Packaging can literally break or make a product or brand. Product packaging does not just refer to the container that the product is packed into. It also refers to the graphics, fonts, colors, and information that is printed on the can, bottle, stand up pouch, jar, plastic container, or any other type of container.
Packaging is a crucial part in the whole marketing game, because it conveys a message to the consumer. Packaging engages the customer and helps the customer understand what the product is about and convinces the customer to buy the product. Since packaging plays such a crucial role, it is wise to find out how you can select the right packaging for your product Stand Up Pouch.
Know Your Product and Audience
The first step to determining the right packaging for you product involves understanding what your product is and who your audience is. Ask yourself, is your product delicate, is it in liquid form, is it a food item, or is it a solid item made of wood or metal? For example, if you are selling some food item, you need to go for a packaging that not only prevents contamination but is also strong enough to protect the food during transportation and storage. If you are selling toys, you need to opt for packaging that not only protects the product, but also has graphics that appeal to the kids.
This brings us to the topic of audience. In order to get the right packaging for your product, it is crucial to understand who your audience is. Do your customers belong to a particular age group? Are they high end customers or are you catering to the regular customers? Are you catering to women or men or both? Do your customers have concern about the environment?
Are they worried about the chemicals in their diet? Let us say that you are selling organic food. This means that your audience is going to be environmentally conscious and want chemical free food. This further means that you have to opt for packaging that is environmentally sustainable, provides proper protection during transportation and storage, has eye catching graphics, protects the food from contamination, and increases the shelf life. The correct understanding of your audience will help you choose the right packaging.
Budget
Budget plays a crucial role in determining the right packaging, because you want a packaging that is right for your product and at the same time helps you make a handsome profit. It is also important to remember that the cost of packaging should not cost more than the product itself. However, this does not mean that you should opt for very cheap packaging. Selection of cheap packaging will lead to damage during transportation and you will end up spending more to replace the product. While selecting packaging, you have to make sure that it is sturdy enough to protect your product during transportation, is appealing to the eye, unique, and affordable all at the same time.
Determining the Packaging Size
The size and shape of your product will determine the size of your packaging. Packing a large size toy into a small box will only damage the product. Imagine the experience of a consumer opening the box to find a damaged good. One thing is for sure- he/she is never buying from you again. When determining the size of your packaging, you need to remember that it needs to keep the product safe and at the same time is appealing to the customer. If you have three or four size products, it is best to find a two size packaging solution so that you provide consistency to the consumers and also ensure that the packaging is affordable for you.
Transportation and Storage
If you are selling online, your product would need to be shipped. If you are selling in a brick and mortar store, it still needs to be transported to the market from your manufacturing unit. One of the main roles of packaging is to ensure that the product is not damaged during transportation and storage. It is thus, imperative to select packaging that offers proper protection to your product. Today manufacturers are not just opting for strong packaging. They are also looking at the affordability factor when deciding about packaging. Why opt for glass packaging when you can opt for flexible packaging, which provides ample protection and also cuts down on transportation and storage cost?
Packaging Material and Sustainability
There are many different types of packaging materials to choose from today. There are flexible packaging, plastic containers, glass and metal containers, paper boxes, cardboards, wood, and more packaging options to select from. Again when selecting packaging material, you have to keep in mind what you are packing in it. For example, when packaging food products, you have to ensure that the packaging material is chemically inert and does not react with the food. Furthermore, in this age of serious environmental concerns, you would want to select packaging that helps cut down on the carbon footprints of your business. The good news is that there are many environmentally sustainable packaging options available today.
Graphics
Graphics is part of packaging and not separate from it. The graphics, logo, font, color, and content on the packaging should convey your brand image in a positive way. It should convey the message that you want to convey to your audience. More importantly, the graphics should correctly reflect the product that you are selling. For example, you are selling chocolate chip cookies. The picture on the package shows cookies with lots of chocolate chips on it but the cookies inside only have one or two chocolate chips on them. Misrepresentation of your product will never help establish a loyal customer base. Graphics are important also because they help your product stand out from other brands in the market. Sit down with your designer, take your time, do the research, and then come up with graphics and design that help make your product unique.
Unboxing Experience
The unboxing experience refers to how people open your product and interact with your packaging. The whole unboxing experience plays a very crucial role in building a loyal customer base. Let us take for instance that you are selling juice. If the consumer has a hard time opening the lid of the stand up pouch or if the juice spills while being poured into a glass, there is a high chance that the consumer will not select your brand the next time he/she goes shopping for juice. You have to invest your time and money in creating packaging that is fun and easy to open.
Conclusion
Choosing the right packaging is a challenge, but if you invest time, money, do the needful research, and think out of the box, you will be able to come up with a perfect packaging solution for your product.
