least in part about what looks good.
Packaging triggers emotion. Warm colors have a welcoming and vibrant vibe to them. Cleanly done and simple design conveys high quality. Earthy colors are a way to express sustainability and authenticity. Each and every visual decision conveys a message to the customer's brain, and sometimes before they even know what they are looking at.
Smart packages aren't only noticed; they are pointed out. It makes sure that the right information is displayed at the right size, creates a hierarchy and makes the purchasing decision feel easy and natural.
People do not simply purchase products anymore, they purchase into brands. And packaging is one of the most effective means of telling what your brand is, really.
Are you sustainable? Demonstrate this with products that are environmentally friendly and in a natural theme. Would you like to be a luxury brand? Use rich finishes, embossing or matte finishes that look and feel high quality when you touch the box. Do you have a playful and youthful personality? Bold illustrations, bright gradients and cheeky copy will do that.
If the packaging is a match of the brand's promises of value, then it creates trust. If it doesn't, it leads to confusion, and confused customers do not purchase.
This synergy is of paramount importance for Indian brands. They are brand-conscious and design-conscious customers, who are not only in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, but also in Delhi. They get alerted to packaging that doesn't seem brand appropriate, out-of-the-way or generic.
The world is one where people have the tendency to broadcast their shopping on the web. Unboxing videos are a real promotional medium. People see thousands of views of Instagram reels with to-be-adored product setups. And 40% of consumers report that they are more likely to post a picture of the packaging on social media if they find it interesting.
That's word of mouth marketing at no cost! Every time a customer posts your product, because of its beautiful appearance, you are reaching their entire network, without spending any money on advertising.
That's why packaging design is not only a physical retail tactic, it's a digital marketing tool. Packaging that looks great in pictures, is an enjoyable unboxing experience, and conveys a strong visual identity can be a worthwhile investment beyond the retail shelf.
For insight into the power of visual branding across products, check out [Asense Branding Pinterest board](https://in.pinterest.com/Asensebranding/_saved/).
In fact, there is a great consumer psychology fact – people feel that a product is better when it's in a great package. Packaging can add significantly to the perceived value of the contents, sometimes quite a bit.
A handcrafted jam in a plain jar, with a printed sticker looks like a little local product. The same jam, in an attractive, embossed-glass jar with a wax seal, is artisanal, givable, and worth three times as much. The jam has not been tampered with. This is the value that people think they will derive from the product.
It's particularly effective in product lines where customers are not able to actually test the product themselves, such as cosmetics, food items, wellness products, and more. For these products, packaging quality is a proxy of product quality.
Lots of companies believe packaging is just a brick-and-mortar thing. That's a mistake. Your product packaging is seen by online shoppers in photos, product videos and through advertising creatives, before they get to your door.
If the packaging design in the image is not well executed or is unclear, you will have lower click-through rates, a lower conversion rate on your ecommerce site and it will be more difficult to sell your product even if it costs a lot.
Good packaging, on the other hand, makes your product listing look better, helps to gain the trust of first-time customers and makes your ad more effective. If the brand is selling through D2C channels like Instagram or Flipkart, or their own website, packaging photography plays a vital role in their marketing strategies.
Function is as important to design as aesthetics. Easy to open packaging with the right dimensions for the product and that can endure the shipping process and shelf life decreases customer frustration and product damage.
Damaged products result in a loss of business, negative reviews and refunds. All of that is avoided through careful planning of the functional design. Simple things, such as a resealable closure, tamper-proof seal or straightforward instructions for use, make the overall customer experience truly better.
Thinkful experiences are remembered. Brands that make great memories, get repeat business.
These are some of the points to consider if you're considering changing or creating a new packaging:
Get to know your customer, know your customer.Know your customer, understand your customer. You want your package to be visually appealing to the person who will be purchasing it. Do research on your target audience, know what they like and dislike from a visual perspective, and take them into consideration when designing not for you, but for them.
Be consistent with your brand identity. The packaging should be as though it continues your logo, website and brand tone of voice. Isolation of packaging leads to confusion
.
Consider going beyond the shop. Take note of how your packaging will appear in photos, in “unboxing” situations, and on the internet. Plan in all those scenarios.
Please don't compromise on quality. Perceived product quality is directly related to material quality. When it comes to paper, finish and print technique, the right paper, finish and correct print techniques can make a huge difference.
Test before you invest! Test out various packaging designs with actual users in a test before going head-to-head on a scale. The feedback will help you save time and money.
Packaging at Asense Branding is a strategic asset, it's not a visual exercise. The team comes from a background of brand strategy, creative design and market knowledge, that enables us to develop packaging that really sells. You can see how we help bring brands to life in various industries on our work on Pinterest.
One of the highest ROI investments a product brand can make is packaging design. It's available at the point of sale, online, in social media content and in the hands of customers. It conveys the values of your brand, cultivates trust, increases brand recognition, and can have a firsthand impact on whether or not someone purchases your product or the one next to you.
In a competitive market, whether you are a start-up or an established brand, great packaging is a must. This is a growth policy.
When you're ready to change the way your product is perceived and promoted, check out Asense Branding and see the impact a design partner can have on your business.
Asense Branding is on Pinterest, every day you'll find inspirations about packaging, branding and visual identity design.
