The Importance of Retail Packaging

Last Updated on Wednesday 12th Dec 2018

Some research supports the fact that packaging may be more important than the actual product. The reasoning stems from the fact that the packaging is the first thing a customer sees.

A survey that supports this conclusion was undertaken in France in 2005. The Salon Europack surveyed hundreds of French people and found that they were more interested in a product’s packaging. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed said that packaging was extremely important to them, 43% said that packaging was rather important to them and 10% said they paid moderate attention to packaging. Not one of those surveyed said that they paid zero attention to packaging on a product even though it was an option on the survey.

Louis Cheskin, a 20th-century marketing innovator, clinical psychologist and scientific researcher, attributed this phenomenon to what he called sensation transference. Cheskin explained sensation transference as the way individuals transfer their feelings about the initial packaging they see to whatever product is inside.

Cheskin and other researchers of his time also concluded that packaging can affect individuals on an emotional level. Packaging that is becoming and attractive appears to stimulate motivated and happy feelings in individuals. Studies that made these conclusions based their findings on three key areas: text, colour and logos with illustrations or pictures.

Text on Packaging

Text on any package must first be easy to read. No one wants to have to strain to understand a font or lettering. The writing should be unambiguous and absolutely clear. Text also needs to be big enough to read from a short distance, and the most important information should be the biggest in size. You don’t want your customers wondering if the brand of the product is the name of the product or vice versa. This should be obvious. If you want your product to appear more luxurious, research shows that bold, uppercase letters in a simple format connote this type of luxury product. On the other hand, serif or sans serif fonts seem to suggest products that are more price accessible.

Colour of Packaging

In line with the differences in fonts and price accessibility, colour has much to do with how people perceive certain product packaging as well. Generally speaking, colours that are darker, deeper and lusher tend to be associated with more expensive and luxurious products. White and lighter colours are associated with more price-accessible products.

It’s important to be consistent with your packaging because this will help consumers learn colour associations. For example, the famous blue that always appears on Tiffany packaging will forever be associated with luxury. If Tiffany was to vary their colours, that blue colour association would become fuzzy and would be lost. It’s important to stay consistent by sticking to only one or two key colours in your packaging.

Logos with Illustrations or Pictures

All products should have specific logos. Consumers  associate the logo to the product. Your logo does not have to be busy. In fact, research has found that simple and symmetrical logos with straight lines and basic pictures are most associated with luxury items. Curvy, asymmetrical and circular logos are more associated with value items. In an interesting research study, it was also found that positioning text toward the right side of the package made people remember the text better, and positioning logos with pictures toward the left side of the package made people remember the pictures better.

Jewellery Is a Luxury Item and Should Be Sold as Such

If you are selling an item like a computer or television, the packaging does not need to create that luxury purchase experience. The workability of each item will likely be at the forefront of the buyers’ minds. On the other hand, sellers that are marketing items purely aimed at the gift market should pay very close attention to packaging. Research produced on the subject of impulse buying, has shown that buyers will make up their minds about a product for potential impulse purchase in about five seconds. That means you have only seconds to impress them with your packaging. It has to look good.

The Impact of Going Green on Package Design

It is wonderful that the world is becoming more focused on improving the environment, and it’s easy to see how this might cause a change in package design. But remember luxury items, like pieces of jewellery, are in a whole different category than useful items like televisions or computers that requires transport packaging, where the buyer might be upset at the waist of materials.

On the other hand, the packaging around a piece of jewellery is almost like a part of the jewellery itself. The chic box, lovely tag and delicate tissue paper all play a special role in the purchase of a piece of jewellery. Research shows that more than 80% of household purchases are decided by women, and women love flair and detail.

Keenpac and your Packaging

We’re the retail and product packaging specialists. For over 30 years, our innovative and cutting-edge packaging solutions have been enhancing some of the world’s biggest and best known brands. Take a walk through any shopping area and you’re bound to see some of the retail bags and packaging we’ve created.

Our retail packaging expertise covers all sectors, including fashion, cosmetics and beauty, watches and jewellery, specialist retail, and charity as well as on-line retail. Starting with initial creative concepts to finished design and production, we work closely with you every step of the way, managing the process completely, right through to delivery at store.

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