Packaging is an important element of your product strategy because it protects your product against damage and spoilage, and can make the item safer, easier, and more efficient to use. Any box, bottle, or container that holds your product is considered to be packaging.
An effective combination of package shape, color, and size can influence consumers' purchasing decisions. For example, small, single-serving cereal boxes are popular with families that have varied breakfast tastes. Packaging can also positively impact your marketing strategy. For instance, a unique cap design can give your product a competitive advantage.
Packaging Objectives
Effective packaging requires an investment of time, effort, and money to research and develop a design that is functional and attractive. Your packaging strategy should achieve four objectives.
· Be protective
The principal objective of your packaging design should be to protect the product. Since several groups, including wholesalers and retailers, generally handle the product, effective packaging must protect against damage and spoilage.
A protective package design can also assure consumers that your product is fresh or safe to use. For example, a consumer who buys a vacuum-sealed package of coffee may perceive the product to be fresh. Or, a medicine bottle with an intact tamper-resistant top guarantees that the product has not been altered since it left the manufacturer's production plant.
· Be recognizable
Another objective of your packaging strategy should be to make your product recognizable. Packaging shapes, colors, and sizes can distinguish your product from competitors' brands to catch consumers' attention.
Shoppers typically spend about ten seconds looking at grocery items before making a selection. Your packaging design must be bold and distinctive to draw consumers' attention away from competing brands.
For example, an active walker or bicyclist might be attracted to a plastic water bottle featuring finger grooves that make it easy to hold. Although the product is almost identical to other bottled waters, the unique packaging design sets it apart from the competition.
· Be practical
Your packaging strategy should also be practical. You must develop a package design that complements your product and makes it convenient to use. For example, instead of glass bottles, makers of ketchup and mustard offer squeezable plastic bottles to make applying the condiments convenient and safe for all family members.
· Be economical
Finally, your packaging strategy should be economical. Your product's packaging design should not be so elaborate that it drastically decreases your profit margin. Manufacturing packages from recycled materials can save you money, and by offering biodegradable packaging, you can attract environmentally conscious consumers.
An effective combination of package shape, color, and size can influence consumers' purchasing decisions. For example, small, single-serving cereal boxes are popular with families that have varied breakfast tastes. Packaging can also positively impact your marketing strategy. For instance, a unique cap design can give your product a competitive advantage.
Packaging Objectives
Effective packaging requires an investment of time, effort, and money to research and develop a design that is functional and attractive. Your packaging strategy should achieve four objectives.
· Be protective
The principal objective of your packaging design should be to protect the product. Since several groups, including wholesalers and retailers, generally handle the product, effective packaging must protect against damage and spoilage.
A protective package design can also assure consumers that your product is fresh or safe to use. For example, a consumer who buys a vacuum-sealed package of coffee may perceive the product to be fresh. Or, a medicine bottle with an intact tamper-resistant top guarantees that the product has not been altered since it left the manufacturer's production plant.
· Be recognizable
Another objective of your packaging strategy should be to make your product recognizable. Packaging shapes, colors, and sizes can distinguish your product from competitors' brands to catch consumers' attention.
Shoppers typically spend about ten seconds looking at grocery items before making a selection. Your packaging design must be bold and distinctive to draw consumers' attention away from competing brands.
For example, an active walker or bicyclist might be attracted to a plastic water bottle featuring finger grooves that make it easy to hold. Although the product is almost identical to other bottled waters, the unique packaging design sets it apart from the competition.
· Be practical
Your packaging strategy should also be practical. You must develop a package design that complements your product and makes it convenient to use. For example, instead of glass bottles, makers of ketchup and mustard offer squeezable plastic bottles to make applying the condiments convenient and safe for all family members.
· Be economical
Finally, your packaging strategy should be economical. Your product's packaging design should not be so elaborate that it drastically decreases your profit margin. Manufacturing packages from recycled materials can save you money, and by offering biodegradable packaging, you can attract environmentally conscious consumers.