Standout packaging design

Posted by Jane Toohey on 9 August 2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: packaging, design

What makes one package jump off the shelf into the hands of your customers, whilst another remains stagnant, a lone figure never to be chosen?…standout packaging design.

With around 40,000 different packs to choose from in the average supermarket, across food and non-food items, the challenge is to stand out from the crowd. Over 70% of purchase decisions are made at point of purchase and standout packaging design makes the sale. There are thousands of products competing for shoppers' attention in-store and a pack on a supermarket shelf has less than three seconds to grab attention. This doesn't mean that packaging necessarily needs to be loud or gaudy - but it must be relevant to the audience for which it is intended and give a clear message to buy.

So as with any marketing tactic, it’s important to get into the mind of your target audience. What are they looking for, what need do you have to fulfil, what are their aspirations and dreams. It also helps to understand the steps a prospective customer goes through when searching the shelves; when all memory of their favourite brand goes out the window, they’re seduced by the imagery in the moment and all that exists is what’s there on the shelf now. Many FMCG companies spend more on point-of-sale marketing than on print advertising or any other marketing medium. Smart companies know that a good package design can turn the loyalty of the best of their customers in a moment!

So what are the steps inherent in standout packaging design:

1. An initial attention grabber. There’s a number of different tactics available to the packaging designer here:

• Shape: unusual shapes such as the Perrier bottle (designed to echo a droplet of water), an iPod or a bottle of Versace perfume. Tactile, unique, shouts out ‘grab me, touch me!’
• Colour: recognisable or emotive colours such as the black and cream of Guinness, the yellow and red of the Vegemite jar.
• Illustration: emotive images such as the Dulux dog or the Nike tick.

 2. Then comes the need for a strong, stand-out product name relevant to it’s category – e.g. mototo, a name we developed for a new niche frozen dessert product competing in the fast moving consumer goods category in Australia and Asia. The name mototo almost mimics the sound of tasting your favourite ice cream or dessert–mmm and oohh–it’s unique, memorable and emotive.

3. Then the customer asks “Do I care?” He’s looking for an emotional connection, a reason to buy. This may not be your actual brand promise and the product positioning is always informed by the overarching brand values e.g. from Cement Australia Premium Portland Cement, blends with raw materials to suit your project.

4. Then, what’s the story behind the product? The packaging needs something the customer can buy into, derived from the brand personality…e.g. Mukti – the meaning of which is freedom and liberation, explains on their packaging that they are an Australian certified organic skin, hair and body care range committed to educating their customers on making healthy choices and protecting the future of their skin.

5. Only then have you earnt the right to present the features and benefits. Put these too prominently on the packaging, too early on and you’ll loose the audience straight off.

Remember standout packaging design is the sales canvas, it’s part of the customers’ brand experience:

• It provides clarity on what to buy
• It gives an emotional reason why to buy
• It appeals to their logic in the sequence of seeking information or timing i.e. when to buy.

Standout packaging design becomes your salesman in the all important 3 seconds of on-shelf attention time.