ICON_PLACEHOLDEREstimated reading time: 8 minutes
Product packaging goes a long way in influencing sales, and we are going to be exploring the how of that shortly.
First, let me tell you a story.
I needed to travel to Ogun state, so I went to the nearest park to board a bus. I got a bus and now have to wait for it to get filled so we can leave.
While waiting, different vendors approached me and other passengers, trying to sell their goods. One of them was selling “choco milo”, a very familiar candy cube made with chocolate. I bought some hoping to give them to my nephews and niece when I get to my destination.
Few minutes later, I decided to unwrap and eat one of them. I unwrapped and it still all looked good. I put it in my mouth, and that was when I realized what just happened to me. I didn’t buy choco milo. It was something else that didn’t taste anything like it.
But I fell for it because the packaging perfectly imitated the choco milo we all know.
Imagine how many more people would fall for it in a country like Nigeria and how that would influence sales. That should tell you all you need to know about packaging. But let’s explore a bit further. Who knows, we may find more examples.
Contents
Product Packaging and Consumer Behaviour
The above example may not be the best. You may want to argue that there is a bit of manipulation there. We all get manipulated by advertisers every day anyways.
However, there has always been a link between product packaging and consumer behaviour.
Wait, let’s be clear on what product packaging really is.
What is product packaging?
Yeah, your basic understanding of product packaging may not be wrong. Product packaging involves creating the wrapper and/or container for a product. It’s the product cover used for storing, protecting, and handling the product from external factors such as moisture, sunlight, and breakage.
While the primary function of packaging is protection and preservation in some cases, it has served as an essential marketing tool over the years. It gives the product a look, an identity that attracts customers to it.
Don’t judge a book by its cover yeah? But interestingly, some of the bestselling books on popular reading platforms such as Bambooks and Okadabooks tend to have beautiful covers. Coincidence? I think not. Another strong point for packaging.
72% of consumers in America have said their purchasing decision is influenced by product packaging design.
Think about this for a second. Say you need a product but have no particular brand in mind. So, you walk into a supermarket, and the attendant tells you the section of the product you’re looking for. You get there and now faced with multiple brand options of the same product. And they all are within the same price range.
What do you think will influence the product you eventually choose?
Well, in most of such cases, the packaging ends up becoming the determining factor. You will most likely end up taking the brand that its packaging appeals to you most.
But how does this work? What is it about packaging that makes it so powerful and influential?
How Product Packaging Influences Sales
Positioning Strategy
There are different ways to look at Positioning. For this point, let’s choose to see it as a way of associating with a known brand to make your brand recognizable by the target market.
And a perfect example is in that choco milo story up there. I bought the brand because I thought it was the choco milo I knew. It turned out it wasn’t; the packaging only imitated it so well.
Someone else may actually know it’s not choco milo but still go ahead to buy it thinking “if it looks like choco milo, then it will most likely taste like it”. Now, that’s another example of the effect of positioning strategy.
Making a product look similar to others within the same industry or niche using recognizable packaging style makes it easy for customers to recognize your product in any retail environment.
Positioning is not peculiar to packaging, though. It can be applied to brand name, logo, slogan and so on.
For instance, think of how many Cola you know or have heard of (minus the original Coca-Cola). Every other brand using Cola in its name is just tapping from the Coca-Cola brand through Positioning.
Packaging and Product Quality
Have you seen Apple products packaging?! That’s an excellent example of packaging that communicates quality, and it clearly results in sales.
Of course, Apple does not disappoint with the product when you eventually unpack. Quality packaging meets Quality product.
However, in some cases, the content in the beautiful design ends up falling short of expectation, leaving the buyer disappointed. But it is what is – product has been bought already. You can say mission accomplished as far as the goal of the packaging is concerned.
However, the long-term effect of this on the product is negative reviews, which will ultimately lead to a decline in sales. And since it’s the age of the internet, you need all the positive reviews you can get, as your next customer is one negative review away from leaving you for your competitor.
The fact remains that quality packaging often gives an impression of quality product (content), resulting in sales.
Perceived Value
We may have to spell out the difference between value and quality here quickly. Value may seem similar to the point on quality above, but they are not the same.
Yeah, value and quality are two words that are similar in meaning, and some may even use them interchangeably. But make no mistake; the two terms are not the same.
The significant difference between the two terms is; value often depends on price while quality is independent of price. A quality product is a quality product, irrespective of how much you got it.
But when you say a product is valuable, you are saying the product is a quality product of a relatively high price.
Now, packaging helps to communicate a product value.
How many times have seen products sold for twice their worth because of packaging?
I know a friend who goes to the market to buy sunglasses. Then goes on to purchase attractive glass cases for the glasses. By the time he is selling these sunglasses, the price tag would have gone up by about 300%, and people would gladly buy.
The reason is simple. The attractive glass cases have added value to the glasses.
Colour and Typography Effect
Colour, styling and typography are strong indications of a product’s target market or audience. That explains why, in some cases, products within the same market play around with the same colours.
For instance, children cereals tend always to be colourful and bright. On the other hand, healthier and high-fibre options often come with neutral colour and earth tones palates.
What is the colour of luxury? Do you have any product you can term as luxurious? Look at the packaging it will most likely be silver, black or gold. Those are the colours that often been associated with luxury as they make bold statements.
Some of the things happen so fast and subtle that we don’t notice.
“I wasn’t sure which one to get, but I just noticed this one from far”. Well, it may just be something about “this one” colour that makes it easy to notice from far. I think the word I’m looking for is flashy.
Product Information
Finally, packaging is where you often find information about the product, especially if it’s one you are not all that familiar with.
A typical product packaging has such information as the product name, ingredients, production date, expiry date, registration/approval number and some other information the maker may deem necessary.
As established from the beginning, product packaging is a marketing tool. And the fact that you can write all sorts of exciting contents on the packaging to further attract the customer is additional proof of this.
When a customer picks up your product among the other retail store options, you are one step away from getting the customer to go home with the product.
Some times, the information on a product is why a customer will either buy it or not.
Conclusion
One thing is clear; product packaging is crucial to sales. This something almost anyone who has ever bought anything can attest to. Therefore, it deserves all the attention it can get.
Having said, this does not mean you should focus on packaging at the expense of the actual content. Any business who does that may see initial promising results, but eventual negative in the long run.
Good packaging will get you a customer, but only a good product will keep that customer coming back, and bringing people along.
