Packaging Features That Are Important to Consumers

According to the Food Marketing Institute, the average U.S. supermarket contains over 31,000 items. With so many products vying for consumers’ attention, brands need a way to stand out. One of the most effective ways to stand out from customers is to deliver products in innovative custom packaging. By incorporating some pivotal package design features, your brand can remain competitive and increase customer satisfaction through beautiful, functional and high-quality packaging.

7 Features of Packaging in Marketing that Consumers Value

What are the purposes of packaging? Packaging serves a practical role, but it can extend further. A product package is a fundamental part of the marketing mix, since it’s an opportunity to engage with the customer directly.

Product packaging can leave a lasting impression on your customer, so having the right features can improve brand loyalty. If you’ve ever wondered what consumers like in packaging, these seven features of packaging will give you insight into your customers’ preferences.

Why Is Packaging Important?

A product package is a fundamental part of the marketing mix since it’s an opportunity to engage with the customer directly. Packaging is a customer’s first physical touch point with your product, meaning it needs to be carefully designed to provide the best first impressions for customers.

The main purpose of packaging is usually to protect the product from damage during storage, shelving and distribution. It also deters product tampering, which may result in reduced customer satisfaction and a tarnished reputation.

Packaging plays various other roles for businesses, including:

• Differentiating products from competitors by using your brand colors, fonts and logos.
• Attracting buyers by inspiring a positive first impression.
• Displaying important product information, such as ingredients and usage directions.
• Improving brand identity by creating a memorable image of your products.
• Creating an unforgettable unboxing experience.

7 Features of Packaging in Marketing that Consumers Value

Product packaging can leave a lasting impression on your customers, so having the right features can improve brand loyalty. If you’ve ever wondered what consumers like in packaging, these seven best packaging features will give you insight into your customers’ preferences.

1. Product Protection

The most important feature of product packaging is protection. It should keep products safe from spoiling, contamination, breaking or loss of any kind, ensuring the customer receives the best version of the product.

A product’s packaging is typically in layers, giving it the best protection possible. Depending on the product, your packaging features may need one or more forms of protection to keep it secured and intact. For example, food packaging requires a freshness seal to preserve the product’s shelf life. Vacuum-sealed bags with resealable mechanisms are an ideal way to improve product protection and the package’s user-friendliness for your customer.

Beverage products should also have protective features like a freshness seal, indicating if someone has opened the bottle or container. Tamper-proof packaging gives your customers peace of mind that they’ll be able to detect any interference with the product. Likewise, childproof packaging has also been a revolutionary safety measure that parents appreciate.

Another solution for protecting products, particularly food and supplements, is desiccant packs. Filled with silica gel or bentonite clay, desiccant packs help control humidity by absorbing moisture. When placed inside the product’s packaging, these packs prevent the food or supplement from drying out or developing an unpleasant odor.

2. Information Architecture

One of the chief packaging benefits for consumers is the information architecture displayed on the package. Information architecture refers to the hierarchy of facts presented to the consumer via the packaging. Product packaging designers need to put themselves in the customer’s shoes and consider what details a user would need to know.

The average consumer makes between 33,000 and 35,000 decisions each day. Given the massive amount of information facing the average consumer each day and humans’ impressive ability to make speedy decisions, packaging designers must capture their target customer’s attention in a fraction of a second.

Here are some ideas for the information to feature at the top of your package’s information architecture:

• Your company’s brand name or logo to make your brand identifiable and recognizable.
• A unique selling feature that catches your demographic’s attention, like “organic,” “vegan” or “fair trade.”
• An enticing, memorable photo of your product, showing the consumer what to expect.
• The net quantity of products as recommended by the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), including the weights, measures and numerical count.

Product packaging should provide a positive customer experience. Busy shoppers appreciate when brands prominently feature valuable information because it saves them time and mental effort.

3. Instructions and Directions

Considerate packaging design informs consumers how to correctly use the product for best results, especially if the product poses any potential danger to consumers. . As the manufacturer, you want to ensure your customers have a smooth, pleasant experience with your product. Printed instructions or directions on the product packaging are a must-have feature for consumers.

Here are some guidelines you may want to include in the package’s instructions, depending on the type of product:

• Recommended quantity to use or consume for best results
• Which age ranges the products are suitable for
• Safe frequency of use and any contraindications of improper use
• How to store the product and at what temperature
• Customer service contact information, including a toll-free number, website and an address

Depending on the industry you’re in, specific legislation may require you to include specific details on packaging labels. Familiarize yourself with your industry’s packaging and labeling regulations to ensure you satisfy all these mandates.

4. Health and Nutrition Facts

Thoughtful packaging, especially in the food and beverage industry, provides consumers with valuable information about the product’s health and nutritional facts. Going beyond the ingredients list by including health and nutrition facts can help customers make better choices for their well-being.

Today, consumers are conscious about what they consume. They care about potential allergens, toxins or other harmful additives in their household products. By labeling your products as free of specific ingredients or substances, you make it easier for health-conscious consumers to choose your brand over another.

Alternatively, help your customers get the health and nutritional facts they want by labeling your packaging with a QR code that takes them to a website with further details. This landing page can include information about the specific ingredients you use and why or provide value-added education to your customer.

5. Accessibility and Inclusivity

Many manufacturers often overlook societal groups who may struggle with typical packaging. Recently, accessible packaging has become a crucial way to reach a wider consumer base and make them feel included.

Here are some ways to improve product packaging to make it more accessible and inclusive to people regardless of age, culture or ability:

• Language and comprehension: Depending on where you distribute your products, it may be beneficial to your consumer base to include the packaging information in another language besides English. For example, Spanish translations are helpful in the United States — one of the world’s largest Spanish-speaking countries — while Canada requires companies to print consumer packaging labels in English and French.
• Other measurement systems: If your package labels include information about quantities, volumes and weights, it may be beneficial to print them in imperial and metric measurements. While the imperial system is dominant in America, the vast majority of the world uses the metric system.
• Dexterity and mobility issues: Easy-to-open packages appeal to people with dexterity issues and other physical impairments. Accessible product packaging design includes solutions like loops, hinges or slides to make it easier to open.
• Visual impairment: There are two considerations for improving labeling for visual impairment — blind people and those with limited vision who struggle to read fine print. Tactile symbols on packaging make products more accessible to everyone by ensuring people can read product information through touch to ensure engagement and connection with visually impaired consumers.

Incorporating these accessibility and inclusivity features into your product’s packaging makes your brand competitive. You stand out for offering these demographics a solution they might not typically find elsewhere.

6. Eco-Friendly Materials

Consumers today are making more environmentally conscious decisions, using their buying power to help protect the planet. In turn, approximately 50% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably packaged goods. Here are some things to consider when designing eco-friendly packaging for this consumer base:

• Choose recycled materials, whether it’s biodegradable plastics, papers, glass or metals.
• Avoid packaging made using resource-intensive practices, such as high water or energy consumption methods.
• Opt for nontoxic materials safe for children, pets and people with allergies.
• Select a reusable or repurposable package type, such as a glass bottle, a durable bag or a lightweight aluminum container.
• Use compostable or plant-based packaging materials.

It’s crucial to remember that product packaging engages all five senses. While sustainability is of utmost importance, avoid choosing polymer-based product packaging materials that tend to have an unpleasant, toxic odor that can be overwhelming to some customers with allergic sensitivities.

Eco-friendly packaging should be odorless or not emit a strong chemical smell. Many consumers appreciate the more pleasant experience of opening eco-friendly packages because of the scent-free materials.

7. Aesthetics and Branding

Aesthetics are one of the paramount features of good packaging, as they’re the ones consumers tend to judge immediately. While branding is uniquely personal, here are some essential guidelines to follow as package design best practices.

• Colors: Choose color combinations that are pleasing, complementary and attract the eye.
• Fonts: Pick easy-to-read fonts, including a combination of typefaces that work well together.
• Logo: Display your logo prominently to help your packaging stand out on the shelf.
• Social media: Add social media handles to packaging to encourage a loyal following.
• Brand tagline or slogan: Publish your brand’s tagline or slogan to uniquely position your product among competitors.
• Package shape: Use unique package shapes to convey your brand while ensuring it’s functional for the consumer.

There are plenty of ways to stay creative within these guidelines. To get help designing aesthetically pleasing and brand-appropriate packaging for your brand, contact a mock-up expert at Phase 1 Prototypes to discuss your vision for the perfect product packaging.

5 Tips for Improving Your Product’s Packaging Features

Depending on your product and branding preferences, not all the above packaging features will be valuable to your specific customer base. So, how do you know which highlights are relevant and will improve your packaging?

These five tips will help you make improvements to your packaging that your customers care about.

1. Gather Customer Feedback

To improve your product’s packaging, you need to know which features most concern your customers. Consumer surveys, feedback questionnaires and other contact strategies are excellent ways to engage your demographic and discover what matters to them. Analyzing customer’s feedback will help you make more informed improvements and increase sales.

2. Improve One Package Feature at a Time

Before going all-in and completely revamping your packaging, be methodical about the improvements you make. By making one minor tweak at a time, you can use sales data to determine which change impacted sales — either positively or negatively.

Once you have a good idea of the cause-and-effect relationship between packaging features and sales, you can gradually make additional improvements to increase your packaging’s effectiveness.

3. Roll out Seasonal Designs

If you’re interested in redesigning your product’s packaging, use seasonal cycles to test which adjustments are most effective. For years, iconic brands like Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Hershey’s have taken advantage of the calendar to roll out different seasonal packaging designs.

Consumers respond favorably to holiday-themed packaging. Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, Halloween or Christmas, your brand can introduce a new packaging feature that incorporates strategic seasonal marketing. Depending on the response to your seasonal launch, you can determine whether to maintain that feature permanently or employ it again in the future.

4. Invest in a Professional Designer

Whenever a brand re-packages its products, there’s always a level of risk involved. Consumers become familiar with the way specific packages look, and veering too far off this beaten path can confuse customers and lead to a drop in sales. But this possibility shouldn’t prevent companies from redesigning their packaging for the better. Working with a professional designer with a proven track record of creating packaging solutions, like Phase 1 Prototypes, will increase your chances of success with your packaging redesign.

5. Test a Prototype

Packaging is a significant investment, so it’s critical to ensure it’s the right move before making a total commitment. Packaging prototypes are a convenient way to test your creative ideas before introducing them to your larger product line. They also allow you to experiment with different packaging types, designs and features to ensure you select the ones that will generate the most favorable response.

A professional packaging prototype service, like Phase 1 Prototypes, can be your trusted partner in finding the right packaging features for your consumers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about product packaging:

Why Is the Importance of Packaging?

Packaging is a crucial product element because it determines the customer’s first impression and shapes their experience in numerous ways. It helps boost brand recognition and protect products from damage during storage, handling and delivery.

What Are the Characteristics of High-Quality Packaging?

High-quality packaging needs to be aesthetically pleasing, functional and practical. It must also provide ample protection for the products against heat, light, dirt and moisture to prevent contamination. It also needs to be easy to open while ensuring convenient and eco-friendly disposal.

What Are the Types of Packaging?

There are three main types of packaging — primary, tertiary and secondary. Secondary packaging is the client-facing packaging businesses leverage to market their brand and attract customers. Tertiary or transport packaging facilitates efficient and effective handling and transportation of products, while primary packaging is often in direct contact with the product to protect and preserve its chemical and quality properties.

What Are the Most Important Packaging Features?

Effective packaging must meet the following criteria:

• Offers product protection
• Utilizes information architecture
• Displays instructions and directions, health and nutrition facts
• Prioritizes accessibility and inclusivity
• Uses eco-friendly materials
• Is aesthetically pleasing

What Are Examples of Eco-Friendly Packaging Materials?

Some of the most common eco-friendly packaging materials that appeal to consumers include corrugated, recycled or compostable materials. Any packaging that reduces carbon footprint and minimizes harm to humans and the environment is considered eco-friendly.

Choose Phase 1 Prototypes for Your Next Product Package Prototype

A product’s packaging is more than a way to deliver and protect its contents. It’s also a strategic approach to promoting your brand, reaching untapped consumer markets, engaging with your customers, communicating your company values and driving repeat business. That’s why it’s vital to develop effective, well-designed packaging that contains all the highlights consumers want and need.

Developing a packaging prototype can help save you time and money, ensuring you get your packaging right before rollout. Phase 1 Prototypes is a custom packaging prototype and mock-up service, providing you with fast, high-quality prototypes in all varieties. With our mock-up services, we help ensure your product’s packaging includes all the innovations customers want.

Contact us today to learn more about building a packaging prototype that covers these essential features.

SHARE THIS: