In a marketing world which seems to be ever-increasingly digital, it is easy for elements of the marketing mix such as packaging design to get forgotten. Yet packaging is one of the most powerful parts of the marketing mix, or could be if it was managed effectively. Most critical is to recognize that packaging must work for shoppers. Here are five tips on how to make sure your packaging design really works for you in your shopper marketing.
Packaging Design – the unsung hero of the marketing mix
Packaging is one of the most important, and yet often under-valued elements of the marketing communication mix for a CPG company. It needs to resonate with consumers and deliver a great consumption experience (we all have memories of milk cartons that spill everywhere, or sachets of various powders that split and spill everywhere). Packaging needs to protect the product and communicate all of the legal requirements too. It has to meet logistics and retail standards to be accepted throughout the value chain. It has to be aware of its environmental responsibilities too. But it really, really needs to work for shoppers.
LEARN HOW TO CREATE POWERFUL INSTORE SIGNAGE AND SHOPPER COMMUNICATION THAT REALLY WORKS – NOW
It is on the shelf that packaging design has to communicate most – if the product doesn’t work on the shelf; is not visible to shoppers, doesn’t attract them, and give them the message they need, then it isn’t working hard enough. Packaging is a remarkably efficient shopper communication tool, taking your message to every outlet your product is stocked in. Yet I’m pretty sure that when the in-store marketing mix is being defined, packaging as a communication tool is often forgotten.
Making Sure Packaging Design works for shoppers
Get shopper marketing or trade marketing involved in the packaging design process
It might sound obvious, but too often the packaging design process is led by marketing, with input from supply chain and legal departments. But packaging needs to do more than that, and it needs to work on the shelf, in front of a shopper. So it stands to reason, surely, that if there is shopper expertize in the organization it should be accessed during the packaging design process.
Consider the target shopper when designing packaging
Often the person consuming the product is also the shopper, but that isn’t always the case. Just check. If the shopper is not the consumer, does the packaging design work for them?
Consider the channel and the shopping process
Different shoppers buy in different channels, and different channels deliver quite a different shopping experience. In some stores in Vietnam, for example, shoppers approach the store on a motorbike and rarely dismount to make a purchase. If the pack wasn’t visible from 15 feet away, it simply wouldn’t get noticed. That shopper understanding won’t be collected by showing concepts to consumers in focus groups. If the shopper hasn’t been built into packaging design process, it is likely that performance is not being optimized in terms of visibility or communication in the store.
Consider the in-store situation
Even in more conventional outlets, there are a fair number of variations which might impact the way packaging is developed. The width of the aisle may impact how close a shopper is to the shelf, and to the pack. The amount of space dedicated to the category may influence the number of facings which will completely change the way a shopper sees (or doesn’t see) your product.
Test your packaging design with shoppers
Testing packaging designs for shoppers used to be a tricky exercise. These days virtual store technology is a useful shopper research tool and is great for packaging testing. The costs of such an activity are significantly lower than they might have been in the past. And when considering the costs, do bear in mind that the packaging design will be seen by every shopper in every store, probably for many years. Isn’t it worth getting it right?
Packaging design arguably is, or should be, part of the shopper marketing lexicon. At the very least packaging development (and that includes design) should be a collaborative effort involving both consumer and shopper teams. For more on trade marketing, shopper marketing, and customer management, don’t forget to subscribe to this blog.
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