Proper product packaging is a crucial element of marketing, design and functionality. In the retail sense, product packaging conveys and serves several purposes. First, the design of the package can tell you something about the type of the product and its purpose. The other purposes include promoting a brand, protecting a product and informing consumers. The push to satisfy consumer is the main driving factor to consider when choosing product packaging. Most consumers, according to research, look at the following characteristics when choosing a product packaging; product resell, ease of storage, ease of opening, ease of carrying and products that enhance the life of a product.
The resell factor is especially crucial when it comes to food items. A flexible packaging material can easily extend the shelf life of a product and give consumers a sneak pick of how the product looks. Flexible packaging is typically lightweight, compact and highly functional. The lightweight nature can go a long way to save shipping cost while the compactness provides more storage space. To get the right packaging for your products, you must decide the product structure and materials you want to use. Special considerations should be given to the following items:
- Consider the items that will go inside the box. Emphasize should be placed on product dimension, weight and level of protection demanded.
- Quality and performance specifications such as child safety, water resistance capability and FDA compliance
- Amount of budget set aside to develop the product
- Shelf requirements such as storage location and stacking accommodation
- Function of the product
- How the product will be shipped
Once you have determined the structure of your box, you need to choose the right kind of box and packaging supplies for your product. When it comes to product branding, the key factors to consider include font, product description and the color of the packaging. Remember the main purpose served by the font is to deliver information; thus the readability factor is of utmost importance. When doing a product description, avoid adding too much or little information as this could confuse or cloud the consumer’s mind. Making the mistake of using a wrong font, on the other hand, can easily ruin the product’s marketability.
Packaging materials manufacturers and retailers can use these considerations to offer consumers the benefits of good packaging and stay ahead of competition. Today, the push towards eco-friendly packaging has greatly affected all facets of product packaging. For example, you can use simple packaging made from recycling paper to give a product a natural feel. The image used in packaging also counts, you do not want to use an image that will not relate to the intended product or confuse the consumer. Some of the non-traditional packaging material options available to consumers include the use of shrink film, flexible pouches and resalable bags.
Since product packaging clearly defines the first impression, packaging manufacturers and retailers need to take the matter seriously in order to grow the market. One way to do this is by consulting, integrated packaging design companies to find the right packaging designs and packaging supplies for their products. These companies are well-equipped with expertise and machinery that can be used to calculate intricate elements that go into developing right packaging such as setting the width for semi-automatic L-bar or manual sealer among other calculations.
