Design Tips: Making your product jump off the shelves

Capturing consumer interest remains one of the critical goals of product packaging. In today’s hyper competitive marketplace, your product packaging will be the first thing that consumers will

pick out off the shelves, in stores, in real time. While an online presence and aggressive eCommerce strategy is paramount in supporting your overall marketing strategy, POP displays and your retail packaging will be the first thing that your consumers see (before they dig into your product).

What makes your product look desirable. How can you convey inspiration and uniqueness? How can you incorporate this through good, solid design?

1. Counter displays and floor displays are an incredibly easy and obvious way to pull your product right off the shelf. These are temporary installments which are made out of corrugated cardboard. They are highly customizable. Counter displays are also great for targeting the impulse shopper as they are often found close to the till.   
2. Revisit colours of the season: It is not always economical to do an entire rebrand every time there is a shift in trends. However, by having a solid base design, playing with colours and materials can be a practical way of making your packaging pop to the consumer.    
3. Essentialism: We are not talking about the ever trending minimalism here. Essentialism is looking at what you need to be communicated on your packaging and using just that. Ensuring the consumer knows exactly what they are buying and that they are getting to know you through what is communicated on your packaging. Essentialism focuses on clarity of message and on creating an emotional state in the viewer that is fulfilled and satisfied. Happiness is an essential element. Essentialism is not simply the stripping away of clutter, or non-pertinent information, it is arranging and selecting elements based on importance or hierarchy. What is essential? How can you use bold or colours to communicate this? And (of course) what could you do without?   
4. Revisit marketing basics: good design should communicate your brand’s spirit, and personify your values and goals. Is there a symbol, gesture or image which effectively tells the consumer what you are about? Is the design and layout on your packaging emblematic of your creative spirit? When strategizing and evaluating good design, it is important to keep these elements, the ones that make you, YOU, in mind.   
5. Focus on experience. Creating an experience which affords the customer to build a relationship with the product right off the shelves inevitably leads to a sale. The consumer in turn feels invested and connected with the product.

 

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