The packaging of a product is your last line of marketing. If your product competes with other products sitting on the shelf of a department store or grocery store, it is important that your packaging diverts attention from your competitors. What the packaging says could be the last selling point that closes the deal. When designing packaging, consider cost and environmental benefits along with the look.
Know Your Audience
Different products attract the attention of different people. Your packaging design should fit the product and capture the essence of the people you are marketing to. Axe Shower Gel has a rugged and strong package design that appeals to young men. Kids are attracted to bright and fun colors with animal characters on it. The Horizon Organic milk cow implies that the child will have fun drinking the milk.
Environmentally Friendly
More and more people are seeking products that reflect an eco-conscious lifestyle. Minimizing packaging to allow the product to shine through not only allows customers to see the product but to reduce waste. You can also make packaging that can be reused for other purposes. Packaging designs made out of recycled materials is also very popular among consumers.
Freebies
Ask any child who waited to find the detective decoder ring at the bottom of the cereal box, getting free stuff with your product is fun. Depending on your product, you can offer posters, puzzles or stickers. Sell a book with a CD that promotes a product you are cross-promoting. A few songs on a CD can give a customer a taste of what they should look for to buy the complete version.
Cost
When looking at packaging, you need to consider the materials that will be involved in the packaging. Beyond just the simple cost of packaging materials, there will be costs to ship your product and they will increase if you packaging design is an odd shape or oversized. Many great packaging designs use little packaging at all. Candle-Lite became a major grocery store seller by having nothing more than a small label on the back of a clear jar. The product glowed (on the shelf and after being lit) and allowed consumers to know exactly what they were buying.
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