It’s widely accepted that a punchy pack design will add some fizz to product sales. On shelf and online, customers’ attention is easily diverted by a strong new look. But can product packaging design continue to function post-checkout, becoming an exercise in increasing brand engagement and long-term loyalty?
We believe that really well-conceived packaging design is able to operate in many different dimensions and contexts.
- Unboxing.
Luxury products have traditionally led the way in this realm. Unwrapping beautiful boxes becomes part of the purchasing experience. From patterned or embossed linings to internal prints or clever, unexpected shapes, unboxing can be half the pleasure of a new purchase, building a sense of anticipation, awe and wonder. The popularity of unboxing on social media becomes free advertising, developing brand awareness, generating sales. The tiny additional investment required in producing this type of packaging design is minuscule compared to the revenue produced by the additional sales it generates. Non-luxury brands need to be looking at this approach, and so should any and every online retailer.
- Ethics.
Much attention is focused on producing products ethically, and rightly so. But the ethical stance of a company and the ethical profile of the product is so often added to the packaging design as a tertiary, sometimes entirely missable, piece of information. If your company has identified that its target consumer is concerned about producing and sourcing goods the right way, why hide the information, or settle for stamping a plastic pack with a third-party logo? Doing things the right way should be part of the DNA of the packaging design. Creating an incontrovertible sense of belief via the pack will bring far more brand awareness and new customers than a line of 10pt text beside an unrecognisable icon.
- Handsome packs make desirable brands.
Imagine your product packaging design as something that is just superb to look at - that makes people smile. Not only do cool-looking pack designs win more customers, but consumers are happy to display the packaging in their home. Instead of filing a food product away in the pantry, a pack is left on the kitchen counter because it looks good, and the brand brings kudos to the purchaser.
Design is capable of anything. With unlimited imagination, packaging design becomes a superpower that works to create business through every part of the funnel.
If you market an established product, a fresh new approach to your shelf presence will work harder to create new business than your ad campaign. If you’re a new brand, bringing the magic with a bold packaging concept will absolutely help to persuade major retailers to list you. If you’re an online brand, the way your parcels are received can create real differentiation and endless loyalty.
