7 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Product Packaging Design

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Your company is about to launch an amazing new product—but if it’s not marketed in the right packaging, no one will buy it.

Product packaging design is more important than ever, with so much competition on the shelves of supermarkets and stores. However, the right packaging will catch the eye of shoppers, encouraging them to stop and check it out.

If you want to ensure your new product is successful, it’s all about the packaging. To learn more, keep reading to find seven important factors to consider when selecting packaging for your product.

1. Branding

When thinking about package design, keep in mind your company’s branding. If your packaging doesn’t align with your branding, it’s going to be confusing.

Worse, customers might walk past your product on the shelves because they don’t recognize its design. Take into account your company’s style guide when designing packaging—this should include colors, fonts, imaging, and guidelines of how your brand should appear.

While it’s ok to try something new, you still want it to be clearly visible that the packaging is from your company.

2. Production Cost

Next, think about the cost of your packaging. When packaging a product, how much is it going to cost per item?

If production cost is too high, this is going to cut into your profits. Or, it may mean that you need to increase the sale price of the product, which could put off buyers.

Packaging materials like paper and cardboard are always going to be cheaper than more premium materials like plastic, metallics, or glass, so research costs of materials before committing.

It’s a tough balance to get right—you want your packaging to stand out, but you also don’t want it to be too expensive.

3. Sustainability

Another big factor in retail packaging is sustainability. Is it recyclable?

Many customers are sick and tired of seeing so much single-use plastic in packaging. Even if it can be recycled, laziness or confusion often mean that plastics end up in landfills, which isn’t good for the planet.

If your company has an environmentally-friendly focus, then you’ll definitely want to consider the sustainability of your packaging.

Minimal packaging can be a good way to approach this, as products often come wrapped up in more packaging than necessary. Or, try to ensure everything you use can either be recycled or is biodegradable.

Even if it works out to be slightly more expensive, you can still come out ahead, as many consumers will gladly purchase a product with eco-friendly packaging over one that isn’t.

4. Weight

Another big consideration is weight. Are you going to need to ship or transport large quantities of your product?

Or, if customers generally order online, will you need to mail the product to their home?

If so, spend some time thinking about the weight of your packaging. Generally, the heavier something weighs, the more expensive it’s going to be to ship.

Delivery costs are often passed on to the customer, so try to work out how much your new product will cost to ship. For products that are already large or bulky, this is important as well because you don’t want something to be too heavy for the average person to pick up and carry.

5. Accessibility

Is it easy for customers with visual impairments to shop for your product? Unfortunately, many businesses neglect the importance of braille inspection.

Braille is a writing and reading system used by people with vision impairments. On packaging, braille can be read by using your finger to feel raised dots and bumps.

Consider adding braille to your product packaging. This way, shoppers can read more about your product before purchasing it, helping them make decisions even when shopping alone.

Accessibility is important, as you want to make it easy for everyone to use and shop for your new product.

6. Color

What color will your product packaging be? While it seems like a trivial decision, color is heavily tied into emotion—which impacts purchasing decisions.

For example, blue is seen as calm and inviting, while black is powerful and edgy. Think about your target demographic and the emotions you want your product to invoke.

This is why many restaurants and fast-food places use reds and oranges in their branding—these colors can make us feel hungry and thirsty.

If you use color theory well, it can increase sales, subconsciously. Just be sure to pick the right color for your purposes.

7. Ease of Use

Is your packaging easy to use and remove? There’s nothing more frustrating than buying something new and realizing that you just can’t get it out of the package without scissors or a knife.

Think about who will be using your product—for example, if it’s aimed at children or the elderly, they may have different motor skills that make it harder for them to open the packaging without help.

While you want your packaging to keep your product safe, you also want it to be easy to remove after purchase.

Improve Your Product Packaging Design With These Tips

With so many considerations, it’s clear that the right product packaging design is essential to the success of a product. Use the factors above to start thinking about design ideas for your new product.

Before you launch date, you might also want to try some consumer focus groups, gaining valuable input from your customers about which type of packaging they prefer. Then, you can take your new product to market and watch the sales start rolling in!

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