How Important Is Product Packaging

Did you know that 95 percent of new products flop each year? There are many reasons why products fail, including problems with supply chains, poor marketing campaigns and missed sales opportunities. But one overlooked reason products fail is poor packaging.

Packaging is typically what gives consumers their first impression of your products. Just as people generally make up their minds about someone they’ve just met quickly, your packaging only has one chance to make a good impression in an extremely short period of time.

As a general rule, product packages have three primary purposes. They have to protect what they contain and they need to motivate shoppers to buy and use your products. Those are significant responsibilities. If your packaging fails to do any one or all of those things, it can prevent your products from selling successfully.

Product Packaging Is Key

Here are some of the reasons why packaging is so important to the success of your product line:

Protection

As we stated earlier, your packaging must be able to protect your products during transit, on store shelves and in a consumer’s home or place of business. Depending on the goods you sell, your products may be stacked or bundled in another way during transit to make room for more goods.

In a retail location, shoppers may accidentally drop your products, literally toss them into their shopping carts or put them in the bottom of their shopping bags under heavier items. When they’re home or at the office, consumers may store your products on a shelf only to have them fall off or they may place your goods too close to the sink and get them wet.

Your packaging needs to continue to protect what it contains through all of these scenarios and plenty more.

Differentiation and Reinforced Brand Image

The Paper Worker reports that one-third of a typical shopper’s purchasing decision is driven by a product’s package alone. This underscores the vital role packaging plays when it comes to differentiating your products from your competitors’ offerings.

In general, it’s wise to use the same colors, lettering and logo you incorporate into your overall branding to make your goods instantly recognizable to customers.

Being consistent with your packaging and the things that consumers already associate with your brand will do more than “just” differentiate your products on store shelves. It will also reinforce your brand image in the minds of consumers.

Keep this in mind if you’re considering making significant changes to your packaging. Some companies have experienced a backlash when they’ve made significant alterations to their packaging.

Communication and Promotion

Packaging is a communication tool you should use to relay information about your product as well as your company. Your product packages should have your company’s name and logo prominently displayed. They should tell consumers why your products are the better choice and explain how they should be used, too.

Your packaging should also relay critical information shoppers need to know before they consume your goods, such as nutrition information.

In addition to sharing important information, your packaging should promote something that makes your company stand out. If eco-friendliness is important to your organization, your packaging should mention that it’s made from recyclable and recycled materials, for instance — assuming it actually is. Your product packages should proudly display the recycling symbol as well.

Satisfying Unboxing Experience

Depending on the goods you sell, the unboxing experience may be a big part of a person’s decision to buy your products or your competitor’s goods. How you package your products will determine how satisfied people will be with their unboxing experiences and influence the likelihood that they’ll make another purchase.

If you’re skeptical of the importance of the unboxing experience, watch a video of a consumer opening a new iPhone so you can see how they react to the experience.

Contact Phase 1 Prototypes

Now that you’re familiar with the importance of product packaging, it’s time to create packages that do everything you need them to do for your products to sell successfully. Once you’ve completed your package design, contact Phase 1 Prototypes.

Our motto is: Your vision, realized. For years, we’ve been making the impossible possible for our clients with our innovative techniques. We specialize in making packaging mockups for companies in many industries, including the food industry. We can add texture, different colors, varnishes and more to your packaging to make sure it will stand out on store shelves.

We don’t require our clients to order a minimum number of prototypes, which makes testing several different designs affordable. Once we receive approved finals from you, we can get your prototypes to you in as little as three days or less.

To learn more about our services or to request a free quote, contact Phase 1 Prototypes today.

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