We live in a society where we buy something pretty much every day. No matter if it’s basic things to eat or cosmetic products. We spend more money weekly in the stores than we are aware of.
When you go to the store to buy something, why do you choose one product instead of the other that is pretty much the same? If you’ve seen the ads and commercials, the answer is easy, we go for the product that is more familiar. The same goes for the price, we choose the product that fits our budget.
But what happens when you need something and there are two products on the shelve. You vaguely know both, they both fit your budget? How do you choose which one to buy? The answer is the packaging! That’s the difference between putting the product in your cart and leaving it on the shelve.
If you are fairly new on the market and want your product to be sold and easily recognized by potential customers, you need to choose the right packaging for it. Here is how to do that.
Budget
First things first, what’s your budget for the packaging? A lot of people who are new to the market make the mistake of investing in packaging that they cannot keep in the long run.
If you invest too much in the first batch of products and realize you cannot keep that up, you will have to change the design of the packaging. Or choose less expensive materials. That could be a mistake!
The consumers will get used to the first packaging you chose and when you change it, especially when you down-grade it, they may not choose your product again.
There are a lot of budget-friendly options you can choose to make your product look amazing and it will keep your balance in check.
Eco-friendly packaging is a great option. You can take care of the environment and save a few dollars. Remember that finding the right balance that you need to spend on materials versus what you want to spend on the creative part and in production will largely affect your budget.
Materials
The materials you use are going to make all the difference in the world. By choosing the right materials, you can also choose your target audience. Choose materials that you would use yourself.
If you like how something feels or looks, you can try and use that as a creative idea. Don’t forget you need to be creative and think out of the box.
Be bold and combine different materials together to get the packaging box the way you want it to be. You can use light and flexible materials, or you can go big with a heavy and bulky package. There’s no rule here. If you want to show you care for the environment you can opt for a recyclable package and less packaging waste.
Get inspired by other places and brands, or you can save yourself some time and choose already made packages and this website can give you some ideas on that.
Transportation
After you’ve chosen the materials you have to think about the package that will survive transportation. No matter if you ship items in bulk or one by one, you have to rely on your product’s box, and not on the delivery service.
If your product gets damaged before reaching the consumer it means you did a bad job when thinking about the distribution.
Consider other accessories like metal or plastic straps that will make sure the package is not damaged. You can also add cardboard to keep the same shape. Remember that the product will get thrown around a lot during transportation, so you need to make sure it’s safe.
Be extra cautious if you use materials that are fragile. Choose a good delivery service or invest in delivering the products on your own.
Size
Size matters! Depending on the product you want to get out on the market, you need to find the correct packaging size.
Don’t waste too much space and don’t use too many extra materials. Even though all publicity is good publicity, you definitely don’t want to end up on some website on the most wasteful packaging.
If you have a product that comes in different sizes, make sure to have different packaging options as well. The same goes for single-serve products. By having more than one box size you will reduce the cost of the materials.
You don’t have to use a different size box for every different size of the product you have (even though it would be good). You can use have two different size packages instead of four, just don’t make the one size fits all mistake.
Target audience
Choosing the right box is vital when it comes to marketing. At the end of the day, if you don’t spark the interest in your target audience, you will lose sales.
For example, if you are making a product for women between the ages of 18 and 25, you need to choose the materials and the sizes that will spark their interest. Choose a clean, sleek package that will make them pick your product up. Or opt for bold and bright colors. Add flowers and cool designs.
To create the right packaging for your targeted audience you will need to do a lot of research. You can do it by foot – going to stores that sell your competitors’ products and see how people react to them. Or you can do a lot faster and safer things – conduct a survey. See what people like, ask for their opinion and choose the right thing.
Heavy materials like metal and wood are great for perfumes. Usually men’s perfumes. Women’s perfumes usually have more subtle designs and the boxes are made of more delicate materials.
Depending on the product you are promoting, you will need to do the marketing and the targeting even before you start with the online campaigns. The packaging will do that for you!
Choosing the right packaging for your product can be tough. Luckily, there are a lot of things you can choose from and there are so many different options.
Remember the packaging does not need to be a challenge. Get creative, have fun and just know that great things take time.
