Every item on a food store shelf needs to be properly packaged, and creating a package design that achieves an effective balance between form and function is a challenge! This checklist should help you make sure that once the product hits the shelf, your food packaging strategy will cover all the bases.
What do you want the product to look like? Are you looking for a hi-tech aesthetic for an energy drink, or are you trying to appeal to nostalgia with an old-fashioned look for your chocolate chip cookies?
The name of the product needs to be front and centre on the custom packaging– if not literally in the centre. The package is, after all, the most immediate form of advertising.
We all recognize Heinz’s famous “57 Varieties”, or Maxwell House’s “Good to the Last Drop.” An effective tagline on the package can help sell the product right in the grocery store aisle.
If you have a new product that the consumer won’t recognize instantly, finding room on the package for a story about it that will help to make the sale. This is where the personal touch comes in- the narrative can create human interest to help the buyer make a decision.
Once you’ve taken care of the advertising and persuasion, you have to make room on the package for the required components of food packaging:
The nutrition facts panel helps the shopper determine if this food product meets their nutritional preferences or needs.
This should be right below the nutrition facts panel, listing the ingredients by weight, from the most to the least.
With the increasing prevalence of food allergies, it is very important to list any potential allergens in your product, be it peanuts, gluten, or shellfish. However, you can also add an extra selling point by indicating that the food is free of a certain common allergen!
The shopper needs to know the volume or weight of the product to help her make an informed decision about which brand is the best deal.
The scanner code is now a basic essential on food packaging, with even small local stores switching to scanner technology. Make sure that it is big enough, and placed on as flat a plane as possible, for ease of scanning.
The place where the actual food comes from may not be the same as the location of the company. Let the shopper know where the food was grown!
Is this product Certified Organic? Fair Trade? Kosher or Halal? These are key selling points for many consumers!
To ensure repeat sales, when a product needs to be prepared, make sure that the buyer knows how to cook it to achieve the best results.
Shoppers may make a decision based on how much packaging they have to get rid of, or if it can be recycled.
Include address, phone number, website to make it easy for customers to get in touch. Using a QR code can let the shopper access more information on the product right in the grocery aisle!
The package for a food product isn’t just a wrapper- it’s an important component of brand identity, and includes essential information required by law. Creating an effective and attractive package design can ensure the product’s success!
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