DETROIT – Packaging is more than just storage for a product. It’s the first impression of a product. For this reason, packaging is an important marketing tool; it presents the qualities of your product to a consumer. If you have created an exceptional product, why not show that off to consumers?

Photo credit Jess Harper from Unsplash.

Experts suggest following these simple tips, which will help create an eye-catching first impression for your brand on the shelf:

Customize Your Packaging

There are many options for customizing your packaging. Add graphics or images on the packaging front and back, create signature “brand-look” packaging, or design a package to reflect different product lines.

Custom packaging for your products offers several benefits. One is having complete control of your packaging design. You have the freedom to choose the color palette, fonts, and graphic elements that best reflect your brand.

Another benefit is getting the right size of packaging for your products. You have the option to customize the shape and size of boxes, bottles, envelopes, and other packaging materials so they fit your products perfectly.

Custom-fit packaging ensures the items are well protected, and it minimizes the cost of shipping because you don’t have to pay extra for oversized packages.

Consider Branding

Make your packaging consistent with your brand identity. Consider logos, fonts, colors, and other elements of a unique brand identity that can be used throughout your company or at the individual product level.

Choose appropriate graphics that will best represent your product and brand to consumers. Identify the symbols, images, and words that best convey the essence of what you are offering.

Creating a custom-designed package that reflects the brand’s unique personality is an excellent way to differentiate your product from competitors. If you have made a sub-brand of your company or have multiple product lines with similar ingredients and claims, branding is an excellent option for packaging.

Branding is more than simply a logo. Owning a trademark symbol, logo, or brand name doesn’t automatically make you a brand. It’s how your brand is marketed that matters.

Choose a Unique Package Shape

Irregular or unique package shapes can create interest for consumers on the retailer’s shelf and get their attention in-store and online at the point of purchase. Think outside the box . . . literally! When designing your package, try going against the traditional rectangle shape to achieve an impactful look.

Use Colorful and Bold Packaging

Boosting the appeal of your sale item is simple when you use bright color packaging. The natural eye will automatically look for unique colors to give your product a pop in-store and online at the point of purchase. In addition to creating interest, color coding also helps consumers distinguish and recalls products more easily.

Consider using packaging elements that create emotions and memories. Using pastel colors, paper textures, or shimmery finishes in your packaging will trigger positive feelings. Consumers can be reminded of the excitement of receiving a gift with the box or even how they felt when they opened it. This may also trigger memories of their special moment with your product or help them think of themselves as recipients of your generosity.

Include Information on Packaging

Packaging can be a valuable marketing tool, as mentioned earlier. It’s where consumers look for details, like ingredients, nutritional information, servings per package item, and warnings. Be sure to provide these types of information on your packaging.

You may even want to go a step further and include an authentic story about your product or how it was made. Mentioning ingredients or providing an ingredient list on your packaging is helpful for consumers with allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients.

Add Value to Your Product

Adding value to your product means making it easy for consumers to identify how your product is different from others on the shelf and what it can do for their lifestyle.

A properly designed package will include detailed information about your product and how it can be used. This extra effort is worth every penny to consumers, as it can make the difference between purchasing and walking away.

Use Sustainable Packaging

Photo by Marcell Viragh from Unsplash

Sustainable packaging uses packaging that is recyclable, made from recycled materials, or made from recycled content. Sustainable packaging reduces demands on natural resources and lowers the carbon footprint of products.

More than just recycling, sustainable packaging protects and extends the life of products. Aesthetically pleasing, it also makes a product go further to hold more without sacrificing quality or durability.

The first step in keeping sustainable packaging in mind is to think about what you are using to make your product. Look at the package and ask if it’s the best choice for its materials and function.

Consider the different options of packaging materials that are recently available. Certain types of plastics are now made from recycled materials or using recycled content, making them more sustainable than options on store shelves just a few years ago.

A growing trend in the packaging industry is bamboo for packaging supplies and other wood-based products. Bamboo has many benefits over plastic, including being biodegradable and compostable, not containing artificial chemicals like other wood products, and being lightweight with a natural protective barrier.

Millennial and Gen Z consumers are greatly concerned about environmental issues, such a climate change, global warming, and pollution. Sustainable packaging is a must for brands that want to appeal to these demographics not only because it is what consumers want but also because it is the moral thing to do.

Make It Instagrammable

With social media, consumers can share authentic and spontaneous photos with other consumers. Creating an inviting, personalized, and exciting packaging experience goes a long way to boosting engagement. People love to show off products in their lives and their wardrobes on Instagram and other social media platforms. Help your customer embrace the spirit of sharing by making your product easy to capture in photos and help customers who want to show others how great they are!

Thoughtful gift-pack selection for your product is the ultimate in packaging with value and personality. Consumers want to feel they are doing more than just buying a product; they want to be inspired by a gift. Collectible or limited edition gifts can benefit your business.

Product Packaging: It’s Not Just for Storage!

Creating a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace isn’t easy, especially if you’re just starting out. If you have a great product, you have to stand out from the crowd. Packaging is an excellent way to differentiate your product from competitors.

Consider a professionally designed container that sets your product apart from others on the retail shelf and online at the point of purchase. This makes it easy for consumers to identify your products and gives you a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.

Your goal is to entice your customers to open the box and look at your product before buying it. They will be more likely to purchase if they are excited about the product. If your packaging is exciting and unboxing generates anticipation and positive feelings, it will encourage impulse buying, leading to increased sales.

Author’s bio: Kayla Bennett is a Content Relations Manager and Creative at Packlane. Always trying to help unpack creativity in entrepreneurs, and give them freedom to design and present their brand through custom packaging.