There was a skincare brand that went from using a plain tube to using a frosted jar and wooden lid, and even though there was no change in the formulation, their sales suddenly increased greatly. Packaging has tremendous power over how customers feel about their products; they will form an opinion of a product in seconds, even before they have read one word on the label.
The good news is that improving weak packaging does not usually require a complete overhaul. Instead, you can start with a series of simple steps, each of which will resolve one specific issue as a stand-a-lone solution. Most brands will make a complete new look with new logos, new box shapes, and new colors at one time when doing a re-design – this often leads to confusion since it is difficult to ascertain which of the changes helped or hurt the sales of the product. By addressing one problem at a time, it is much easier to track your results.
Review Existing Strengths (and Weaknesses)
Evaluate Actual Issues, Not Judgments
A small coffee company believed its packaging was satisfactory as sales remained consistent, however, once they read the return requests/emails, they found a recurring complaint – the customers said the packaging looked “old,” even though the coffee itself was fresh, simply because of the matte finish, which made it appear less modern than the other shiny packages on the shelf. In this instance, the issue was not with the coffee – it was due to the incorrect message transmitted by the packaging.
Compare Against Other Brands
Most of the time, placing your box beside two or three competitors’ boxes on the same shelf will show a brand many things about itself that it doesn’t pick up through self-examination – for example: the font may be old fashioned, you might think your box is a certain size but it may appear smaller than other boxes, or your package color may totally disappear next to very bold packages adjacent to yours.
In general an effective audit will review the items listed below:
- Durability of structure when shipped, transported and/or handled
- Brand and product information clarity
- Shelf visibility in relation to competition
- Unboxing and ease of opening
- Material cost vs. perceived value
Determine What One Thing the Package Needs to Say or Communicate..
Choose One Main Message and Create the Packaging Around This Message
A protein bar brand had too many claims on its small packaging; gluten free, keto, 20 g protein, no added sugar, vegan etc.; so when the consumer looked at it for a few seconds while searching the shelves, they would not remember any of it. When the brand took all the other messaging off the front of the package and left one clear and concise message, “20 g Protein Zero Sugar”, the sales of that protein bar increased tremendously because they could read and understand the messaging right away.
Allow this One Main Message to Drive All Design Decisions
Once this one message has been finalized, the other design elements such as the color, font size and layout will also become easier as anything that does not support this one main message will be removed from the packaging immediately and will not be debated about
Make Product As Visible As Possible
Seeing Will Enable Guessing to Be Replaced
A candle company was facing problems with online return rates until they created small windows in their boxes (which allowed customers to see the exact colour of the wax). The bulk of online purchases for the company were determined by the colours of the wax according to the pictures on their website; however, once the customers were able to see the actual candles through the window of their package, the company noticed a significant reduction in returns due to colour.
Small Cut-Outs, Big Difference
Your window does not have to expose the full product; it can just be a small hole or oval cut-out which will allow enough of the colour or texture of the product to show that you will eliminate the fear of checkout regardless of whether you are buying the product from a brick and mortar store or an online store.
Enhance The Unboxing Experience.
The Package Represents The Original Physical Interaction Between Customer And Brand.
An example would be when a jewelry seller recognized that every time a customer leaves a 5-star review, they mention how beautiful the package was before they mention the piece of jewelry. To elaborate, when the product is purchased and shipped through the mail, the box is the first physical interaction (or handshake) with the customer and the brand. Additionally, the unboxing experience shapes the customer’s review before they ever use the product(s).
Low Budget Upgrades To Enhance The Unboxing Experience:
Bringing additional value to your unboxing experience does not necessarily have to be done with expensive packaging inserts; many times it can be accomplished with just a few minor ‘carefully thought out’ adjustments to the standard box format. Here are just a few ideas for you to consider:
– Use easy to access either by tab or flap, as opposed to just using excessive amounts of tape for sealing
– A clean and organized inside the box, as opposed to using a hodgepodge of filler materials to fill the void
– Use an appreciation note and/or care instructions for the product being received
– Use consistent branding on both the inside and outside of the box
Select Packaging and Shipping Material That Full Well Represent the Brand.
Packaging and Shipping Material Should Support The Message And Self-Image Of The Brand.
When a brand has identified itself to be a natural soap company and marketed itself to be environmentally conscious, but then wraps and packages each of its bars in shiny plastic, it can create a confusing contradiction for the customer reading reviews, leaving the brand with no clue as to why they received negative reviews until they finally saw the reviews themselves. Once the brand changed to a simple kraft paper (100% recycled) stamped with their logo, they immediately found that the cost savings achieved through the downgraded packaging no longer provided the environmental message they were attempting to provide.
Testing Before Scaling Comes at A Cost of Loss
Real-life testing can discover design-related issues that cannot be detected by the design software. For example, a bakery approved a beautifully designed cookie box via computer simulation and later discovered, via trial, that the window panel scratched easily within a day after being handled. This created a negative impression of each cookie box sitting on the shelf. The lesson learned? By conducting small batch tests prior to printing thousands of boxes, they were able to identify potential flaws early on.
Adjustments are Part of the Process
There is nothing wrong with needing to adjust due to a trial run. It is part of the process and indicates that the testing process is working as it should. Missing this step is often one of the reasons that causes brands to incur additional costs from having to reprint their packaging after previously launching it to customers.
In Closing
None of these six steps require brands to completely redesign their current packaging. However, they do require brands to pay attention to the small areas of friction that can negatively impact sales. These areas might include an unclear packaging message, having a box that provides no view of the product, or having a surface finish that does not match the brand message. In the future, if brands make it a point to fix these small areas of friction, just as brands in these examples did, then packaging will not only be considered a simple container, but also one of the most powerful, and least utilized, tools for establishing trust with customers before they ever consume a product. Brands that consider packaging as
