Quality packaging is one of the greatest drivers of brand impression.
There is a reason why brands like Apple spend millions of dollars to ensure their packaging is always on point. Understandably, small businesses with a limited budget would want to cut back costs in this area, especially when they are just starting.
However, trying to save on the quality packaging wouldn’t be a very smart decision as it can impact your brand, the quality of the product, and sales.
The Feel of the Packaging
You can engage all of the biological senses from the touch of paper, its smell, the corners of the box, and how the box slides open (a reference to the Apple Company). Top companies pay tons of money for this sly factor – everything in their packaging is intentional.
With efficient packaging, you can play on the social stories with the themes, the ideas, the layers, the textures – you can also play on the idea of gift-giving because people receive gifts on exceptional occasions – again, something that has been culturally hardwired into our minds.
Typically, you get gifts on birthdays or holidays – so packaging is the perfect way to show your audience how exceptional your product is.
So, why does packaging matter? It matters because the idea of gifts and love and connection and all of that goodness is still fundamental to human nature and, more importantly, to your target audience as well.
Packaging as a Crucial Part of Your Marketing Strategy
Let us talk about the importance of packaging in the marketing strategy.
Consider the following fact: an average shopper is exposed to approximately thirty thousand products in a visit to a shopping mall that lasts for around thirty minutes. How is it even possible to function in this context from the consumer’s perspective?
Most importantly, how will your product be seen in this context? That said, some businesses take packaging very seriously as they see it as a major point of customers interacting with their products.
Competitive businesses recognize packaging as loads of great marketing opportunities, so it is crucial to test a package before using it to sell your products so that you know in advance how your potential customers will respond to that package.
The Importance of Testing Your Packaging
You might also want to test your package to see whether it will work for the product and whether it inspires positive vibes around the product. You will also assess whether the packaging is aligned with your unique selling points and your potential marketing strategy.
Sometimes, depending on your products and customer’s demand, you can strike a lasting impression if the products are packed with a banding machine. You will also assess whether the packaging supports the brand identity, which is crucial as your product packaging reveals a lot about your brand.
Top Four Marketing Benefits of Good Packaging
Let us go through four essential benefits of packaging in marketing:
1. Attract Your Target Audience
As we mentioned before – the average customer, on their trip to the grocery store or mall, is exposed to over thirty thousand products in less than half an hour. How do you get a customer to pay attention to your product in a context like this?
Few product differences exist in some categories, and packaging innovation can definitely provide a temporary competitive edge. For this very reason, packaging has been called the last ten seconds of marketing.
2. Packaging Promotes Brand Identity
Another potential marketing benefit of packaging is identity. Packaging serves to identify your product and brand. It can aid with identification and help the potential customers quickly single out the product. The appearance and texture of the packaging can become an essential factor in brand recognition.
Nonetheless, as a business owner, you must keep in mind a package’s “shelf impact.” Consider the following aspects while designing the package:
- How does the package stand out?
- How noticeable is the packaging when put against thousands of other products?
It is essential to mention here that more prominent and brighter packages are not necessarily better, which is contrary to what some people or package designers tend to think. Nonetheless, the color tends to remain an essential element in the package design.
The thing about color is that it represents many things to many people. The product of a particular color takes the values and meanings that people hold about that color. That said, in marketing, potential colors are linked with brand personality.
People tend to associate specific meanings and values with the product. In some cases, the brands are associated with the color and the personality-like connotations that it brings.
Now, to discover such insights, package designers incorporate qualitative tests and conduct research to find out the viewpoints that people hold about colors.
Did you know that the old packaging of Cadbury was brown? After extensive research, Cadbury changed the package color to purple.
Also, did you know that packaging color affects the taste of food and that taste is actually a perception, and that color does influence taste?
If you look at fast-food restaurants, you will notice specific colors they tend to use and that certain colors bring an appetite and help the food taste better.
Package as a Tool of Communication
A good package can convey persuasive information. The information conveyed from the product package can reinforce and build variable brand associations. Good product packaging can also build preference, impacting customer choice.
Of course, some information is legally required on the package, such as possible precautions and technical parameters.
Package Used as Preservation
We all know the value of packaging and the package’s preservation. Some products use several levels of packaging – depending on the methods of preservation and depending on the product type and level of protection required.
If the product is fragile, it will have more levels of packaging. Another primary use of product packaging is storage and containment. Product storage and packaging is a real benefit and a basic market value obtained from the package, not to mention that product packaging also facilitates product transportation.
The Takeaway
Now you know why packaging matters tremendously for your business. Packaging encloses all sorts of activities, including package designing and evaluation and final production of the container/ box for any product. While the packaging is crucial for product storage, it is equally essential for customer appeal and brand visibility. As a business owner, you can use the product packaging as an efficient marketing strategy to induce the best customer experience and increase sales and revenue.
